



Adam L. Silverman

One several occasions I've written here at SST about the disconnect between Jewish Americans and the organizations, and in some cases specific individuals, who claim to speak for them. The former include AIPAC, their research arm The Washington Institute (for Near Eastern Politics/WINEP), The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), The American Jewish Congress, The Republican Jewish Coalition, and a bunch of other groups. The latter group I like to call Professional Jews and include Bill Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, Jennifer Rubin, Rabbi Foxman*, Rabbi Boteach, Professor Dershowitz, and a whole host of others. As I've previously written these groups and individuals often attempt to, and do, present a set of positions to America that is supposedly representative of Jewish Americans. In almost every case, such as support for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, the actual data tells us something else: that a majority, or at least a plurality, of Jewish Americans take an opposite position than those presented by these groups and individuals. So it should not be too surprising to find that when it comes to the recently negotiated P5+1 Agreement with Iran that a majority of Jewish Americans are in favor of the deal (53% think Congress should vote to affirm it and 49% directly support the agreement). Despite this AIPAC intends to send 300 lobbyists to Capitol Hill to lobby against it (h/t: Digby). As is usually the case the Professional Jewish Organizations and Jews are not aligned with the majority of Jewish Americans. Not that you are likely to see that reported on a Sunday TV talk show - you know the ones that have Bill Kristol or Charles Krauthammer on every weekend...

* Rabbi Foxman is sort of an interesting individual and kind of an outlier in this groups. Because he is the head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which monitors and tracks anti-Semitism and other extremist and exclusionary activity and groups, he has often been on TV, radio, and covered in print as a go to resource regarding Jewish Americans, their concerns and their views. However, after some negative responses to some of his interactions on Fox News, as well as some bad experiences that he had on air with some of the Fox News on air talent, he seems to have not just backed off, but returned to focusing in his media appearances on anti-Semitism and extremism in the US. He recently indicated that the ADL "was not campaigning on the agreement."