AMERICAN (JEWISH) EXCEPTIONALISM – EVERYBODY ELSE IS RIGHT WING
While leftism is a clear attribute of American Jews and their organizations, it is not a universal Jewish trait.
Let’s review the three largest Jewish communities outside of America.
The United Kingdom
The British Jewish community consists of about 300,000 British subjects. Its most illustrious historical member is Victorian prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, born a Jew, whose father had converted to Anglicanism in 1817.
Unlike America’s Jews, a whopping 64% of Britain’s Jews voted for the Tories in 2015, with only 15% voting Labour. And that’s even before Jeremy Corbyn. Even back in the 1990s, Jews were more or less evenly split between the two main parties, with a slight preference for the Tories.
As in America, British Jews of a more secular disposition tilt more to the Left, but the overall average is much in favor of the Tories.
France
The Jewish population of France is estimated at about 500,000 citizens. Data related to voting patterns, at least over the English-speaking internet, are difficult to track. That being said, we can tell the following: As of relatively recently, Marine Le Pen’s National Front is enjoying 14% of the Jewish vote, a percentage that had almost tripled over a decade.
The centrist Emmanual Macron seems to have been the favorite among Jews in the most recent election cycle (2017). However, I was not able to find accurate data. Also, it would be a lot more interesting to look at voting patterns in the first presidential round, not the second, but I was not able to find an analysis of the Jewish vote. Maybe one of our French readers can help me out.
I did find information regarding previous election cycles, where a plurality of Jews preferred the conservative Sarkozy to his socialist rivals. About 45% to 20%.
Israel
Israel’s Jewish population, the world’s largest, is about 7M Jews strong.
In the most recent election cycle (2021), Jewish Israeli voters have voted thus:
| Party | Political Leaning | Seats |
| Likkud | Right | 30 |
| Yesh Attid | Center-Right | 17 |
| Shas | Right | 9 |
| Blue-White | Center-Right | 8 |
| Rightwards | Right | 7 |
| Labor | Left | 7 |
| Torah Jews | Center | 7 |
| Israel Our Home | Right | 7 |
| Religious Zionists | Right | 6 |
| New Hope | Right | 6 |
| Meretz | Left | 6 |
In percentage terms, the following chart is illuminating:
Meaning, only 12% of Jewish Israeli voters prefer the Left.
American Exceptionalism
America’s Jews then stand as a strange anomaly. Jews display no such preference for the Left in any other country with a substantial Jewish population.
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