Posted on Nov 19, 2023
As Democrats stay divided on Israel, Jewish voters face politically uncertain future
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https://www.npr.org/2023/11/19/ [login to see] /jewish-voters-israel-biden-democrats-progressives-palestinian
The JEI poll also found a generational divide among Jewish voters that somewhat echoes the general population: more than 80 percent of Jewish voters over age 36 approved of Biden's Israel policy, while just over half of younger Jewish voters said they did.
Jay Saper is with Jewish Voice for Peace, a group which describes itself as "anti-Zionist."
"If [Biden] is hoping to inspire young people to turn out to the polls, he cannot further support the Israeli military at this time," Saper said. "We who are in the streets, who are raising our voices, will have to be withholding our votes from the president, if he continues to not call for a ceasefire."
Biden is also facing pressure from Muslim and Arab leaders, who've also warned they will withhold support from candidates who back Israel's continued war against Hamas, begun in response to the terrorist attacks last month that left at least 1,200 Israelis dead. Since then, more than 11,000 people have died in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.
Mark Mellman, founder of the pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel, says as a longtime pollster and strategist, he's skeptical of those threats - particularly with former President Donald Trump as the overwhelming frontrunner in the Republican primary.
"I find it hard to believe that Muslim Americans are going to rally behind the Islamophobe-in-Chief, Donald Trump, who instituted the Muslim travel ban and has said Palestinians should be deported," Mellman predicted. "I just don't see that happening."
At the Israel march, Yaffa Rubinstein says she holds out hope for a two-state solution that will provide a home for both Israelis and Palestinians.
The JEI poll also found a generational divide among Jewish voters that somewhat echoes the general population: more than 80 percent of Jewish voters over age 36 approved of Biden's Israel policy, while just over half of younger Jewish voters said they did.
Jay Saper is with Jewish Voice for Peace, a group which describes itself as "anti-Zionist."
"If [Biden] is hoping to inspire young people to turn out to the polls, he cannot further support the Israeli military at this time," Saper said. "We who are in the streets, who are raising our voices, will have to be withholding our votes from the president, if he continues to not call for a ceasefire."
Biden is also facing pressure from Muslim and Arab leaders, who've also warned they will withhold support from candidates who back Israel's continued war against Hamas, begun in response to the terrorist attacks last month that left at least 1,200 Israelis dead. Since then, more than 11,000 people have died in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.
Mark Mellman, founder of the pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel, says as a longtime pollster and strategist, he's skeptical of those threats - particularly with former President Donald Trump as the overwhelming frontrunner in the Republican primary.
"I find it hard to believe that Muslim Americans are going to rally behind the Islamophobe-in-Chief, Donald Trump, who instituted the Muslim travel ban and has said Palestinians should be deported," Mellman predicted. "I just don't see that happening."
At the Israel march, Yaffa Rubinstein says she holds out hope for a two-state solution that will provide a home for both Israelis and Palestinians.
As Democrats stay divided on Israel, Jewish voters face politically uncertain future
Posted from npr.org
Posted 6 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""We met the refugees. I said that if Trump tried to force one of them out, I would protect them in my own home," she remembered. "Where are they now - where are the progressive Democrats?"
Now, she feels betrayed by what she describes as "anti-Israel" sentiment from some left-wing Democrats.
Leib Kaminsky does too. He says he's appreciated Biden's handling of the crisis, but as a gay Jewish man, Kaminsky, 57, has felt isolated by the antisemitic rhetoric he's heard from some progressives.
"It's extremely difficult being in the LGBTQ community, because they have turned their backs on Jews," he said. "You try to be as open-minded as possible, but when people are coming at you and saying that Hamas is right, and they support the LGBT community, you're like - 'these people don't know what's going on'."...
...""We met the refugees. I said that if Trump tried to force one of them out, I would protect them in my own home," she remembered. "Where are they now - where are the progressive Democrats?"
Now, she feels betrayed by what she describes as "anti-Israel" sentiment from some left-wing Democrats.
Leib Kaminsky does too. He says he's appreciated Biden's handling of the crisis, but as a gay Jewish man, Kaminsky, 57, has felt isolated by the antisemitic rhetoric he's heard from some progressives.
"It's extremely difficult being in the LGBTQ community, because they have turned their backs on Jews," he said. "You try to be as open-minded as possible, but when people are coming at you and saying that Hamas is right, and they support the LGBT community, you're like - 'these people don't know what's going on'."...
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