Washington Post: Opinion: Jews like Joe Biden and want voting protections. But it’s not universal.

July 14, 2021

By Jennifer Rubin

The disgraced former president  liked to brag  that he would pull Jewish voters away from their traditional home in the Democratic Party. Republicans imagined they had created a “ Jexodus ,” thanks to the same former president’s indulgence of then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing nationalist government.

Most informed observers at the time thought this was bunk.  The Post  reported in May 2019:Polling data and experts interviewed by The Washington Post do not show a Jewish exodus from the Democratic Party in the Trump years. They show a demographic group that continues to vote at exceedingly high rates for Democrats — as it has for decades. That number actually ticked up when Trump was elected, with 71 percent voting for Hillary Clinton and only 24 percent voting for him in 2016.“This is something people have talked about for decades,” Matt Boxer, a professor at Brandeis University who has studied Jewish political involvement, said of the push for Jews to leave the Democratic Party. “But there’s no evidence when you look at survey data.”

Indeed, Republicans’ cult-like reverence for a racist, xenophobic liar continued to turn off the  vast majority of American Jews.  While the notoriously partisan Republican Jewish Coalition claimed President Biden drew “only” 60 percent of the vote in 2020, a poll commissioned by left-wing J Street put the number at  77 percent  (echoing past polling from the Pew Research Center). If the latter is more accurate, Jews are about as loyal to the Democratic Party as  White evangelical Christians  are to the GOP.

A new poll suggests either the J Street poll was correct — or that Jews have returned in even stronger numbers to the Democratic Party. The  Jewish Electorate Institute  survey of more than 800 self-identified Jews found that 80 percent approve of Biden’s job performance and that they favor Democrats for Congress by a 68 percent to 21 percent margin. American Jews approved of Biden’s handling of the recent Israel-Hamas conflict (62-21 percent) and of his relations with Israel in general (74-26 percent). Support for a two-state solution remains quite high (61 percent), as does aid for Israel (71 percent), but slightly less than aid to the Palestinians (58 percent), which Biden resumed.

However, like the country at large, there is a massive chasm running through the Jewish community: Orthodox Jews remain overwhelmingly conservative politically, support Donald Trump and put Israel at the top of their priorities; the rest of the Jewish community (religiously Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and unaffiliated) lean strongly Democratic. Eighty-two percent of the American Jewish community identify as progressive (18 percent), liberal (32 percent) or moderate (also 32 percent).

Among non-Orthodox Jews, 96 percent favor a Democrat for Congress and 86 percent approve of Biden’s performance. In the same vein, 69 percent of Republican/Orthodox Jews disapprove of Biden’s performance, his handling of the Hamas war and his handling of the U.S.-Israel relationship.Advertisement

There is one common concern among shared by each Jewish religious branch: antisemitism. More than 90 percent of both Republican/Orthodox and Reform Jews are worried about bigotry against their communities, though they differ on the nature of the threat. Orthodox Jews are convinced it comes from the left, while others see it coming from the right. Put differently: The former think “the Squad” is the problem; the latter think the threat comes from violent White supremacists such as those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and massacred Jews at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue. The divide in the Jewish community flows in part from each group’s priorities. For Orthodox Jews, the top three priorities are antisemitism, jobs and national security. For the rest, voting rights, climate change and jobs top the list.

It is not surprising then that on issues of democracy, non-Orthodox Jews voice grave concern about anti-democratic threats while Orthodox Jews follow the Republican party-line positions. Ninety-seven percent of Jewish Democrats are worried about voter suppression laws compared to 50 percent of Jewish Republicans (still high for Republicans generally). When asked whether they support legislation that would “expand voter access, make a national standard for voting rights across the country, and reverse the impact of the new election laws passed by the Florida and Georgia legislatures,” 93 percent of Jewish Democrats but only 35 percent of Jewish Republicans said yes.

Antisemitism is a warning sign. Are we listening?

By Eileen Filler-Corn • July 3, 2025
In the nearly two years since Hamas’s brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, American Jews have watched a disturbing rise in antisemitism take place across America — and crucially, among some of our longtime allies. For decades, Jewish Americans stood at the forefront of progressive causes, marching for civil rights, fighting for reproductive freedom and advocating for immigrants and the marginalized. My Jewish faith is what first drove me to public service. The Jewish concept of tikkun olam — our responsibility to repair the world — is not just a religious tenet but a moral call to action. It’s why we’ve always shown up to defend others. Yet now, as antisemitism surges to record levels, many progressive organizations and leaders who once stood with us have gone quiet; or worse, turned their backs entirely. It’s no longer just about Israeli policy. The line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism has been crossed so many times it’s barely a line at all. “Zionist” has become a stand-in for “Jew,” and the message is clear: Unless you disavow the world’s only Jewish state, your place in many progressive spaces is no longer welcome. The picture is sobering. There have been calls to ban “Zionists” from Pride events. Many women’s groups have shrugged at Hamas’ rape of Israeli women. And the Democratic nominee for mayor of America’s most populous city has a pattern of antisemitic rhetoric and has refused to condemn the hurtful call to “globalize the intifada,” a rallying cry that has been used to incite violence against Jews. This didn’t happen overnight, but the silence from many who claim to fight for justice has been deafening and deeply painful. I know what it feels like to be targeted for who you are. In January 2020, shortly after I became the first woman and the first Jewish Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, the FBI uncovered a plot to assassinate me. Two members of a neo-Nazi domestic terrorist group had targeted me. It was the most serious of many threats I received during my time as Speaker. Thankfully, law enforcement intervened in time. But the threat was real, and it reminded me that hatred knows no single party or ideology. We’ve long seen this kind of extremist hate on the right, but today that same danger is rising on both extremes of the ideological spectrum. Antisemitism spreads under different names but with the same devastating consequences. Now, with the recent war between Israel and Iran, we’re likely to see a fresh wave of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. It is already giving rise to a new round of dangerous conspiracy theories laced with antisemitic tropes: accusing American Jews of dual loyalty; suggesting we control foreign policy; and portraying Jewish political engagement as part of a shadowy cabal influencing Washington. This is a moment of moral testing. Will our leaders speak clearly and forcefully against antisemitism, even when it’s politically inconvenient? Will those who champion diversity and inclusion apply those values to Jews as well? And will we be honest about how bad actors have exploited division, stoked extremism and enabled those who traffic in hate? Just as many Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s leadership while still loving this country and believing in its promise, the same is true for Israel. You can criticize or reject Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government and still support Israel’s right to exist, to defend itself and to thrive as a Jewish and democratic state. That distinction matters. Criticizing a government is not the same as condemning a people; but when it comes to Israel, that line is too often deliberately blurred. We must be able to hold leaders accountable without fueling hatred or questioning a nation’s fundamental legitimacy. Antisemitism is not merely a problem faced by Jews — it is a bellwether for the health of our democracy. When a society tolerates hatred against one group, it gives license to hate others. When threats against public servants go unchallenged, violence becomes normalized. I was reminded of that tragic reality when my friend and former counterpart, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, was executed in her home along with her husband, Mark. Authorities say her killer was a politically motivated extremist who had compiled a list of Democratic lawmakers. Melissa was a principled leader and a friend. Her death was a heartbreaking loss and a flashing red warning sign for the tolerance of hate in our democracy. We cannot afford to treat this moment as normal. It is time for our allies to rejoin us. To speak up when we are threatened. To see antisemitism for what it is: a growing, dangerous force that must be confronted head-on. Because if we wait until it affects everyone, it will already be too late. Eileen Filler Corn is a JEI Board Member and Former Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, and the only ever Jewish speaker in VA
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Letter to House Judiciary Committee on Anti-Semitism

July 1, 2025
July 1, 2025 U.S. House Committee On The Judiciary 2142 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Now in our ninth year, the nationally and internationally recognized Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI), an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization, continues to serve as the barometer for the Jewish electorate. We are therefore honored to submit the following Comments for the Record to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee in support of its June 24, 2025, hearing on antisemitism - Rising Threat: America’s Battle Against Antisemitic Terror. This hearing, punctuated by the moving testimony of Matt Nosanchuk, reminded us that Jewish safety in America is not a political football - it is a national imperative. Nosanchuk, a former senior official in both the Obama and Biden Administrations and a lifelong advocate against antisemitism, laid bare the stark realities we face. The murder of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who were attending a Jewish community event just blocks from his home, brought the crisis home - literally and painfully. It also underscored a chilling truth: this could have been any one of us. Antisemitism today does not discriminate based on geography, profession, or even political identity. Nosanchuk rightly challenged both ends of the political spectrum. From the right, we've seen rising indulgence of white nationalist rhetoric, normalization of Nazi imagery, and an embrace of conspiracy theorists. When antisemitism is tolerated—or worse, weaponized—by public officials and influential institutions, it emboldens violence and undermines the rule of law. The example of the pardoning of the person wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” shirt at the riot on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not just shocking to the Jewish community – it was symptomatic of a deeper, corrosive tolerance for hate. From the left, antisemitism also too often masquerades as political critique. When Jews are asked to renounce their ties to Israel to participate in coalitions, or when pro-Palestinian activism turns violent against Jews, with intimidating targeted rhetoric and violence, that’s not solidarity – it’s exclusion and scapegoating. Our Jewish identity should never be a precondition for political participation. What we need is not partisan grandstanding, but comprehensive action. That includes implementing the Biden Administration’s well-thought-out National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, restoring funding for civil rights enforcement at the Justice Department, and condemning hate, regardless of its ideological source. Nosanchuk’s call for education, prevention, and cross-community solidarity is exactly right. In closing, it’s our view at JEI that using antisemitism as cover for draconian immigration or university policies erodes the democratic institutions that have allowed Jewish life to flourish. Fighting hate must not become an excuse to violate civil liberties - ours or anyone else’s. Our safety as Jews has always been linked to the safety of others. In this perilous moment, we must demand more than soundbites. We must demand seriousness, solidarity, and above all, solutions. We are grateful to the Committee for having held this vital hearing at a perilous moment for American Jews. Sincerely, Barbara Goldberg Goldman Chairperson The Jewish Electorate Institute

JEI Statement on escalation and Support on Israel Security

June 18, 2025
Washington, DC — As hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify, the Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI), a nonpartisan political nonprofit, is calling on Congress to take all necessary measures to support Israel’s security, halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and help bring the hostages home.