Why do American Jews keep voting Democrat? It’s a question that’s baffled many. For decades, American Jews have been a reliably left-leaning voting bloc, but that loyalty is being tested like never before—and for good reason. The Democratic Party may brand itself as the party of inclusion and tolerance, but it’s turning a blind eye to the growing antisemitism festering within its own ranks. The radical, openly antisemitic wing of the party isn’t just louder—it’s more powerful. So the real question is, are Jews finally waking up to the uncomfortable truth that the political movement they’ve supported for generations is now harboring voices that hate them?
And the tide may be shifting.
“There can be little doubt that over the last quarter of a century Israeli voters have moved to the center from the left, and now to the right,” Alan Dershowitz writes at the Daily Caller. “The same is true, though to a somewhat lesser degree, of Israeli supporters in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and other countries with significant Jewish populations.”
The reason is as blunt as it is undeniable: “The left has turned against Israel and against its supporters.”
This wasn’t always the case. In its early years, Israel was a darling of the global left. “When Israel was first established, it had widespread support among the left, even among the extreme left,” Dershowitz recalls. It was a socialist democracy surrounded by reactionary dictatorships. The Soviet Union even supported its creation in 1948 and armed it to survive its first war of independence.
But the 1960s brought a cynical geopolitical pivot. Israel, poor in resources and strategic access, was jettisoned in favor of “the right-wing Arab states” with oil, gas, and the Suez Canal. The left, ever loyal to power politics over principle, quickly followed suit. Euro-communists, the American Communist Party, and eventually most of the far-left adopted anti-Israel positions in lockstep with Moscow.
Fast forward to today, and the picture is stark. American progressives march under banners that demonize Israel and openly support Hamas. College campuses erupt in celebration of terrorist atrocities like the October 7 massacre, and Jews who once felt safe in left-leaning spaces are being targeted by the very people they politically aligned with.
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Dershowitz notes that in Israel, two major developments accelerated the rightward shift. First, the immigration of Soviet Jews—who had no love for communism or leftist ideology—infused Israeli politics with an anti-leftist realism. These Jews, having suffered under leftist regimes, “formed alliances primarily with center-right and right-wing parties.”
Palestinian leaders’ rejection of generous peace offers in 2000-2001—and the violent intifada that followed—shattered Israeli faith in the peace process and dealt a major blow to the political left. When Ariel Sharon later withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Hamas seized control and launched years of rocket attacks, culminating in the October 7 massacre. As Dershowitz notes, these betrayals and acts of terror “weakened the left and strengthened the right,” especially since many victims were peace-minded Israelis.
Dershowitz doesn’t claim this rightward shift is inherently good or bad—but he rightly calls out the double standard of those who expect Jews to stay loyal to a political movement that has so clearly turned against them. “To expect Israelis and Jews to act against their interest, though, is to impose an unacceptable double standard.”
It’s long overdue for American Jews to reevaluate their political loyalties—and the shift is already happening. In the 2024 election, Donald Trump received 32% of the Jewish vote nationwide, according to exit polls. That’s the strongest showing for a Republican among Jewish voters since George H.W. Bush pulled 35% back in 1988. Trump’s support has steadily grown—from 24% in 2016 to 30% in 2020, and now 32%.
When one party refuses to stand up for you—and worse, excuses or even celebrates violence against you—clinging to old loyalties isn’t principle. It’s self-destructive.
