How Did Jews Vote?

See this article in the Forward for a summary of a national poll of Jewish voters commissioned by J-Street which contains some interesting revelations. One not-so-surprising one is that Jews continue to vote Democratic - 2/3 did anyway. Those numbers are down from prior votes, reflecting the rightward tilt of the entire electorate, but still they are significantly to the left of most groups.

But the biggest and perhaps most surprising - even disturbing - revelation is that Israel was virtually a non factor in how Jews voted, and Iran even less so!

See this Jewish Week analysis of various polls of how Jews voted in the contentious Pennsylvania senate race. J-Street's polling, (which on the surface seems self serving, but the Jewish Week reporter found no reason to doubt its veracity) indicated that not only was Israel not a major factor in the Jews' overwhelming support of the liberal Sestak, but the right wing attacks on Sestack for being "bad for Israel," pointing to his J-Street endorsement, were not effective. I've yet to see whether the same held true for Jim Himes, who came under similar attack in our Congressional race - an attack that I believe to have been unfair.

You can read J-Street's polling results for yourselves here. Among their findings:

• Large majorities of Jews (83 percent) want America to play “an active role in
  helping the parties to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict."
• Jews think the U.S. should be an impartial broker in order to achieve peace.
• Arguments for a two-state solution are supported by 79 to 82 percent of American
  Jews. This language cuts across partisan and denominational divides
• Most Jews seek some form of settlement freeze in the West Bank.

But again, for me, the most shocking result was that for the majority of American Jews, Israel hardly matters - or at least it is dwarfed in comparison to other issues. Go to the power point presentation and scroll down to page 27, and you'll see what I mean. When asked what their TWO top issues were in determining their vote, American Jews overwhelmingly chose the economy and health care, as did most Americans, but then you have to go down seven more issues before Israel appears at all - and Israel was chosen by only 7 percent! Then go down to the very bottom of the list and you'll find Iran - at ZERO percent!

What obsesses Jews on the pages of Jewish periodicals and websites is not evidently filtering down to the "masses." The concern for Israel is not there, even at a time of existential peril. The challenge for us is how to engage the vast majority of American Jews on the question of Israel without resorting to well worn scare tactics. Once again, we see proof that "the establishment" is out of touch.

If this all seems self serving for the J-Streeters, well, it is. But these numbers are so off the charts that it is hard imagine that they are fabricated. In fact, they only confirm what other surveys have been showing, including the important new study released by the Avi Chai foundation, Generation of Change: How Leaders in their 20s and 30s are Reshaping American Jewish Life. This important study brought together the best and brightest demographers, including some with conservative agendas, and it shows clearly that the tilt among American Jews in their 20s, 30s and even older, is away from the "establishment." And this survey was of leaders, those who are most active.

It divides the Jewish world into leaders who are "establishment" and "non establishment," and 2/3 to 3/4 of the leaders in the younger age groups are either "mixed" or "non establishment." Of this group - leaders, mind you - only 23 percent are concerned about threats to Israel's security. What are they concerned about? Global issues and spiritual growth, among other things.

JTS Professor Jack Wertheimer, who wrote the final report, stated (as quoted by JTA) that because they share highly critical views toward key organizations and synagogues, and many work outside traditional communal institutions, these future leaders are leading the Jewish world down a new path. “We have a story of quite dramatic change,” he said.

See initial reactions to the report from Jewschool, JTA, The Jewish Week (on intermarriage) and the Jewish Exponent.

So what have we learned from the elections about American Jews? The Jewry is still out, so to speak, but it appears that the more things change, the more things stay the same AND change. Liberalism is still American Jewry's mantra, despite all the attacks and rightward zeitgeist, but Israel no longer appears to be our rallying cry. What Wertheimer calls the "protective" thread of engagement (Israel, Holocaust, anti-Semitism) has been superseded among the young by what he dubs the progressive (global activism, environmentalism) and expressive (spirituality and cultural expression).

And this year at the polls, they all were trumped by the economy and health care. Except in Bridgeport, where I think they are still voting....

"Heads Up" Interesting, Comprehensive Profile of J-Street from Tablet

This is about the best profile I've seen exploring the origins and growth of J-Street and placing it in the context the anti-establishment Jewish left as it has evolved over the past few decades.

J Street chief Jeremy Ben-Ami calls the plays for the first self-confident alternative Jewish establishment http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/48730/heads-up/

More on Dershowitz - Ben Ami

Last Friday's discussion about the "conversation" drew about 50 people. We stayed and talked for nearly two hours after services; it was the type of civil discussion that I only wish had been more present at the original event.

At one point, things got slightly heated, over the question of tactics used by Israel during the War in Gaza. But the two most passionate protagonists listened to each other and, at the end of the evening, they hugged. When I heard about the hug later on, I was tremendously moved.

But the fallout continues. See this week's Jewish Week - an oped column that somewhat ironically, is situated next to mine (on a completely different topic). It's not pleasant reading, and rather unfair, but important nonetheless: Exclude Me At Your Own Peril.

You'll notice in the comments following the original essay some that were contributed by the person who participated in our discussion last Friday after writing a scathing crtique of the original event in the Advocate.

Saving Carly

One of the key revelations of last week's heated Hoffman Lecture was that the huge gathering was far better behaved than the participants. Nonetheless, there were a few bad apples in the bunch, and that is very unfortunate. J-Street discussed some disturbing incidents in their blog and a column in Friday's Stamford Advocate also made reference to it.

As isolated as such incidents were, they are a stain on all of us, especially in light of the work we have been doing to encourage younger Jews to re-engage (which was one reason we brought J-Street here in the first place).

The day after the Hoffman Lecture, I happened to receive this e-mail, which had nothing to do directly with the lecture, and yet everything to do with it.

Rabbi Hammerman,
I just read an answer you wrote on judaism.about.com to a woman asking you about being an agnostic Jew, and I was wondering if you could give me some advice as well. I am in my late twenties, newly moved to the city, and am looking for a community in Washington DC that I think synagogue can provide. The trouble is that I have never been a religious person, though I am a Jewish person. I went to a casual unaffiliated Hebrew school as a child but never had a bat mitzvah. I am not sure if I feel comfortable going to a synagogue. It is a strange idea for me. I would need to find a place that was extremely liberal in thinking and didn't force me to be spiritual in a certain way or expect me to already know or to learn many rituals, etc. that are based on worship and god. Honestly, I am even undecided on the Isreal/Palestine issue. It is something I truly struggle with. While I understand Isreal’s importance to the Jewish people, it would make me uncomfortable to have politics like that preached in the service as well.
Is there a type of synagogue for me, or do I fit in no where? If there is, do you have any advice for finding a place near where I live?

Thank you for your time and any help you can offer,
Carly (a pseudonym)

Notice that the two words she misspelled were “Isreal” and “god.” That about sums it up for a large percentage of Carly’s peers. They are excruciatingly uncomfortable with the synagogues of their parents – from which most of their parents also long ago fled. I would venture to guess that Carly’s folks disengaged from their community even before Bat Mitzvah time came along – but truthfully, it’s no less damaging to the Jewish future than the disconnection that so often takes place after Bar Mitzvah, or a few years later when the nest becomes empty. To compound the problem, Carly has little or no connection to the Jewish homeland – she can’t even spell it.

What are we to do with Carly and her generation? Write them off? For us not to be proactive in addressing Carly would be akin to leaving our own future out in the cold.

That is why we at TBE have developed a multi-pronged strategy to Save Carly – not at the expense of those who are older (or younger), but understanding that we have the potential of a lost generation on our hands, a generation that we produced. So here’s some of what we are doing for Carly and her peers:

- We are growing the community’s only professionally staffed Young Professionals Group – and it has been a great success.

- We’ve developed Shabbat services designed especially to excite all generations – including and especially Carly’s. We need your help – bring a friend (younger or older) to Kabbalat Shabbat, any Friday!

- With full use of the Internet – including my own work along with Ariela’s on About.com and Facebook – in order to reach them where they are.

- Through high-profile events both in and outside the synagogue designed to appeal to that demographic (and others), like my upcoming program with NY Times Ethicist Randy Cohen in Manhattan on Dec. 7.

- With progressive, generous incentives to encourage membership for Young Professionals, realizing that this is not a generation of “joiners.” Several already have taken advantage of this.

- By intensifying our connection with our own young adults, the ones who grew up here – and by encouraging their families to remain affiliated and involved: it makes a difference (of course the families have to be willing to meet us half way).

- Simply by being friendly (and never judgmental) to all visitors, but with a special eye to the Carlys who happen to walk through our door.


The Hoffman lecture was a phenomenon that I’ve discussed elsewhere, but a key reason for our wanting to bring Jeremy Ben Ami here is that J-Street has been attracting lots of Carlys (read her letter again and you’ll see why); it is important for them to know that there are friendly portals open to them within the “established” Jewish community…and yes, even at a synagogue. We’ve already developed a solid reputation for inclusiveness, but high-exposure programs like this, along with our Friday night services that are growing by leaps and bounds, are what will help cement that reputation. Even the few bad eggs that taunted some of the young people following the Hoffman Lecture will not be able to change that, but they reminded us that our task will not be easy.

So whenever you see someone like Carly come through our door, looking a bit nervous and out of place, stretch out your hand and say hello. That’s our future you are talking to.

Tractate Avot states, “Do Not Separate Yourself from the Community.” Now more than ever, it is our sacred task not to let that happen to our kids.

And they are ALL our kids.


Postscipt:
After I replied to Carly, giving her several suggestions, I heard back:

Rabbi Hammerman,
Thank you so much for writing me back. It means a lot to me that you would take time out to write such a thoughtful response to a stranger who lives states away. It is amazing, but just reading your response has made me feel more at home as a Jew and as myself. That you seem to care about me and how I am doing makes me feel like I belong.
I will look into the organizations you mentioned. You are very kind,
Carly

Dershowitz - Ben Ami: Who Speaks for American Jews?

Listen to the Hoffman Lecture: Dershowitz and Ben Ami here.

To obtain the audio files in different formats or to embed, click here.

Some comments after a draining evening:

I came into this evening's dramatic conversation between Alan Dershowitz and Jeremy Ben Ami hoping for a clearer sense of whether American Jewry and Israel can effectively speak in multiple, nuanced voices in support of Israel. That question never really was answered.

The evening was great theater, but more tragedy than comedy. I left it feeling somewhat deflated, that the great theater overwhelmed the potential for what could have been much more. Over a thousand people filled Beth El's sanctuary (extending well into the social hall) and the audience was, for the most part, remarkably civil and respectful. People really were trying to listen. I was proud of our community for handling this challenging evening with such dignity. There was plenty of applause for both speakers and very few boos. Lots of solid debating points were scored. But I felt that the evening was almost too much about scoring debating points.

It got personal. Time was wasted on airing personal grievances and asking for apologies. There were several moments where the audience was squirming as Dershowitz hammered home the unfairness of how he was depicted in a J-Street ad and Ben Ami retorted that Dershowitz had subsequently demonized J-Street unfairly. At one point I really wanted to hold each one's hand in the sandbox and ask them to apologize simultaneously. Then we could have moved onto more substantial matters.

At the end of the evening, I made a plea to the young people (and there were many here) not to dissociate themselves from Israel or from the American Jewish community. As things got more and more emotional on the bima, I could sense the impact that might have on some of them. I later heard of at least one young woman who was brought to tears. It was intense. One almost got the sense that Dershowitz was trying to finish J-Street off.

In the end, demonizing J-Street will not destroy it (Do you hear me, Connecticut Jewish ledger?) any more than demonizing Breira crushed dissent in the 70's, or earlier, the attempts of the federation movement to sideline the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. J-Street will live or die on the merits of its message, the honesty and transparency of its administration and the conviction of its funders. But that demonization might well drive away those many young supporters who feel they have no where else to go to express support for Israel and connect to the Jewish community. People may not like the critical approach J-Street has taken regarding Israel, but without it, the dialogue among American Jews would turn into a spiritless monologue, without taste and texture. I firmly believe that we need such a dialogue, just as King David needed his dialogue with the prophet Nathan to remind him of his own highest moral aspirations. Nathan always seemed to be there with bad news and stinging accusations. But David kept him in the palace because he knew that he needed him.

American Jews have never spoken with one voice about Israel and we aren't about to start now. It's positively unJewish to walk in lock step about anything, much less the most important thing -which is Israel. We're not a bunch of walking talking points to be programmed.

What is sad is that Dershowitz and Ben Ami agree on so many of the important issues, including settlements and the security fence (though perhaps not the precise location). But they couldn't get beyond that to forge a common message. As J-Street continues to evolve, I hope it will find ways to feel less constrained about the pro-Israel part - it needs to become unabashedly pro-Israel, while at the same time continuing to play the role of Nathan the prophet. Nathan did, after all, reside close to the palace.

Ben Ami did not make reference to the impressive number of rabbis and cantors who have joined its very large rabbinic cabinet (including me). That surprised me. It shows that there is something about his message that is resonating well beyond the halls of Yale and Berkeley. Say what you will about rabbis, we're not all idiots. We, like many others, are attracted to that moral message. But it can not become a message of moral equivalence. Dershowitz hammered home the moral equivalence thing, that Israel has made enormous risks and sacrifices and the Palestinians have not responded in kind. Arafat blew it at Camp David in refusing the Clinton/ Barak offer. (One of Dershowitz's best lines was when he said that Yasser Arafat died an untimely death - four years too late). Ben Ami's retort was that the blame game does no good, that the two narratives are both filled with suffering and pain. Both points are well taken.

On Monday I attended a regional AIPAC event. Dore Gold spoke, eloquently and persuasively, about Israel's security needs - specifically how any peace plan must include an Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley. I would love to see J-Street acknowledge that need more clearly. I sense that they agree, but I didn't really hear that concern tonight. I didn't hear the existential ache about Iran from Ben Ami tonight either. The question as to whether resolving the Israel-Palestinian matter would help neutralize the Iranian threat was one where both made good arguments. The fact is, we don't know.

When Dore Gold took questions on Monday, person after person rose to toss him softballs. Some of the questions were interesting, but there was not a Nathan to be found...until one man got up and had the courage to ask something like, "So why can't Bibi just freeze the settlement building for two more crummy months?"

There was an audible hush - and more hisses than I heard all of tonight (with about a quarter of the number of people). It scared me that such a question could not be asked without ostracism. Gold's answer was about as persuasive as the page of talking points we were given about the settlements. Since we know that it's really about party politics and messianic fervor, the talking points seemed disingenuous. C'mon. Really. Israel needs to bargain from strength, I know, and these things can't be preconditions, I know. But to jeopardize a possible chance for real peace, however remote, for the sake of two more months?

And if these talking points weren't persuasive to me, (and I know they are not to Alan Dershowitz either - he's been very public about that), what of that Yale student whose classmate keeps on shouting that Israel doesn't really want peace. What's he to say to the classmate when the talks disintegrate over two crummy months?

Fortunately, an AP report tonight offers a glimmer of hope that a compromise might be reached and the talks resumed for two crummy months.

Fortunately also, while he was discussed, George Soros did not play a central role in tonight's conversation. The talk of Soros then spun into the question of what constitutes someone who is "pro Israel" and are all of J-Street's supporters really pro-Israel, or are some, as Dershowitz put it, "virulently anti-Israel." And he's the one who has accused J-Street of McCarthyist tactics! The litmus test being applied to J-Street's list (which BTW, includes all those rabbis) gave cause for concern. I wish all members of my congregation were pro-Israel too, but I know that not all are. Still, I wouldn't kick them out for that reason - or become less pro-Israel myself. I wish Dershowitz hadn't pursued that line of argumentation.

And I want to go on record as saying that I absolutely and proudly WOULD accept a George Soros donation to my synagogue.

But most of all, I just wish Ben Ami had apologized for lumping Dershowitz together with Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and other right wingers in that notorious ad. Here's how you do it, Jeremy - and I know all about this. I apologize to people for a living. You call him up and say, "Alan. My bad. Your not like Sarah at all. You're much better looking. I went a little overboard. Sorry. Now let's get onto the important stuff."

If only he had said that tonight, it would saved us all a lot of grief. Then maybe we could have gone back to the question that remained unanswered: Can American Jews speak about Israel to Congress and other Americans in multiple - and occasionally critical - voices?

I'm just hoping that, in the end, we can keep on talking to one another.

One Week to Go: J-Street and Dershowitz at TBE

Meanwhile, one week from now we'll be preparing for a High Holiday-sized turnout for the Harold Hoffman Memorial Lecture featuring Alan Dershowitz and J-Street's Jeremy Ben-Ami, entitled "Who Speaks for American Jews?" People will be coming from all over the country. Read the Jewish Week's article, U-Turn on J-Street, for some background on why next Thursday will be of vital importance to American Jewry and to Israel. I encourage all of you to come - don't let the expected crowds dissuade you, just plan to get here very early.

Current accusations have raised questions about Ben-Ami; but while he is clearly on the defensive - and his own job may be in jeopardy - there is still a need for some group to represent the feelings of a large segment of American Jewry who simply don't buy the pro-settlement spin. It's not a matter of the rightness of the argument on either side. It's that many aren't buying it. I don't think Israel wants to write off the support of a huge portion of American Jewry. I know I don't.

Read Tzipi Livni's recent JPost op-ed: Time for a new Jewish conversation. Her centrist Kadima party will, I believe, become increasingly vocal as it positions itself as the inevitable coalition partner for Likud as negotiating pressures heat up. She writes:

For too many young Diaspora Jews that I meet, Israel is not the source of pride or inspiration that it was for their parents' generation. Living in vibrant Jewish communities abroad - within states that embrace multiculturalism and respect religious and minority rights - too many Jews no longer feel they need Israel as a safe haven or as an anchor for their identity. What's more, they feel they have been taken for granted - their loyalty to Israel is expected, but their voice and their concerns are not heard.

As I've said before, if there were no J-Street, someone would have to invent it, Soros or no Soros. I've been a vocal supporter of AIPAC and other pro-Israel organizations. Most do not choose to hear the concerns of those who question (often lovingly) Israeli government choices. Not all Jews agree that the Land is the ultimate value. I would contend that Judaism itself does not agree. There is a conversation to be had there, although likely not a meeting of the minds.

Livni also stated: This state of affairs requires a dramatic reframing of the role of Israel in Jewish life and the nature of the relationship between it and world Jewry that should be built around four key principles: First, if Israel is to realize its mission as the national home of the Jewish people, it must act like one. It must find ways to welcome rather than alienate Jews regardless of their opinions or the stream of Judaism with which they are affiliated. It must embrace an inclusive and pluralistic Jewish agenda that respects our traditions without denying the legitimacy of difference.

There is reason to believe that within Israel a new consensus is beginning to coalesce around the principles of pluralism so eloquently stated by Livni. Disgust over the continued provocations of the Haredim are fast reaching a tipping point. This week, it wasn't about arresting a woman for carrying a Torah or racist attacks against school integration with Sephardim. No, this week, a court ruling had to stop Ultra Orthodox Jews from erecting a plywood barrier in Jerusalem down the middle of a sidewalk and forcing women to walk on the other side. (See Israeli Court Rules Against Gender Segregated Sidewalks). This is not an Israel many American Jews would be proud of - and try as we might to separate "domestic" matters from negotiations with the Palestinians, it's impossible to do that, when we see the same engine driving the train. That's what PM Netanyahu understood when he shelved the Rotem Bill (though only for six months). But it took the Federation movement to convince him that he was heading toward a trainwreck.

I'd love for American Jews to be able to support Israel with one voice - I'm not sure that is possible. When a left-leaning government is next in power, and J-Street is securely in the Prime Minster's back pocket, the ZOA will certainly agree with me on that point. But short of seeking unanimity, we can still seek a little civility and some honesty as well. There is common ground to be had. Maybe it's about human rights. Maybe it's about what to say to Congress. Maybe it's even about conversion and the separation of religion and state. Let's find it.

And it's certainly about Iran.

I assume the sign is already on Bibi's desk. "It's Iran, Stupid!" What does that mean? It means that nothing else matters. I would assume it means that Israel knows that maintaining strong Administration support is more important than, well, just about anything. I have no problem with building houses in Ma'aleh Adumim, eventually. But I'd rather they not be incinerated, thank you.

I just hope that sign is on Bibi's desk.

J-Street's Full Page Ad - October 7 is Coming!

Did you see J-Street's full page ad in several newspapers today, including the New York Times? It sends a very powerful message and only ups the ante for October 7th's conversation between Alan Dershowitz and Jeremy Ben Ami, right here at TBE.

David Grossman, the great Israeli novelist, has said, regarding the current talks, "I don't have the luxury of despair." I agree with that, which is why I've endorsed other J-Street efforts.

I haven't signed on to this one, though, because the text of the ad makes an issue of settlements without mentioning the many other issues on the table right now. True, the Sept 26 deadline is fast approaching, and it seems clear that Israel's current moratorium on settlement construction will either end or be modified. But the parties know all about the deadline and it weakens Israel's hand to make mention of settlements in isolation - in an otherwise powerful and effective ad.
Click here to see the full newspaper ad.

Make no mistake, the neocons have J-Street on their radar, and one blogger is even targeting rabbis (gasp) who have supported various positions J-Street has taken. It all reeks of the same demonization that has become all too prevalent in Israel, where any group advocating human rights and dialogue has been vilified, Rabin style, as traitors (one rabbi called the New Israel Fund a "Rodent in the Mikva.")

It will be verrrry interesting to see where Ben Ami lands on Dershowitz's vilification scale (and vice versa), or whether the two will discover vast areas of agreement. I'm hoping that will be the case.

Be here on the 7th - and get here early! People are coming in from all over the country. Student groups will be coming from Yale and Brown (whose delegation will be led by my son Ethan, naturally) and who knows where else.

Dershowitz and J-Street: Let the Dialogue Begin

On Oct. 7, TBE will host a conversation between Alan Dershowitz and J-Street's Jeremy Ben Ami. The buzz for this event is already enormous, so it's a good time to brush up on what the two have to say...

From the Jerusalem Post, this excellent piece by Dershowitz: Three myths about the peace process

See also - Distinguished Rabbinic Leaders Sign Letter in Support of J Street, Urgent US Leadership to Achieve Two States

Op-Ed: Let's recognize the sacred power of this time – for peace - Rabbi Charles Kroloff