American Jews were considered to be a reliable Democratic voting bloc for nearly a century.However, in recent years, some have started questioning whether the political party they long supported still has room for them.In an interview with Fox News Digital discussing her new book, "The Jews and the Left," political commentator and author Batya Ungar-Sargon argued that the relationship between American Jews and the political left was shaped by specific historical moments, rather than being an inherent feature of Jewish identity."The question I think I get asked the most when I travel by non-Jews is people will look at me and with real pain in their eyes, they will say to me, 'But why are the Jews Democrats?' And this wasn't always the case," Ungar-Sargon said.FETTERMAN WARNS DEMOCRATS MUST CONFRONT ‘RISING ANTISEMITISM PROBLEM’ AFTER CLASHES OUTSIDE NYC SYNAGOGUESBatya Ungar-Sargon told Fox News Digital that while American Jews have been associated with the Democratic Party in modern times, that has not always been true.
(Fox News Digital)"This has been true for about a hundred years — Jews have overwhelmingly voted for Democrats — but before that, there was this very rich 250-year history of American Jewish life that was not Democrat, it was not left, it was not necessarily identified with that side of the political spectrum."She said that while many Jews now see themselves as members of an immigrant community or oppressed minority, their perception is not necessarily a reflection of reality.Ungar-Sargon pointed out that Jews were viewed as "founding partners" of the U.S.
and that they represented many of the values that the country was built on, namely religious liberty.As more Jewish immigrants came to the U.S., many went into the garment trade because they weren't usually required to speak English, Ungar-Sargon said.However, many of these immigrant workers would be exploited by their bosses, who were often also Jewish immigrants who had been in the cou...