This week, we tackled a question hanging over Jewish politics: Are Jewish voters and the Democratic Party growing apart – or is that just a myth? Hint, it’s far more complicated than any blanket statement could describe.
Our conversation with Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, explored the latest polling on the American Jewish electorate. American Jews remain overwhelmingly Democratic, but support for Israel is becoming more complicated – especially among younger Jews.
More than 70% of Jewish voters still say they feel emotionally attached to Israel, yet a similar share disapprove of Prime Minister Netanyahu. As Halie put it, the Jewish community is capable of holding both truths at once.
We also dug into the week’s biggest foreign policy story: The Trump Administration’s agreement with Iran. Halie argued that after a devastating war, the U.S. has largely returned to the pre-war status quo – except now with a far thinner agreement than the 159-page JCPOA it replaced. The debate raised broader questions about what Jewish voters actually want from their leaders on foreign policy, diplomacy and Israel.
Throughout the conversation, we kept returning to a theme that polling consistently reinforces: Reports of a Jewish exodus from the Democratic Party are greatly exaggerated. The bigger story may be how both the Democratic Party and the Jewish community are grappling with profound changes in their relationship to Israel. Give it a watch and let us know what you think!
