ThesustainedloyaltyoftheJewishelectoratetotheDemocraticPartywhileotherethnicvoterscasttheirballotselsewherehaslongpuzzledpoliticalpunditsandchagrinedRepublicanstalwarts.EffortstoturntheJewishvotehavethusfarfailed.ThemajorityofJewishvoterscontinuetopulldowntheDemocraticvotingleverasifguidedbysomedivineforce.NoRepublicanpresidentialcandidatehaswontheJewishvotesincetheelectionofTheodoreRooseveltin1904.SincetheheadyyearsoftheNewDeal,Jewishliberalismhasfoundshelterundertheleftwingofthatparty,andJewishvotershavebecomesomeofthemostpoliticallyengagedcitizensoftherepublic.AmericanJewishPoliticalCultureandtheLiberalPersuasionsearchesforthesourceofsuchpoliticalengagement,exploringtheconstantlyadaptingliberalismattheheartofAmericanJewishpoliticalbehavior.Drawingonsociologyandphilosophytoinformhishistoricalsynthesisofacenturies-long,transcontinentalpattern,Feingoldeschewsvotingstatisticsandpoliticaltheory.Instead,hetellsthestoryofthreeoverarchingconcernsthatweavethroughoutthepoliticalprioritiesofcontemporaryAmericanJews:anever-changingdefinitionofliberalism,thehopeandturmoilofIsrael,andtheobsessionwiththeHolocaust.Theresultingtapestryrevealsacultureofgreatcomplexityandapoliticalvoicethatoftenlackscoherencedespitetheseconsistentthreads.AmericanJewishPoliticalCultureandtheLiberalPersuasionbeginswiththehistoricalbackgroundofAmericanJewishpoliticsbeforedelvingintooldrootsandthenmovingontoathematicunderstandingofAmericanJewry’spoliticalpsyche.ThisexhaustiveworkanswersthegrandquestionofwhereAmericanJewishliberalismcomesfromandultimatelyquestionswhetherthecommunalmotivationsbehindsuchbeliefsarestrongenoughtowithstandtwenty-first-centuryAmerica.
