Jewish right
Encyclopedia
The term Jewish right refers to Jews who identify with or support right-wing or conservative
causes. The Jewish right is not a monolithic designation. Its application ranges from advocacy of religious morals to conservative politics. Jews have historically and contemporarily held largely Left-leaning
views; for example, according to exit polls reported by the Pew Research Center
, 78% of American Jews voted for Barack Obama
during the 2008 Presidential Election.
can be seen as similar or at least amenable to certain forms of conservatism. For many Orthodox Jews Jewish principles of faith
contains belief in a "transcendent moral order", continuity, a tradition of oral law, and requires new statements be compatible with a holy book. These values can be seen as compatible or similar to certain forms of conservatism.
efforts tended to occur more among the secular, liberal
and left
ends of the political spectrum
. In relation to this was the Haskalah
movement which emphasized Enlightenment values among Jews.
and this hostility had some supporters in the Jewish community. This came either because they viewed Communism as a threat to their religion, society in general, the economy, or all three. In Britain Harold Soref
was a member of the Conservative Monday Club
and opposed to Communism. In Germany, apostate Lev Nussimbaum
had an extremist hostility to Socialism and Communism, favoring monarchism and converting to Islam.
In Italy a significant minority of Jewish Italians supported both Benito Mussolini
and Fascism
. It is estimated that in 1938, the year antisemitic laws began in Italy, 10,000 Italian Jews belonged to the Italian Fascist Party. One of the most significant was Aldo Finzi
who became a member of the Fascist Grand Council before breaking with Fascism in strong terms. A more "loyal" example was Ettore Ovazza
who had been involved in the March on Rome
and in 1935 founded the Jewish/Fascist paper La Nostra Bandiera. Despite the unwavering nature of his Fascism, and his staunch Anti-Zionism
, in 1943 he would be murdered by the Nazis.
, had some right-wing elements. One of their ideologues, Abba Ahimeir
, was influenced by Oswald Spengler
. This relates to forms of right-wing politics
in Israel that are nationalistic
and in some cases expansionist. Yisrael Beiteinu may contain influences from this stream of thought.
Other right-wing parties in Israel have a more religious orientation and are influenced by forms of Religious Zionism
. The Jewish National Front states that the "Torah of Israel is the primary source of human morality" although it states openness to secular members. In addition the National Union (Israel)
coalition contains Renewed Religious National Zionist Party
.
Among the more militant groups Kach and Kahane Chai
had some supporters outside Israel, but has since been banned.
is one of the most known names in British conservative history and although not Jewish by religion, was of Jewish origin and proud of his Jewishness. In the period of Thatcherism
, the Conservative Party
courted the British Jewish community. The then Chief Rabbi
, Immanuel Jakobovits, was a close ally of Margaret Thatcher
and some of Thatcher's cabinet members were Jewish, such as Keith Joseph
and Nigel Lawson
. Recently Michael Howard
was leader of the Conservative Party for two years.
and noted for Fusionism
that mixed libertarianism
with conservatism. Ralph de Toledano
was also an earlier figure for the magazine and wrote for The American Conservative
in his final years. Irving Kristol
is sometimes seen as a founding figure for neoconservatism
. Although not conservative themselves several American advocates of anarcho-capitalism
, like Murray Rothbard
(a disciple of von Mises), were Jewish and influential on elements of the right.
By the 1980s Jewish conservatives and right-wingers began to have more organization. In 1985 the Republican Jewish Coalition
formed. The group's policy platform objectives include terrorism
, national security
, United States-Israel relations, US policy concerning the Middle East, immigration
, energy policy
, education
, affirmative action
, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act
, adoption
, crime
, taxes, welfare reform
, faith-based initiatives, health care
, Medicare
reform, Social Security reform and government reform.
, Michael Medved
, Michael Savage
, and Dennis Prager
, as well as Ari Fleischer
, Scooter Libby and former Chairman of the Fed Alan Greenspan
.
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
causes. The Jewish right is not a monolithic designation. Its application ranges from advocacy of religious morals to conservative politics. Jews have historically and contemporarily held largely Left-leaning
Jewish left
The term "Jewish left" describes Jews who identify with or support left wing, occasionally liberal causes, consciously as Jews, either as individuals or through organizations. There is no one organization or movement which constitutes the "Jewish left," however...
views; for example, according to exit polls reported by the Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center
The Pew Research Center is an American think tank organization based in Washington, D.C. that provides information on issues, attitudes and trends shaping the United States and the world. The Center and its projects receive funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts. In 1990, Donald S...
, 78% of American Jews voted for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
during the 2008 Presidential Election.
Jewish religious values and conservatism
Several movements in Orthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
can be seen as similar or at least amenable to certain forms of conservatism. For many Orthodox Jews Jewish principles of faith
Jewish principles of faith
The concept of an explicit, paramount definition of faith does not exist in Judaism as it does in other monotheistic religions such as Christianity. Although Jews and religious leaders share a core of monotheistic principles, and there are many fundamental principles quoted in the Talmud to define...
contains belief in a "transcendent moral order", continuity, a tradition of oral law, and requires new statements be compatible with a holy book. These values can be seen as compatible or similar to certain forms of conservatism.
Enlightenment and Emancipation
By the late eighteenth century the Jewish EmancipationJewish Emancipation
Jewish emancipation was the external and internal process of freeing the Jewish people of Europe, including recognition of their rights as equal citizens, and the formal granting of citizenship as individuals; it occurred gradually between the late 18th century and the early 20th century...
efforts tended to occur more among the secular, liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
ends of the political spectrum
Political spectrum
A political spectrum is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions....
. In relation to this was the Haskalah
Haskalah
Haskalah , the Jewish Enlightenment, was a movement among European Jews in the 18th–19th centuries that advocated adopting enlightenment values, pressing for better integration into European society, and increasing education in secular studies, Hebrew language, and Jewish history...
movement which emphasized Enlightenment values among Jews.
Anti-communism, Anti-Zionism, and Fascism
In the twentieth century many politicians of the right-wing shared a hostility toward CommunismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and this hostility had some supporters in the Jewish community. This came either because they viewed Communism as a threat to their religion, society in general, the economy, or all three. In Britain Harold Soref
Harold Soref
Harold Benjamin Soref was twice a Conservative parliamentary candidate before being elected Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom for Ormskirk, Lancashire, in the 1970 General Election. He subsequently lost that seat to Labour in February 1974...
was a member of the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
and opposed to Communism. In Germany, apostate Lev Nussimbaum
Lev Nussimbaum
Lev Nussimbaum was a writer and journalist, a Jew, born in Kiev, who spent his childhood in Baku before fleeing the Bolsheviks in 1920 at the age of 14...
had an extremist hostility to Socialism and Communism, favoring monarchism and converting to Islam.
In Italy a significant minority of Jewish Italians supported both Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
and Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
. It is estimated that in 1938, the year antisemitic laws began in Italy, 10,000 Italian Jews belonged to the Italian Fascist Party. One of the most significant was Aldo Finzi
Aldo Finzi (politician)
Aldo Finzi was a Jewish-Italian politician.Finzi started out his political career as an alderman in Badia Polesine. At the end of First World War, he was one of the figher pilot in Gabriele D'Annunzio's campaign to drop propaganda leaflets over Vienna, Austria. Afterwards, he studied law in Ferrara...
who became a member of the Fascist Grand Council before breaking with Fascism in strong terms. A more "loyal" example was Ettore Ovazza
Ettore Ovazza
Ettore Ovazza was a Jew from Turin who served for a time as a minister in Benito Mussolini's government.-Early life and family:...
who had been involved in the March on Rome
March on Rome
The March on Rome was a march by which Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party came to power in the Kingdom of Italy...
and in 1935 founded the Jewish/Fascist paper La Nostra Bandiera. Despite the unwavering nature of his Fascism, and his staunch Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionistic views or opposition to the state of Israel. The term is used to describe various religious, moral and political points of view in opposition to these, but their diversity of motivation and expression is sufficiently different that "anti-Zionism" cannot be...
, in 1943 he would be murdered by the Nazis.
Revisionist Zionism, religious Zionism, and the Israel right
The more nationalistic faction of Zionism, Revisionist ZionismRevisionist Zionism
Revisionist Zionism is a nationalist faction within the Zionist movement. It is the founding ideology of the non-religious right in Israel, and was the chief ideological competitor to the dominant socialist Labor Zionism...
, had some right-wing elements. One of their ideologues, Abba Ahimeir
Abba Ahimeir
Abba Ahimeir was a Jewish journalist, historian and political activist. One of the ideologues of Revisionist Zionism, he was the founder of the Revisionist Maximalist faction of the Zionist Revisionist Movement and of the clandestine Brit HaBirionim....
, was influenced by Oswald Spengler
Oswald Spengler
Oswald Manuel Arnold Gottfried Spengler was a German historian and philosopher whose interests also included mathematics, science, and art. He is best known for his book The Decline of the West , published in 1918, which puts forth a cyclical theory of the rise and decline of civilizations...
. This relates to forms of right-wing politics
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
in Israel that are nationalistic
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and in some cases expansionist. Yisrael Beiteinu may contain influences from this stream of thought.
Other right-wing parties in Israel have a more religious orientation and are influenced by forms of Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
. The Jewish National Front states that the "Torah of Israel is the primary source of human morality" although it states openness to secular members. In addition the National Union (Israel)
National Union (Israel)
The National Union is an alliance of nationalist political parties in Israel. In the 2009 elections the National Union consisted of four parties: Moledet, Hatikva, Eretz Yisrael Shelanu, and Tkuma.-Background:...
coalition contains Renewed Religious National Zionist Party
Renewed Religious National Zionist party
Ahi was a right-wing nationalist religious Zionist political party in Israel. Founded in 2005, it was part of the National Union alliance between 2006 and 2008. For the 2009 elections it ran a joint list with Likud.-History:...
.
Among the more militant groups Kach and Kahane Chai
Kach and Kahane Chai
Kach was a far-right political party in Israel. Founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane in the early 1970s, and following his Jewish nationalist ideology , the party entered the Knesset in 1984 after several electoral failures...
had some supporters outside Israel, but has since been banned.
United Kingdom
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of BeaconsfieldBenjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS, was a British Prime Minister, parliamentarian, Conservative statesman and literary figure. Starting from comparatively humble origins, he served in government for three decades, twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
is one of the most known names in British conservative history and although not Jewish by religion, was of Jewish origin and proud of his Jewishness. In the period of Thatcherism
Thatcherism
Thatcherism describes the conviction politics, economic and social policy, and political style of the British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher, who was leader of her party from 1975 to 1990...
, the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
courted the British Jewish community. The then Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
, Immanuel Jakobovits, was a close ally of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and some of Thatcher's cabinet members were Jewish, such as Keith Joseph
Keith Joseph
Keith St John Joseph, Baron Joseph, Bt, CH, PC , was a British barrister and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet under three Prime Ministers , and is widely regarded to have been the "power behind the throne" in the creation of what came to be known as...
and Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, PC , is a British Conservative politician and journalist. He was a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974–92, and served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the government of Margaret Thatcher from June 1983 to October 1989...
. Recently Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
was leader of the Conservative Party for two years.
Origins
Several Jewish philosophers and politicians would be important to the history of the American Right in the United States. Frank Meyer was a co-founder of the National ReviewNational Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
and noted for Fusionism
Fusionism (politics)
Fusionism is an American political term for the combination or "fusion" of traditional conservatives with some libertarians and some social conservatives, forming the American conservative movement.-History and positions:...
that mixed libertarianism
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
with conservatism. Ralph de Toledano
Ralph de Toledano
Ralph de Toledano was a major figure in the conservative movement in the United States throughout the second half of the 20th century.-Early years:...
was also an earlier figure for the magazine and wrote for The American Conservative
The American Conservative
The American Conservative is a monthly U.S. opinion magazine published by Ron Unz. Its first editor was Scott McConnell, his successors being Kara Hopkins and the present incumbent, Daniel McCarthy....
in his final years. Irving Kristol
Irving Kristol
Irving Kristol was an American columnist, journalist, and writer who was dubbed the "godfather of neoconservatism"...
is sometimes seen as a founding figure for neoconservatism
Neoconservatism
Neoconservatism in the United States is a branch of American conservatism. Since 2001, neoconservatism has been associated with democracy promotion, that is with assisting movements for democracy, in some cases by economic sanctions or military action....
. Although not conservative themselves several American advocates of anarcho-capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism is a libertarian and individualist anarchist political philosophy that advocates the elimination of the state in favour of individual sovereignty in a free market...
, like Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
(a disciple of von Mises), were Jewish and influential on elements of the right.
By the 1980s Jewish conservatives and right-wingers began to have more organization. In 1985 the Republican Jewish Coalition
Republican Jewish Coalition
The Republican Jewish Coalition , founded in 1985, is a political lobbying group in the United States that promotes Jewish Republicans. The RJC claims that it is the most important voice on conservative political issues for the Jewish-American community...
formed. The group's policy platform objectives include terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
, United States-Israel relations, US policy concerning the Middle East, immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act
Workplace Religious Freedom Act
The bipartisan Workplace Religious Freedom Act was introduced in the United States Senate by Senator Rick Santorum and Senator John Kerry on March 17, 2005, and in the House of Representatives by Representatives Mark Souder , Carolyn McCarthy , Bobby Jindal , and Anthony Weiner...
, adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
, crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
, taxes, welfare reform
Welfare reform
Welfare reform refers to the process of reforming the framework of social security and welfare provisions, but what is considered reform is a matter of opinion. The term was used in the United States to support the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act...
, faith-based initiatives, health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
, Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
reform, Social Security reform and government reform.
Federal level positions
The following includes any Republican officeholder since 1900 who at least had one Jewish parentOthers
Jewish Republicans include radio talk show hosts Mark LevinMark Levin
Mark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
, Michael Medved
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...
, Michael Savage
Michael Savage (commentator)
Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
, and Dennis Prager
Dennis Prager
Dennis Prager is an American syndicated radio talk show host, syndicated columnist, author, and public speaker. He is noted for his conservative political and social views emanating from conservative Judeo-Christian values. He holds that there is an "American Trinity" of essential principles,...
, as well as Ari Fleischer
Ari Fleischer
On May 19, 2003, he announced that he would resign during the summer, citing a desire to spend more time with his wife and to work in the private sector...
, Scooter Libby and former Chairman of the Fed Alan Greenspan
Alan Greenspan
Alan Greenspan is an American economist who served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States from 1987 to 2006. He currently works as a private advisor and provides consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC...
.
See also
- Jewish leftJewish leftThe term "Jewish left" describes Jews who identify with or support left wing, occasionally liberal causes, consciously as Jews, either as individuals or through organizations. There is no one organization or movement which constitutes the "Jewish left," however...
- Jewish political movementsJewish political movementsJewish political movements refer to the organized efforts of Jews to build their own political parties or otherwise represent their interest in politics outside of the Jewish community...
- Religious rightReligious rightThe term religious right may refer to religiously motivated right wing movements such as:*Christian right*Hindu nationalism *Islamism*Jewish right*Theravada...
- Christian rightChristian rightChristian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
- Christian leftChristian leftThe Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice....
- Israeli right-wing politics