Ruling class Jews and others stories

[David Walters <dwalters@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Despite my profound respect for Lenni Brenner, I have issues with this
issue. That rich Jews contribute disproportionally to the Democratic
Party and represent the richest ethnic group in the US is, for me, of
passing interest...partly because I don't agree with Lenni, and others,
that this has any *exceptional* influence on either the ruling class
generally or the Democratic and Republican Parties specifically, with
regards to Israel. Jews, as anyone, are loyal to the class they are
members of (unless they are class traitors). Rich Jews, as a
subordinate sector of the ruling class are loyal to imperialism and
working class Jews are loyal to workers...like anyone else.

The thesis is that the tendency of Jews, being in their majority
pro-Israel, and that influential Jews specifically, can then decide
policy, that, under other circumstances, would somehow be different. I
find this false from top to bottom.

The "Jews/Trotskyites" of the Pentagon fame, may of steered to a very
minor degree this or that tactical aspect of imperialism, but they did
so out of loyalty to military-imperialism, not a conspiracy to *protect
Israel*. There is no doubt that had the Pentagon specifically and the
capitalist class in general for some reason turn against Israel,
pro-Israeli Jews would be aghast and/or fight against such change, but
it's more that the polities dove-tail than right-wing Jews actually
setting policy.
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There is no Jewish ruling class...there are only ruling class Jews. Big
difference IMHO. I think the guy interviewed by Lenni that shows how
capitalism is a success story for Jews is correct...all things
considered, it has been. That I'm a working class, blue-collar Jews
probably puts me in about the lowest 10% of Jews in the US today (not
including elderly retired Jews who, until about 1975, constituted the
BIGGEST poverty group in New York City, behind Blacks, ahead of Puerto
Ricans). My parents generation of the 30s and 40s, Jews were
overwhelmingly blue-collar working class folks. Congats...Jews became
"white". I think none of this proves that Jews, even ruling class Jews,
have an agenda different from other sectors of US society or the class
they are members of. This is central to Lenni's thesis, I believe and I
believe he's wrong.
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"Zionism" "pro-Zionism" "pro-Israel"?????

This is an interesting subject. We've never decided what this means.
Generally, I consider, at least in the vernacular, anyone who is more
than *passively* pro-Israel. That is, someone who has something of an
ideological understanding and believe in the *need* for a Jewish State
in occupied Palestine. In my experience among Jews (and not just my
relatives) is that the overwhelmingly majority of US Jews are at least
"pro-Zionist", that is they all, for the most part, defend the right of
Israel to exist. Maybe if some of you exited the progressive Jewish
communities and milieus of the Upper West Side and wondered into,
Greatneck, Queens and Brooklyn you'd know what I'm talking about. Most
Jews in the US are pro-Zionist, no question about it. Where this "10%"
nonsense comes from, I don't got a clue. There are many Jews that are
*simply* pro-Israel in that they believe it's "OK" and it's a
"democracy" and in this regard are no different than other Americans
who hold similar beliefs, that is, a passive pro-Israeli viewpoint but
even these are a minority of American Jews in my viewpoint.

David Walters


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