Jewish Power: Inside The American Jewish Establishment [Paperback]

J. J. Goldberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 1997

Widely acclaimed in both the mainstream and Jewish press, Jewish Power by J.J. Goldberg offers an engaging and provocative portrait of the people, institutions, and ideas that make up organized Jewish political influence in the United States. Deftly mixing anecdote and analysis, journalist Goldberg explores the inner dynamics of American Jewish life today and finds a Jewish political system in trouble, uncertain of its future, and out of touch with its presumed constituents. Of interest to anyone concerned with the future of American politics, Jewish Power is a serious look at American Jewry and a first-rate assessment of the successes and failures of the American Jewish lobby.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Doomsday predictions that American Jews are on the verge of disappearing via assimilation are fallacious, declares Goldberg, in part because a large minority of Jews are becoming more observant, in part because even weakly affiliated Jews nevertheless still identify with a common cultural heritage and shared destiny. In a trenchant, provocative probe of American Jewish power politics, Goldberg, New York-based contributing editor for the Israeli news magazine Jerusalem Report, challenges conventional wisdom on many fronts. Refuting critiques by Noam Chomsky, Paul Findley, George Ball and others who contend that the clout of the American Jewish lobby created the U.S.-Israel alliance, he argues instead that the forging of this alliance under Nixon?a Republican president elected with almost no Jewish backing?thrust American Jewry's political establishment onto the international stage, linking liberal Jews in an uneasy alliance with mostly gentile Cold Warriors. Rejecting claims of a Jewish shift to the right, Goldberg marshals statistics to demonstrate that American Jews remain overwhelmingly Democratic and liberal, even though neoconservative, Zionist and Orthodox "New Jews" who gained prominence after the 1967 Six-Day War have come to be identified in the popular mind as the leadership of the American Jewish community. Whether he is discussing FDR's response to the fate of European Jewry or contemporary Jews' self-image of vulnerability, Goldberg forces one to rethink individual positions.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Goldberg (editor, Builders and Dreamers, Associated Univ., 1993), a contributing editor to Jerusalem Report, provides a revealing glimpse of Jewish organizations, money, and political power in the United States. Goldberg covers such provocative topics as liberalism and American Jews; Jews and the Cold War; how Jews vote; and the rise of the Israel lobby. Most compelling are his discussions of black-Jewish relations, although the focus of his analysis is principally the relationship between New York City's Orthodox and African American communities. Certain to cause comment is the author's contention that the "Who is a Jew?" debate in Israel has its roots in a dispute among Diaspora Jewry in America and that the Israeli Orthodox community was largely indifferent to the issue initially. Recommended for all popular collections.?Mark Weber, Kent State Univ. Lib., Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 446 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (September 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201327988
• ISBN-13: 978-0201327984
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #755,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honest reporting of an emotionally charged topic., December 10, 2001

By 

E. Rodin MD (Sandy, UT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jewish Power: Inside The American Jewish Establishment (Paperback)

Although the book, written in the middle nineties, is somewhat out of date it is important because it provides a factual, non-polemic picture of Jewish Power in America. If a similar account were to be written by a Gentile the author would risk condemnation by the main media. Goldberg has meticulously collected his facts and the Prologue story about ex-President Bush's encounter with the Jewish lobby is most enlightening. Goldberg discusses the successes of Jewish individuals in all major aspects of our society and their influence on both domestic as well as foreign policy.
For a person who lived during the nineteen thirties in Vienna a comparsion with the Jewish success story after World War I and prior to Hitler's assumption of power is inevitable. One can only hope that conditions in America will never reach the depth of despair which made a Hitler possible. Nevertheless the concerns for the future which some of Goldberg's informants express are entirely justified. This is especially so after September 11 when every effort is made by Jewish authorities to identify Prime Minister Sharon's policies and interests with those of the United States. Since they violate the civil rights of the Palestinian population and are in disregard of international law as well as U.N. resolutions there can be a serious backlash from the Gentile community in the U.S. if and when the Middle East explodes in a major war, with a resultant major world-wide economic downturn. To avoid a tragedy of this type Mr. Goldberg would be well advised to update his book and exert his influence on the Jewish leadership in the U.S. to promote a just solution in the Middle East which takes the legitimate needs, rather than desires, of Israelis and Palestinians into account. In this way he could be of great service not only to the Jewish community but the world at large.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Addressing Jews in America with Clarity and Balance, December 24, 2001

By 

Henry Oliner (Macon, GA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jewish Power: Inside The American Jewish Establishment (Paperback)

Simply focusing on the subject of Jewish power raises suspicions of anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories. Goldberg dispels the fear by carefully and clearly separating statistical observations from irrational and erroneous conclusions.

It is indisputable that Jews are represented far beyond their average population in the media and in Hollywood. It would be a terrible mistake to conclude that this means that they control the content, or worse that they use this power to intentionally attack Christian values or stereotype blacks.

In fact the Jews in America are anything but united. Outsiders may see a single Jewish community but this is a common ethnocentric error. Jewish power in American politics is not the result of conspiracy, but the result of demographics and using their basic American rights.

Jews are twice as likely to vote as the average population. That alone doubles their impact but still leaves them a small minority of the voters. They are also far more likely to fund their candidates and political causes, and to actively volunteer their time. But most importantly the Jews in America are concentrated in the eight states that account for almost half of the electoral votes.

Goldberg points out how this very real power is felt in elections and in domestic and foreign policy, but also that it is not centrally controlled. It is ironic to note that aid to Israel increased far more under Republican presidents than Democrats even though the American Jews have been far more identified with the left and the Democrats (within a widely varying degree).

The book contributes valuable insight into the dynamic between the Blacks and the Jews in America, and the changing relationship with Israel as the Jewish nation develops both more independence and their own internal frictions.

"Jewish Power" ties statistics and data together with the author's perceptions and insights to give it real meaning and value. It is an excellent explanation of why such a small group has such influence. But more importantly Goldberg explains it is not from any conspiracy or secret agenda; it is from a profound respect for freedom and the American political institutions.

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good journalism; poor conclusions, February 2, 1999

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jewish Power: Inside The American Jewish Establishment (Paperback)

J.J. Goldberg's journalistic survey of Jewish influence in American politics is an even-handed, fair-minded summary of some twenty-five years of public involvement on the part of American Jews.

However, Goldberg's conclusion -- that American Jews should align themselves with other coalitions on the liberal left in order to increase their combined influence -- is unfortunate. In fact what his survey demonstrates is that theologically liberal Judaism in the U.S. has dangerously allied itself with the growth of statism in the alleged name of compassion.

Goldberg's survey pays little attention to politically conservative forces within American Jewry, and with perhaps some justification given the purpose of this book: by far the vast majority of theologically liberal Jews in the U.S. are politically "liberal" as well. But it is too bad that Goldberg does not follow up on one of his own most telling insights: that leftist political affiliation among Jews cannot be entirely due to the influence of Jewish tradition, because more traditionally-minded Jews also tend to be more politically conservative. (And for good reason; Jewish tradition is far less trusting of State power than many liberal Jews seem to be aware.)

For a more rounded view, read this book in conjunction with, say, David Horowitz's _The Politics of Bad Faith_. Then follow up on Horowitz's own sources and look into the economics of the free market -- beginning with the works of Ludwig von Mises, whom Horowitz cites favorably, and passing on to other works by e.g. Murray Rothbard and Israel Kirzner.

Goldberg's historical survey of liberal Judaism's attachment to liberal politics is enlightening and informative, but his advice to the political left is a recipe for bad government. It is perhaps too much to expect a journalistic survey to be ordered and informed by sound economic and political principles, but such principles are required if the true importance of this book is to be appreciated. The welfare-warfare state is _not_ the royal road to justice and compassion.