Republican Jewish Coalition

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The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) (formerly the National Jewish Coalition), founded in 1985, is a political lobbying group in the United States that advocates Jewish support for the Republican Party. The RJC states that it is the most important voice on Republican issues in the Jewish Community. The RJC has 44 chapters through out the United States.

1 Purpose
2 Debate about the Success of the RJC
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Purpose

The official mission statement of the RJC is:^[1]

We seek to foster and enhance ties between the American Jewish community and Republican decision makers. We work to sensitize Republican leadership in government and the party to the concerns and issues of the Jewish community, while articulating and advocating Republican ideas and policies within the Jewish community. We are committed to building a strong, effective and respected Jewish Republican voice in Washington and across the country.

The group's policy platform objectives include terrorism, national security, United States-Israel relations, Mideast peace process, The Palestinian Authority, Syria, Iran, immigration, energy policy, education, school prayer, affirmative action, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, adoption, crime, taxes, welfare reform, faith-based initiatives, health care, Medicare reform, Social Security reform, and government reform.^[2]

[edit] Debate about the Success of the RJC

The success of the RJC has been debated. The RJC has hosted successful activities and events such as the Presidential Candidates Forum, leadership trips to Israel for Members of Congress, governors, and other political leaders, and creating a high-level presence at the Republic National Convention. In 2005, President George W. Bush attended the RJC's 20th anniversary celebration.^[3]

Critics, particularly Jewish Democrats, note that exit polls indicate that a large majority of Jews have voted Democratic in federal elections in the past 20 years -- the only ethnic group more pro-Democratic than Jews are African-Americans.

In the 2004 Presidential election, 24% of Jews voted for George W. Bush, while 76% voted for John Kerry.
In the 2000 Presidential election, only 19% of Jews voted for the George W. Bush, while 79% voted for Al Gore (with 2% voting for Ralph Nader).
In the 1980 Presidential election, 39% of Jews voted for Republican candidate Ronald Reagan. However, Republicans have not received even a plurality of the Jewish vote since 1924.^[4]<

In certain state and local elections, Republicans have received greater support from the Jewish community.

In the 2005 election for Mayor of New York City, Republican Candidate Michael Bloomberg received 51% of the Jewish vote.^[5]
In the 2003 Recall election in California, an estimated 31% of Jews voted for Republican Candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger.^[6]

The RJC believes that the Jewish Republican movement is growing and that a larger percentage of Jews will vote Republican in the future. This view is supported by Daniel Pipes, a conservative political commentator, who stated in 2003 that "the Democratic Party will abandon its historic sympathy for Israel," and that the foreign policy of United States regarding Israel "will lurch one way and the other, depending on which party controls the White House."^[7] In the 2006 midterm elections, however, Democrats won 87% of the Jewish vote, and Republicans held on to a mere 11%.