The District Chronicles

Issue date: 8/3/08 Section: Divine Intervention

While relations have improved in the past decade, some say Schneier's efforts to reunite black and Jewish voters behind Obama must take into account political trends that go beyond the civil rights struggle.

Though historically reliable Democratic voters, U.S. Jews have grown more diverse as Orthodox Jews and immigrants from the former Soviet Union -- though still a minority -- vote more conservatively as they prioritize national and Israeli security over social justice issues.

The Republican Jewish Coalition says Obama's perceived weaknesses on Israel and national security, compared to McCain's record, will help the GOP make inroads with Jewish voters in November.

In response, Ira Forman, who heads the National Jewish Democratic Council, said his group must focus on fighting "smear and fear" untrue rumors about Obama being a Muslim and his alleged lackluster support for Israel, rather than reminding Jews of historical ties to the Black community.

"There are some very fond memories about the alliance between Jews and African Americans, but I don't see people harking back to that time," he said.

Some historians, meanwhile, say the strength of the Black-Jewish alliance -- and even its demise -- has been overstated, and may not matter much as Obama seeks to reassure wary Jewish voters.

"One thing that works in Obama's favor is his mantra that the '60s are so yesterday," said Devin Fergus, Vanderbilt College history professor and author of "Black Power, Soft Power." "He's not a descendent of slaves. He's not trying to refight the cultural wars. That gives him space to distance himself from the divisive politics of Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan."

Either way, Jews, Blacks and other minorities have started moving away from voting as a block -- a trend that American Jewish historian Jonathan Sarna sees as healthy, both for Jews and the political process.

"Nothing could be better for the Jewish community than to have both parties vying for the Jewish vote," said Sarna, who teaches at Brandeis University. "What makes America a great country, in my view, is that both parties have learned that it's dangerous to write a group off. We have very close elections and every vote counts."

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