It’s amusing to watch some Jewish Liberals tie themselves into knots as they try to explain the community’s massive shift to the Conservatives.
Here’s a recent example. Zach Paikin wrote on cjnews.com, “Privately or publicly, explicitly or implicitly, at some point, somebody Jewish has told you that he or she only votes based on one issue, and that’s ‘who’s best for Israel.’” He claimed he’s heard this “several times,” including from a “life-long socialist” who voted for Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2011 because she felt “the Liberals and the NDP are wishy-washy on Israel.”
Paikin’s friend is right, but that’s beside the point. The young Liberal commentator is unwilling to accept the fact (or remains in denial, like many other members of his political brood) that the vast majority of Jews who vote Conservative are doing it for reasons other than Israel. They believe in smaller government, lower taxes, fiscal prudence, increased privatization, trade liberalization and a strong foreign policy worldwide.
Tiresome left-wing fulminations that Jews overwhelmingly support government intervention, universal health care, the welfare state, and UN peacekeeping missions (among other things) are entering the dustbin of history. Liberals can deny this political transformation until they’re blue in the face – or, in this case, red. Shouting it from the rooftops doesn’t make it so.
Wait, it gets better.
“According to the Prophet Isaiah,” wrote Paikin, “we are supposed to act as a light unto the nations. In the Canadian context, this can be interpreted to mean that we should serve as an example for other communities to follow.” Hence, this “steady abandonment of our broader commitment to building Canada is most certainly not that.”
In other words, biblical canon – written long before the advent of the modern political party system – apparently compels Jews to act, support, defend ideas and presumably vote in a particular fashion. Oh, and build a Canada in the most liberal of visions.
Following this logic, no Jew, Christian or Muslim should ever vote for a right-leaning party in any country. It’s all been accounted for in the religious texts, after all.
In fairness, Paikin’s position isn’t unique among Canadian Liberals. Our modern political process is rather polarized, meaning that fierce defences of ideological positions are rather commonplace. Although I’ve been critical of the federal Tories for not being fiscally conservative enough, I’m certainly no better.
Then again, neither was Henry Nathan Jr., Canada’s first Jewish Liberal-Conservative politician. Nathan, a merchant in Victoria, B.C., was appointed to the House of Commons during its first session on Nov. 24, 1871. This was just after his province had joined Confederation. He also became the first Jew elected to our Parliament the following year and would sit until 1874.
In both instances, Nathan was elected under the Liberal party banner. Yet all B.C. politicians were theoretically aligned with Prime Minister John A. Macdonald and the Conservatives – or, as they were also called, the Liberal-Conservatives.
Historian Abraham Arnold wrote in the 1971-72 volume of MHS Transactions that “Henry Nathan was recorded as a Liberal.” When he examined “his private letters to his political mentor Dr. Helmcken,” it was clear Nathan had “played a conservative role and refused to support the Liberal government of Alexander Mackenzie when Macdonald was defeated in 1873.”
Indeed, the traditional Liberal and Conservative parties were very different than today’s versions. Nathan’s support for the Tories was likely motivated by personal and political reasons, too.
Why do I bring up this historical fact? To make this point: Jewish Liberals enjoy discussing the historic ties between the community and their political party. Yet Canada’s first Jewish politician, a Liberal, was a strong supporter of Canada’s first Conservative government.
Ergo, did this political shift suddenly occur with the Harper Tories, or has it been going on since Macdonald’s time? You decide.