Increased attention to the importance of the Jewish vote has revved up Jewish students to hit the polls in full force for this year’s presidential election.
In the past, Jewish voters have tended to be Democratic, but this year the Republican Party hopes to increase the amount of conservative Jewish voters.
In the 2000 election, over 78 percent of the Jewish vote went to Democratic candidate Al Gore, while only 19 percent went to President Bush.
“The Jewish community at UCLA seems to be pretty evenly divided in this election,” said Sigalit Noureal, the president of Bruins for Israel, a pro-Israel organization at UCLA that seeks to educate students and faculty on issues pertaining to Israel.
A perceived increase of conservatism in the Jewish community has Republicans spending more than ever on advertising to win over Jewish voters.
While Jews make up only 2 percent of the nation’s population, they constitute approximately 4 percent of voters nationwide, making them an important target for both candidates competing for presidency in this year’s tight election race.
Jews are beginning to rethink their options after seeing Bush’s strong support for Israel and his quick response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“The conservative trend began more than a decade ago but the Jewish community is still unabashedly liberal,” said Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller from the Yitzhak Rabin Hillel Center of Jewish Life at UCLA.
“The Republican Party has failed to attract more Jewish voters. They were predicting up to 40 percent of the Jewish vote, but only 20 to 24 percent of Jews will actually vote for Bush,” Seidler-Feller added.
He also said the increasing adaptation to American ideals and accumulation of wealth among young Jews has resulted in a slight shift toward conservative values among them.
“Younger Jews are more conservative because they are becoming more American,” Seidler-Feller said. “The combination of the socioeconomic status of younger Jews and a concern for Israel has resulted in many of them becoming more conservative.”
The division among UCLA students on whom to vote for in this election was evident in the recent “Bush v. Kerry Debate” at the UCLA Hillel center, where Jewish students gathered together to discuss the presidential elections and learn more about the positions of both candidates on Israel and American Israeli policies.
The panel, which included supporters for both Bush and Sen. John Kerry, debated issues ranging from the war in Iraq to the violence in Israel and Palestinian territories.
“Jews tend to be very progressive on social issues, but in this election, the primary concern is the situation in Iraq. Israel’s security is dependent on the outcome of Iraq. The more secure Iraq is, the more secure Israel will be,” Noureal said.
But Jewish students are also considering other issues in this election.
“Both candidates are very supportive of Israel, so it isn’t the main issue for me in this election. I’m looking at the policies each candidate holds in regards to the economy ... to make up my mind,” said Pamela Kohanchi, liaison between UCLA and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who attended the event.
At UCLA, almost double the number of Jewish students registered to vote in this year’s election in comparison to previous ones, Kohanchi said.
Some Jewish students are disappointed that the Jewish community is becoming more conservative and believe modern Jews have made significant progress in the United States because of their liberal ideals.
“Jews have been amazing figures because they have been progressive. It has brought Jews to where they are today. Conservative thinkers don’t push the Jewish community forward,” said David Noily, a fourth-year theater student. Other students disagreed that more conservative Jews would have a negative impact on the Jewish community.
“In the end, it doesn’t matter whether you are liberal or conservative. All that matters is that you stand for something and aren’t apathetic,” said Arash Nafisi, the vice president of Bruins for Israel.
Kohanchi agreed that the plurality of viewpoints in the Jewish community is beneficial to them.
“It makes me proud to see how bipartisan the Jewish community has become. The increased conservatism in the Jewish community is a direct result of an increased amount of registered Jewish voters,” Kohanchi added. “We can’t just ask them all to stay on one side.”