Opinion: It isn’t Jewish voters’ priorities that have changed; it’s Israel’s

To the editor: In his thought-provoking op-ed article, Jonathan Bronitsky points out that the great majority of Jewish Americans support a given candidate based primarily on her or his advocacy of liberal causes, not merely for backing Israel. (“Jewish Americans don’t vote with Israel in mind, they vote as liberals,” Opinion, Oct. 28)

Bronitsky attributes this finding, based on numerous polls and surveys, primarily to the increased assimilation and intermarriage of a younger generation of Jews and the passing of an older generation that fervently supported Israel during the wars of 1948, 1967 and 1973.

He might have added one other major reason: the marked rightward shift in Israel’s political spectrum from the democratic socialism of the nation’s founders and early leaders to the conservative domestic and muscular foreign policy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the past seven years.

Tom Tugend, Sherman Oaks

..

To the editor: As a nonreligious Jew, I care about Israel.

It is a relatively free and good nation, especially compared to its neighbors and considering the provocation it experiences. Mosques and churches are filled with worshipers who pray safely and openly, unlike other countries in the area. There is also more freedom for women, gay people and other minority groups than anywhere else in the region.

Second, there is a vibrant cultural, intellectual scene in Israel.

Finally, I care for any group threatened with genocide and mass murder. If Portugal were sending rockets into Spain, if France were threatening to bomb Norway with nuclear weapons, if Argentina had tunnels used to transport murder squads into Chile, I would care.

Perfect? No. Pretty good? Yes.

David Goodwin, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Bronitsky is far off base in describing Reform Judaism as made up of liberals who are not Torah-observant. Knowledgeable Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform Jews are most definitely Torah-observant. In fact, it is the observance of the Torah, handed down through the generations, that teaches concern for all people, especially those in need, which makes the vast majority of Jews liberal.

What is difficult for liberal, Torah-observant Jews to understand is how in the world any Torah-observant Jews can be conservative. Liberal Jews, who feel that people in need can require help, cannot understand the conservative viewpoint that people in need should help themselves.

Bronitsky would be amazed at the strong feeling for Israel that exists in Reform congregations. But most thinking Jews realize that as important as the United States is to Israel, when we vote for president, we vote for president of the United States, not for the president of Israel.

Martin A. Brower, Corona del Mar

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook