Jewish conservatism is political and social

conservatism Conservatism is a Philosophy of culture, cultural, Social philosophy, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, Convention (norm), customs, and Value (ethics and social science ...

rooted in or inspired by

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

and specifically Jewish concerns. In a 2015 essay for ''

Mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

'', Eric Cohen identified three planks of Jewish conservatism: Jewish ideas about

traditional family A nuclear family (also known as an elementary family, atomic family, or conjugal family) is a term for a family group consisting of parents and their children (one or more), typically living in one home residence. It is in contrast to a singl ...

, hawkish foreign policy, and

economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism ...

Neoconservatism Neoconservatism (colloquially neocon) is a political movement which began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist Democratic Party along with the growing New Left and ...

is an American political movement that formed in opposition to the

New Left The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...

. Many American Jewish conservatives either identify personally or have been categorized as Neoconservative; though the term in general post-Bush Administration has taken on a negative connotation (Neocon or Neo-Con is usually derogatory) and will nowadays find few American conservatives actually espousing to be Neoconservative. Many Neoconservatives were Jewish liberals displeased with leftist

anti-Zionism Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the Palestine (region) ...

. Some Jewish conservatives in the west, especially those in the United States, ally themselves with conservative Christians under the perception of shared "Judeo-Christian values". Prominent Jewish conservatives in the United States include

Ben Shapiro Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator, media host, and attorney. He writes columns for Creators Syndicate, ''Newsweek'', and ''Ami Magazine'', an ...

Dennis Prager Dennis Mark Prager (; born August 2, 1948) is an American conservative radio talk show host and writer. He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show ''The Dennis Prager Show''. In 2009, he co-founded PragerU, which primarily cre ...

Lee Zeldin Lee Michael Zeldin (born January 30, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and officer in the United States Army Reserve who has been serving as the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 29, 2025. A m ...

, Laura Loomer, and Chaya Raichik, who operates

Libs of TikTok Libs of TikTok is a handle for various far-right and anti-LGBT social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik ( ), a former real estate agent. Raichik uses the accounts to repost content created by left-wing and LGBT people on TikTok or othe ...

. In the context of Classical Conservatism, proeminent Jews include Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi,

Horace Günzburg Horace Osipovich (Naftali-Gerts) Günzburg (; 8 February 1833 – 2 March 1909), 2nd Baron Günzburg, was a Russian philanthropist. Rise to prominence He was born in Zvenigorodka. Günzburg received his education at home in Zvenigorodka. After ...

Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as HaRav Kook, and also known by the Hebrew-language acronym Hara'ayah (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. H ...

, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, and Jo Benkow.

References

Social conservatism Judaism and politics Right-wing politics {{Politics-stub

See also

References