By Matthew P. Bergman, Special to JTNews
Among the ethnic groups that populate the American mosaic, Jewish Americans are among the most engaged in the political process. We vote in high proportions, hold public office at a level disproportionate to our numbers, and forcefully engage in political discourse at all levels of government. Given the inherent diversity of our community, any attempt to identify a single "Jewish interest" in the 2004 election would be foolhardy.
Nevertheless, the current presidential contest between George Bush and John Kerry presents the Jewish community with a stark choice over the values and traditions we honor at home and the concerns and anxieties we have abroad.
Supporters of President Bush point to his strong support for Israel as a reason that the Jewish community should support him. This argument is patronizing to our community and simplistic in the idea that Jewish Americans are one-issue voters. While we are deeply concerned over the welfare of Israel, our support for Israel is not exclusive of our concern with social justice, civil liberties and the separation of church and state.
The domestic policy pursued by the Bush Administration has been inimical to the values held by so many Jewish Americans. The fact that five million Americans have lost their health coverage over the past four years is an affront to our tradition of bikur cholim – healing the sick. Our commitment to tzedakah and social justice is offended by the seven million Americans children who have fallen into poverty over the past four years and by a tax cut in which 80 percent of the benefit is enjoyed by the wealthiest 1 percent of the population.
As a minority population that in the last century experienced the ravages of unchecked government power, our community is threatened by the Bush Administration’s assertion that it has the right to arrest a citizen without charge, without an attorney and hold him indefinitely as an "enemy combatant."
Finally, having struggled against bigotry and anti-Semitism to attain our position in American society, Jews are threatened by the Bush administration’s efforts to use the Constitution and federal judicial appointments to promote the extremist social agenda of many Christian conservatives.
Although the Bush Administration has voiced strong support for Israel, the unilateralist foreign policy pursued by this administration has made Israel more vulnerable in the world. At the beginning of the 21st century, the most ominous threat faced by Israel was never Saddam Hussein’s beleaguered army, but rather the burgeoning nuclear program being pursued by Iran. Unlike distorted and dissonant reports on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, it is undisputed that Iran is actively developing nuclear weapons with the stated objective of altering the strategic balance in the Middle East.
Combating this threat requires creative diplomacy backed by international sanctions and a palpable threat of military force. As the only remaining superpower in the world and Israel’s staunchest defender in the Middle East, the United States must lead the world in combating the threat of a radical nuclear-armed Islamic state.
The oldest rule of diplomacy is to unite your friends and divide your enemies. However, the Bush Administration’s policies in Iraq have united our enemies and divided our friends.
Having squandered American credibility by distorting intelligence to justify the Iraqi invasion, sidestepping the United Nations and rushing to war in Iraq, the United States has been relegated to the sidelines in dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat.
With America’s military bogged down in an Iraqi quagmire and our diplomatic credibility squandered by bogus intelligence and unilateralist arrogance, America has few viable options at its disposal. The Bush Administration’s preoccupation with Iraq has made both Israel and America less secure, and increased the possibility of future military conflict over Iran. We must do better.
When it comes to supporting Israel, John Kerry takes second place to none. Over his 20-year Senate career, John Kerry amassed a perfect voting record in support of a strong and secure Israel. He has traveled to Israel on numerous occasions, met with every Israeli Prime Minister since Yitzchak Shamir, and been a steadfast advocate for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism. John Kerry understands that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians requires two negotiating partners, both committed to peace, who eschew terrorism as a negotiating tactic.
Unlike George Bush, John Kerry understands that Israel is safest when America is engaged with the rest of the world and commands the respect of world leaders throughout the globe. As President, John Kerry would restore American credibility and exert creative and forceful diplomacy aimed at securing a Middle East peace that leaves Israel within safe and defensible borders, free from the scourge of terrorism.
John Kerry would reverse the disastrous domestic policies of the Bush Administration, which have eroded civil liberties and left so many of our citizens lacking basic health care and economic sustenance. John Kerry will restore pluralism and temper the extremism that has dominated our social discourse and pursue government policies that honor the best of our traditions, as Jews and as Americans.
Matthew Bergman is a Vashon-based attorney and state delegate to the Democratic National Convention.