I think that most of us believe that America has been the most decent and prosperous nation in history, and certainly (along with Israel) the best place in the world for Jews.
I don’t think that these attributes are an accident. America’s success has been based on a set of values unique among nations — values that we tend to take for granted to the point that we are losing awareness of them.
They have been aptly termed “Judeo-Christian values,” America having been founded by Christians who were very Old Testament-oriented.
I made the switch from Democratic to Republican 13 years ago. Why should a Jew vote Republican?
Because Republicans are much more likely to be conservative; and conservatives want to conserve these Judeo-Christian values that have set our nation apart.
Conservatism is based on the American concept of limited government. This country’s founders, to a man, believed that limited government can only work if, in the absence of a strong state to which citizens are accountable, they are accountable to a transcendent moral code — specifically that derived from the God of Israel.
Thus a fundamental Judeo-Christian value is “In God We Trust.” This value is much more likely to be upheld by Republicans.
I believe the Democratic Party is dominated by an ideology that propagates secularism. The problem with secularism is that, in the absence of a transcendent moral code, moral relativism holds sway.
The consequences of that can be seen in Europe, which has lost faith in its own culture and is not the greatest place for Jews these days.
Religious society
To be clear, American conservatives do not believe in a religious government. We believe in the benefits of a religious society.
This idea should appeal to Jews of any degree of religiosity. This country’s “Declaration of Independence” asserts that we are all created equal, i.e., in God’s image, as stated in the Torah (Genesis).
By the way, Jews might want to note that the Torah supports the idea of limited government in that it limits the amount of power and wealth that a king can accumulate (Deuteronomy 17:17).
That brings me to another distinction between Republicans/Conservatism and Democrats/Leftism — different understanding of equality. Conservatism supports the traditional American notion that we are created equal. Leftism concludes that, because we are all created equal, there should also be equality of outcome.
While conservatives believe that there should be equality of treatment (i.e., before the law), we do not think that this is compatible (let alone possible) with everyone having equal wealth, for example.
That is not because we are cold-hearted and lacking compassion. It’s because we know redistributive measures will not lift people out of poverty.
Every socialist experiment, whether the soft European model or the totalitarian Communist model, has failed to do so. Only the free enterprise system has consistently had that effect (e.g., India, China).
For too many liberal and secular Jews, “tikkun olam” (“repair of the world,” which essentially has come to mean leftist policies) has substituted for Judaism.
These policies have resulted in undermining American self-reliance, as well as in condescension toward the poor, and particularly toward poor behavior among favored groups. Conservatives believe that everyone should be held to the same standards, regardless of race or religion.
Both Republican and Democratic Jews believe in the command of the Torah to take care of the widow and the orphan. However, Republicans tend to believe that this is the responsibility of each of us (per the Torah), individually and collectively, while Democrats are more likely to believe that this is largely the responsibility of the government.
The most important reason for Jews to vote for Republicans is that Republicans/Conservatives are far more likely to take the problem of evil seriously than Democrats/Leftists.
We believe that there is an objective good and evil, whereas the Left believes that morality is relative. (For example: “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”)
The greatest evil today, which is also the greatest source of anti-Semitism, is Islamism/Jihadism. There is no greater contemporary example of the difference between decency and depravity than the difference between Israel and its enemies. For example, Israel strives to minimize civilian casualties, both of its own people and of Arabs, while its enemies seek to maximize those of both.
Support for Israel in the U.S. has historically been bipartisan, but it is becoming markedly less so.
During the Gaza war, a Pew Research poll taken in July showed that 73 percent of Republicans sympathized more with Israel than with the Palestinians, compared with a minority (44 percent) of Democrats. Almost twice as many Conservative Republicans (77 percent) sympathized with Israel as did Liberal Democrats (39 percent).
I submit that even if Jews continue to believe the dubious proposition that Democratic economic and social policies are better for the country, their position on an issue of good vs. evil should trump their positions on that when deciding how to cast votes.
So if you have consistently voted for Democrats in the past, but are experiencing uneasiness due to the gap between your ideals and Democratic policy results, I encourage you to vote Republican in November.
Milwaukeean Jim Beer is a consultant for non-profit organizations.
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