YDA Jewish Caucus

(New York Jewish Week) On the eve of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses this week, strategists in both major political parties now believe Jewish voters could play a critical role in wide-open nomination battles this year — and possibly in a November general election that some experts say could be another squeaker.

“Usually the Jewish vote isn’t something Republican candidates compete for in the primaries,” said a key Jewish supporter of former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, one of the candidates with the most to gain from a strong Jewish tally. “But this is a very different climate, with the front-loaded primaries.

Continue reading Jews Poised To Play Key Role In Primaries…

(JCPA Blog) So I was thinking this morning about what to write as my blog entry today…but Eric Alterman already wrote it.  So I decided to save myself some time and energy, and probably a hefty plagiarism lawsuit and merely suggest that you read his recent article in The Nation – not because it’s called “Bad for the Jews”, and not because it comments on the American Jewish Committee’s 2007 Survey of American Jewry, but because Alterman touches on an issue that institutional restraints – and fear — prevent those of us who work for Jewish non-profit organizations from addressing.  How in touch are our communal organizations with the people we claim to represent?  Alterman’s focus is the media – that the people the media turn to “speak for Jews and Jewish values,” such as Charles Krauthammer and David Horowitz, are not at all representative of the Jewish mainstream, based on what the AJC survey found.

Continue reading Who Speaks for the Jews?…