Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CMC Senior Theses CMC Student Scholarship 2020 Mobilization and Polarization: American Jewish Politics Following the 2016 Election Jennifer Gurev Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses Part of the American Politics Commons Recommended Citation Gurev, Jennifer, "Mobilization and Polarization: American Jewish Politics Following the 2016 Election" (2020). CMC Senior Theses. 2453. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2453 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you by Scholarship@Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in this collection by an authorized administrator. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Claremont McKenna College Mobilization and Polarization: American Jewish Politics Following the 2016 Election submitted to Professor Aseema Sinha by Jennifer Gurev for Senior Thesis Spring 2020 May 11, 2020 Abstract The 2016 election sparked fundamental changes in American politics. From the rise of Donald Trump’s popularity to the growth of progressive protests in response to his election and subsequent policies, this paper explores how fundamental changes stemming from the 2016 election directly impacted American Jewish interest groups and political stances, particularly on the issue of Israel. Prior to the 2016 election, the American Jewish community was growing increasingly divided on Israel primarily due to the disparate experiences between young Jews and that of older generations, as well as increasingly right-wing Israeli politics. However, the election of Trump—and his alignment with pro-Israel policies—furthered the already existing divides across American Jewish politics. The result has been increased polarization between American Jewish groups and the mobilization of progressive groups to counteract pro-Israel organizations and Trump’s illiberal policies. This paper aims to illustrate how these changes within American Jewish politics are connected to the 2016 election through three case studies of Jewish Israel-related organizations from across the political spectrum. 1 Acknowledgements To all the people who have supported me along the way, thank you. Although a global pandemic is not the way that I imagined leaving CMC, this experience has shown me just how much this community means to me. I have so much love for the Class of 2020 and for all of the professors, classmates, and administrators who helped make my time here meaningful. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Sinha for guiding me throughout writing my thesis. Thank you for encouraging me to write my thesis on such an important and meaningful topic. I appreciate all of the guidance that you have provided me, your kindness and understanding, and for pushing me along the way. I will miss working with you. I am so thankful for my wonderful friends and family and for their positive encouragement and support throughout my thesis and college experience. To Shreya, Bridget, Gabe, Alex, and other dear friends, I could not have done this without you. I know that you will all achieve great things and I am so happy that CMC brought us together (#twomoremonths!). I would also like to thank the Rose Family for hosting me during this pandemic. Lastly and most importantly, I would like to thank my family all of their love and support. My thesis and time at CMC would not have been possible without you. 2 Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 4 About ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 Polling Data ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Interest Groups .......................................................................................................................................... 12 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 17 Roadmap .................................................................................................................................................... 18 Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ........................................................... 20 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Distancing .................................................................................................................................................. 22 Young Jewish Americans Today ............................................................................................................... 27 “Twin Portraits”: American and Israeli Jews ............................................................................................ 30 What Changes Have Taken Place? ............................................................................................................ 34 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 40 Jewish Organizational Life ............................................................................................. 42 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 42 Organizational Life ................................................................................................................................... 42 Israel-related organizations ....................................................................................................................... 46 AIPAC and the Establishment ................................................................................................................... 51 J Street and Liberal Zionism ..................................................................................................................... 57 IfNotNow and Anti-Occupation Activism ................................................................................................ 63 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 71 Post-2016 American Jewish Politics ............................................................................... 72 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 72 The Rise of Trump, Political Polarization, and Democratic Party Rifts ................................................... 73 Case Study Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 79 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 92 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 95 Divisions .................................................................................................................................................... 96 Narrowing In ............................................................................................................................................. 97 Zooming out ............................................................................................................................................ 100 Works Cited ................................................................................................................... 102 3 1 Introduction About The election of President Donald Trump was a tumultuous time in America. The months leading up to November 2016, and the months following, elucidated and further intensified political polarization across the United States—divisions that often pervaded previously united communities. American Jews are just one example of an identity group that experienced significant changes following the 2016 election. American Jewish life has always had some religious political and cultural divides. However, over the last four years, American Jewish interest groups’ mobilization and actions have changed; significant growth within and acceptance of particular American Jewish interest groups indicates either changes to Americans Jews’ political stances or, at the very least, a newfound willingness to mobilize around their beliefs. One example is the liberal pro- peace and pro-Israel organization J Street has increased its traction in the American Jewish community. Moreover, as organizations outside of established American Jewish organizations grow in popularity this signifies a shift in the broader representation of different viewpoints across organizational life. These changes generate a research question: How have fundamental changes in America’s political culture shaped American Jews’ political stances and affected the representation of viewpoints within American Jewish interest groups? I explore this research question through three case studies; the American Israel Public Affairs