The Republican Jewish Coalition held its annual convention last week in Las Vegas. Nothing unusual, right? Wrong. The convention was held Nov. 5-7, with many speakers and sessions on Friday night and Shabbat.
What?We thought the days of hosting Jewish events so as to exclude a significant Jewish community were long past us. Among ColoradoJewry, non-Shabbat and kosher events are the norm, and the policy of community bodies like JEWISHcolorado. It’s inclusive.
RJC’s Shabbat meeting is especially strange considering that growth among Jewish Republicans has occured strongly among Orthodox Jews. Indeed, polls ahead of the 2020 presidential elections showed that a majority of Orthodox Jews planned to vote for Trump, whereas a majority of Jews overall planned to vote for Biden. According to exit polls, these predictions proved correct.
It is not especially inviting for an organization to hold its annual event in a way that excludes a significant portion of its community. It’s also foolish.
Jewish groups across the US have expanded their audiences, reaching across streams and finding common ground. It’s a sad day when one group chooses to narrow, not broaden, its audience.
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