Why do a lot of Jewish people support communism?

[JeffM]

One of my best fiends is Jewish....and he is also a left-wing extremist. He has told me several times that he supports the communist philosophy, which I found appalling, but hey, it's his life.

He also told me that Karl Marx was Jewish, as was Lenin and most Jewish people in America support left-wing (communist) ideals. When he said this, it all started to click. Most of the people in Hollywood during the communist hearings were Jewish. Most of the politicians who are extreme left-wingers are Jewish (Schumer, Feinstein, Boxer, Waxman etc) as are the Hollywood elite (Streisand, Rob Reiner, Spielberg etc).

We've been friends a long time, and I hope that my friendship will one day lead him him to Christ. He knows I support Israel and the Jewish people, so there is no problem there.

I used to tolerate his political views, but more and more I find myself avoiding him altogether now, because he seems obsessed. I still want to witness to him, but it it getting harder and harder.

I am no way anti-semetic, but I found his take on this interesting. I asked him why this is so and he didn't have an answer.

I believe that communism is evil, but I don't think the Jewish people are evil, just lacking in the Holy Spirit. Could it be the unsaved Jewish people are being manipulated by demons, and even moreso because they are Gods people?

Also, keep in mind that my friend might be completely wrong. I open this up for a healthy debate and hopefully, if he is wrong, I can tell him.

Also, please pray for him. His name is Mike.

 

[Joseph_Botwinick]

Hello,

I am of Jewish ancestry and I despise Communism. Rabbi Daniel Lapin is an Orthodox Rabbi and despises Communism. See his website at www.towardtradition.org

Rabbi Kuschner spoke today in honor of a man who brought down the evil empire and destroyed communism in the Soviet Union and Europe.

Israel is not a Communist state. They are a Democracy. Probably the closest to what we have here in America anywhere in the world.

As to why some Jewish people support communism, I would say it is probably the same reason non-Jewish people support it: Because of sin. We are all evil in one way or the other. The only difference is that God has saved us.

To be completely honest with you, I don't think you are anti-semitic. I do think that this is one of the arguments that Hitler used to demonize the Jewsih people. I guess that I would just like to caution you to not single out Jewish people as Commies. There are many Jewish people who love America, love freedom, and who depise Communism. I have several Jewish friends that would attest to this.

Joseph Botwinick

 

[JeffM]

Thanks for the reply Joseph, and of course, I agree with your comments.

I just wondered why my friend would make such a statement. I am beginning to wonder if he is trying to justify his beliefs (or maybe he is starting to question them?).

I didn't want to make my original post sound like ALL Jewish people support communism, which I know is very, very far from the truth, so sorry if it sounded that way. I had never even thought about this until my Jewish friend brought it up, and he seemed so matter of fact about it, it made me curious, that all.

I do think you nailed it Joseph. People who are unsaved seemed to lean towards liberalism (off-shoot of communism). It doesn't matter who you are, or where you come from, just as those who are saved will tend to be conservative.

And again, please pray for him that he accepts his Lord and Savior.

 

[rsr]

Much of the disproportiate representative of individuals of Jewish heritage (from both secular and religious backgrounds) is rooted in history.

For centuries, Jews were persecuted in major ways (progroms) or smaller ways (prohibited from certain occupations, denied rights, restricted to specific geographic areas). The only reliable way (and that didn't always work) to escape such discrimination was to convert to Christianity.

In the 19th century, the only political parties that espoused Jewish emancipation were leftist ones, so it's only natural that's where many Jews would gravitate. More lately, there was the example of the Nazis, which led them to equate the Right with ant-Semitism.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Much of Israel's Moshavim and Kibbutzim are built on socialistic principles. Would not ever confuse that with communism.

 

[Ben W]

Communism and Capatalism are as bad as each other. Both models end up with a group of people that have wealth and a group of people that have nothing at all.

 

[Dallaeus]

Bob wrote:

Much of Israel's Moshavim and Kibbutzim are built on socialistic principles. Would not ever confuse that with communism

Very good point, not to be missed. Most Jews here in Europe tend to be Left-oriented (like most American Jews), but it doesn't mean they're "Communists".
Now, if I had been a Russian Jew under the Czars, I would probably have alienated to the "Christian" society and try to build something else.
Even in democracies like France things like this happened: the Jews and the Protestants naturally joined the Left when confronted to the (Catholic) Right, its Anti-semitism and its oppostion to religiuos freedom (and all kinds of freedom by the way). This "strategic alliance" made total sense and still exists today, even though things have changed a lot since then.

Thomas

PS: Marx was anti-semitic, as were many early Socialist leaders (that linked Jews to Capiatlism)
PSS: many European Socialists (until the 60's) truly believed that the Israeli Kibbutz would become a model of Socialist society (neither Communist nor Capitalistic).

 

[Sularis]

JeffM - just a quick lesson - passed on from every single Law and Philosophy profs

Communism is NOT a political system
it is an ECONOMIC system

It is not evil in and of itself - it is when it is hooked up to systems that are abused - after all dictatorships arent evil - We in the church are part of a dictatorship - in that our head is God. Democracy isnt evil but itself still contains the seeds of oppression within it. Which can be activated in the name of security, or patriotism