Written by David Zimmermann
What’s happening: The peak of prominence for liberal Jews in the U.S. has passed. American Jews are increasingly leaning more conservative due to their religious faith. Think of Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro or “Libs of TikTok” creator Chaya Raichik, both of whom are Orthodox Jews.
Why? Liberal Jews are much more likely to intermarry and, therefore, not have Jewish-identifying children. In the past decade, 72 percent of non-Orthodox Jews who married said they were intermarried. Meanwhile, Orthodox Jewish communities are simply outgrowing non-Orthodox ones. On average, the non-Orthodox have 1.7 children compared to Orthodox Jews’ 4.1.
Example: In the 1990s, half of Congress members in New York City were Jews. Today, only one Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler remains. Over 70 percent of Jewish children in the city were Orthodox by 2012.
Why it matters: While Orthodox Jews represent about one-tenth of America’s Jewish community, they will soon become the majority. And while liberal or secular Jews have long voted Democrat, Orthodox Jewry is different, with over 80 percent supporting former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
Zoom out: A similar thing is happening in Israel. An ultra-Orthodox group of Jews comprises 13.5 percent of Israel’s population today and will likely rise to 16 percent by 2030. This is why secular, leftist Israelis have been panicking this year over efforts to reform the Supreme Court, which they see as the last refuge for maintaining power against changing demographics.
