Why More American Jews Should Embrace Libertarianism

INTRODUCTION

The Jewish religion stresses the value of individual free will and the choices that come along with it. This fact prompted President Calvin Coolidge to state, in 1926 to the Jewish community, that the participation of the Jews in the Revolutionary War contributed to "the Jewish faith [being] predominantly the faith of liberty." When Jews celebrate Passover each year, we celebrate liberation from slavery in Egypt. It is a holiday about the celebration of individual liberty.

Judaism entrusts consequences as our master teacher. In the diaspora, Jews realized that they would have to be constantly on the move as a result of virulent anti-Semitism that seemed to poison much of Europe and the Middle East for most of history. As a result, Jewish families traveled from country to country seeking the freedom to practice their faith. This resulted in a lack of trust of their own governments and tremendous self-sufficiency. This independence has kept Jewish communities alive for centuries.

It is no accident that the founders of Western liberties and free-market capitalism were generally either Jewish or quoted Jewish scriptures approvingly. The Jewish ideal is capitalism (liberty) tempered by charity and sympathy.

THE MIRACLE OF THE MODERN JEW

Independence and self-sufficiency have kept Jewish communities alive for centuries. As libertarians, we recognize that Israel, the only Jewish-majority nation, has a right to exist and thrive like any other country. We live in an era in which the Jewish people, having suffered a catastrophic national defeat greater even than the one recorded in the book of Lamentations, went on to write a chapter of its history at least as remarkable as any in its sacred canon.

In a single decade — bereft of 1/3 of their number, and without the obvious aid of divine intervention — Jews redefined “miracle" as something that could be enacted through human effort. Over the past seven decades, the vitality and civilizing restraint of the Jewish way of life, honed in almost 2,000 years of exile, have been made manifest in the regained conditions of a thriving Jewish polity — one that simultaneously has been under relentless and, lately, spiraling pressure from all sides.

Israel transformed from the historic home of the Jewish people — who have lived on that land for 4,000 years ("Jew" comes from "Judea") — to the modern Jewish homeland in 1948.

ANTISEMITISM IN THE LIBERTARIAN MOVEMENT

We believe that more Jews should embrace the philosophy of: small/limited/constitutional government and vibrant protections of our individual liberties. That said, there has been an alarming trend in the libertarian movement in the last 15 years: A resurgence of antisemitism ushered in by Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, and Thomas Woods. The below articles explain the problem and the solution for libertarians --

• Documenting Anti-Semitism in the Libertarian Movement
• Ron Paul, anti-Jewish Propagandist
• Murray Rothbard's Anti-Semitism Exposed
• Understanding the Neturei Karta, Religious Anti-Zionists
• Cato Institute's Anti-Jewish Propaganda Exposed
• What's so enticing about "liberty" to anti-Israel activists?
• Why Have "Libertarians" Aligned with Russia Today?
• Petition to the Libertarian Party to Stop Anti-Semitic Activity
• Libertarian Party Supports Islamic Terrorists
• Shocking Revelation: Reason Magazine's Holocaust Denial
• Anti-state or pro-liberty? Some thoughts on Israel

WHY LIBERTARIANS SHOULD SUPPORT ISRAEL

- Israel's Borders in International Law (video) by Eugene Kontorovich
- Israel is the Middle East's only free nation
- Land Ownership in Palestine, 1880-1948
- The Legal Status of the State of Israel by Walter Block, et. al.

NOTABLE JEWISH LIBERTARIANS

Historic Jewish Libertarians

* Dr. Gary Becker, 1930-2014 (Professor of Economics, University of Chicago; Nobel Prize winner)
* Max Beloff, 1913-1999 (British historian)
* Alan Bock, 1944-2011 (author; editorialist, Orange County Register)
* Barbara Branden (author; philosopher; lecturer)
* Dr. Nathaniel Branden (author; psychotherapist; psychologist; philosopher)
* Andrew Breitbart, 1969-2012 (founder, Breitbart.com)
* David Brudnoy, 1940-2004 (talk radio host; TV commentator; author)
* Ralph de Toledano, 1916-2007 (former editor, The New Leader)
* Aaron Director, 1901-2004 (former Professor of Economics, University of Chicago)
* Arthur Finkelstein, 1935-2017 (political consultant)
* Elizabeth Fox-Genovese , 1941-2007 (historian)
* Lanny Friedlander, 1947-2011 (founder, Reason Magazine)
* Milton Friedman, 1912-2006 (author; philosopher; economist)
* Doris Gordon (founder, Libertarians for Life)
* Dr. Ronald Hamowy, 1937-2012 (former professor of History)
* Irv Homer, 1924-2009 (talk radio host)
* Ze'ev Vladimir Jabotinsky, 1880-1940 (founder, Betar Zionist Group)
* Rabbi Israel Kirzner (economist; author)
* Ludwig Lachmann, 1906-1990 (economist)
* Geddy Lee (legendary musician; lead vocalist, Rush)
* Tonie Nathan (1972 Libertarian Party Vice-Presidential candidate; Electoral vote record holder)
* Robert Nozick, 1938-2002 (author; philosopher; economist)
* Grace Paley (poet; author; activist)
* Leonard Peikoff (Ayn Rand heir)
* Dyanne Petersen (former Senior Editor, Laissez Faire Books)
* Ayn Rand, 1905-1982 (author; philosopher)
* David Ricardo, 1772-1823 (economist)
* Amy Moritz Ridenour, 1959-2017 (conservative policy organizer)
* Joan Rivers (comedian)
* Irv Rubin, 1945-2002 (former Chairman, Jewish Defense League)
* Aaron Russo, 1943-2007 (2004 Libertarian Presidential contender; Hollywood producer)
* Anna Jacobson Schwartz, 1915-2012 (economist)
* Arthur Seldon, 1916-2005 (former President, Institute of Economic Affairs)
* Bernard Siegan, 1924-2006 (judicial analyst and law professor)
* Julian Simon, 1932-1998 (economist)
* Dr. Rita J. Simon, 1931-2013 (former Professor, American University)
* Dr. Irwin Savodnik, 1941-2021 (former Professor of Psychiatry, USC)
* Hon. Samuel Steiger, 1929-2012 (U.S. Congressman, 1967-1977)
* Vin Suprynowicz (former syndicated columnist; author)
* Dr. Arnold Trebach (former Professor of Justice, American University)
* Aaron B. Wildavsky, 1930-1993 (author; professor of Political Science)
* Ludwig Von Mises, 1881-1973 (economist; Nobel Prize winner)
* Aaron Zelman, 1945-2010 (Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership)

Notable Jewish Libertarians

* Barbara Amiel (Editor, The Spectator of the UK)
* Cliff Asness (financial analyst)
* Randy E. Barnett, J.D. (author; Professor of Law, Georgetown University)
* Dr. Michael S. Berliner (Ayn Rand Institute)
* Dr. Andrew Bernstein (author; philosopher; objectivist)
* B. Daniel Blatt, J.D. (attorney; screenplay writer)
* Dr. Reuven Brenner (Professor of Economics, McGill University)
* Kevin Brook (author)
* Dr. Yaron Brook (President, Ayn Rand Institute)
* Steve Buckstein (Policy Analyst, Cascade Policy Institute)
* Bob Burg (author; persuasion expert; public speaker)
* Dr. Andrew I. Cohen (Professor of Philosophy, Georgia State University)
* Dr. David Deutsch (author; award-winning physicist; quantum computation pioneer)
* David Draiman (lead singer, Disturbed)
* Dr. Daniel Drezner (Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago)
* Annie Duke (champion poker player)
* Nathalie Elgrably-Levy (economist)
* Larry Ellison (technology guru)
* Dr. Richard A. Epstein (Professor of Law, University of Chicago)
* Moshe Feiglin (former member of Knesset, Israel)
* Rachel Feinstein (artist/sculpturist)
* Ilana Freedman (national security expert)
* Dr. David Friedman (economist; author)
* Patri Friedman (blogger; grandson of Milton Friedman)
* Judith Simon Garrett, J.D. (Asst. General Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice Prisons Bureau)
* Douglas H. Ginsberg, J.D. (U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for Washington, DC)
* Dr. Mimi Reisel Gladstein (author, Feminist Interpretations of Ayn Rand)
* Dr. Shawn Elke Glazer (physician)
* Rich Goldman (Board member, Free State Project)
* David Gold (retired talk radio host, KWRD - Dallas, TX)
* Abba Gordin (Nazi resistance fighter/Jewish partisan)
* Alan Gottlieb (founder, Second Amendment Foundation)
* Rep. Daniel Greenberg (former Republican State Representative from Arkansas)
* Jonathan Greenberg (former Vice President, Illinois Policy Institute)
* Dr. Joel Grus (Professor of Social Science, California Institute of Technology)
* Dr. Leon T. Hadar (Professor; columnist; fellow, Cato Institute)
* Dr. Abraham Halpern (psychiatrist; former President; American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law)
* David Harsanyi (columnist, Denver Post)
* Gitel Sarah Hesselberg (Administrator, Yeshiva Migdal Torah)
* Jonathan Hoenig (hedge fund manager)
* Dr. Irving Louis Horowitz (author; sociologist; Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University)
* Elias Israel (former Chairman, Libertarian Party of Massachusetts)
* Jeff Jacoby (columnist, The Boston Globe)
* Myles B. Kantor (columnist; Editor, Pureplay Press)
* Chaim Karczag (former policy analyst, National Council on Teacher Quality)
* Dan Karlan (former Libertarian National Committee member)
* Jeff Katz (radio host)
* Sam Kazman, J.D. (General Counsel, Competitive Enterprise Institute)
* Manuel S. Klausner, J.D. (co-founder, The Reason Foundation)
* Dr. Judith S. Kleinfeld (author & Professor of Psychology, University of Alaska-Fairbanks)
* Rikki Klieman (former Court TV anchor)
* Dr. Arnold Kling (Professor of Economics, George Mason University)
* Dr. Alan Charles Kors (Professor of History, Univ. of Pennsylvania)
* Richard Kostelanetz (artist, author, and tax resister)
* Hon. Alex Kozinski, J.D. (U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for the Ninth Circuit)
* Edith Kurzweil (Editor, The Partisan Review; Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University)
* Ray Kurzweil (technology guru)
* Dave Landau (comedian)
* Frayda Levin (Board of Directors, Club for Growth)
* Dr. Michael Levin (Professor of Philosophy, City College of New York)
* Andy Levy (comedian; former co-host, "Red Eye")
* Dr. Murray Levy (Professor of Business, Glendale Community College)
* Dr. Robert A. Levy (Senior Fellow, the Cato Institute; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University)
* Aaron Lewis (singer, Staind)
* Marvin Liebman (activist)
* Daniel Loeb (hedge fund manager; founder, Third Point LLC)
* Dr. Loren Lomasky (Professor of Philosophy, University of Virginia)
* Dr. Nancy Lord, J.D. (1992 Libertarian Party Vice-Presidential candidate)
* Dr. Zvi Lothane (author; Professor of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine)
* Donald Luskin (Chief Investment Officer, Trend Macrolytics)
* Dr. Eric Mack (Professor of Philosophy, Tulane University)
* Andre Marrou (1992 Libertarian Party Presidential candidate; former Alaska State Representative)
* Jackie Mason (comedian)
* Jonathan Medved (Israeli entrepreneur)
* Mark Melnick, J.D. (attorney)
* Adam Mosoff (Associate Professor of Law, George Mason University)
* Carol Newman, J.D. (attorney)
* Dr. Amy Peikoff (Visiting Fellow, Chapman University)
* Samuel Peltzman (Professor of Business, University of Chicago)
* Steven Pinker (Psychologist; Professor)
* Dave Portnoy (comedian)
* Dr. Richard A. Posner (U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge; Professor of Law, University of Chicago)
* Burt Prelutsky (columnist; author; political pundit; humorist)
* Hon. Ira J. Raab, J.D., ret. (former New York State Supreme Court Justice)
* Jason Reitman (Hollywood film producer)
* Howard S. Rich (founder, U.S. Term Limits)
* Russ Roberts (economist)
* Joe Rogan (comedian)
* Chris Robinson (musician; founder, Black Crowes)
* Arthur Rubin (mathematician)
* Dr. Paul H. Rubin (Professor of Law & Economics, Emory University)
* Ryan Sager (Editor, Wall Street Journal)
* Dr. Jeffrey Satinover (psychiatrist; author; Professor of Social Science, Princeton University)
* Dr. Jeffrey Schaler (author; psychiatrist; former Professor of Justice, Law & Society, American University)
* Ben Scherrey (former Chair, Libertarian Party of Georgia)
* Peter Schiff (economist)
* Carol Schwartz (former member, DC City Council)
* Peter Schwartz (objectivist author)
* Kay A. Schwarzberg, J.D. (attorney; lecturer; author)
* Bill Schulz (comedian)
* Norma Segal (1994 Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate in NY; set a record by receiving over 100,000 votes)
* Ilya Shapiro (Vice Presidemt, Cato Institute)
* Gene Simmons (musician)
* Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer (Director, Maricopa County Medical Society)
* Gregory Siskind (immigration attorney)
* Dr. Daniel Shapiro (Professor of Philosophy, West Virginia University)
* Dr. Aeon J. Skoble (Professor of Philosophy, Bridgewater State College)
* Dr. Joel B. Slemrod (Professor of Economics, University of Michigan)
* Russell S. Sobel (Professor of Economics, West Virginia University)
* Christina Hoff Sommers (author; Senior Fellow, AEI; Adjunct Professor)
* Ilya Somin, J.D. (Professor of Law, George Mason University)
* Marni Soupcoff, J.D. (columnist; attorney)
* Aaron Starr (former Libertarian National Committee member)
* Jeff Steinport (former member, Grand Rapids, Michigan School Board)
* Howard Stern (television personality)
* Dr. Alan Stockman (Professor of Economics, University of Rochester)
* John Stossel (journalist)
* Jacob Sullum (Senior Editor, Reason Magazine)
* Dr. Abigail Thernstrom (former member, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights)
* Eugene Volokh, J.D. (Professor of Law, UCLA; blogger)
* Sandi Webb (former member, Moreno Valley, California City Council)
* Jeff Weinstein ("Good Morning Maine" radio host, WLOB - Portland, ME)
* Dan Wiener (former Libertarian National Committee member)
* Jarret Wollstein (co-founder, International Society for Individual Liberty)
* Dr. Sandor J. Woren (osteopathic physician)
* Dick Zimmer (former member, U.S. House of Representatives)

RELATED LINKS

- Right of Center Jewish Organizations
- Jews for Liberty on Facebook
- Libertarians for Israel on Facebook

RELATED ARTICLES

- Why are American Jews affiliated with the Democratic Party? (Short answer)
- Why Are So Many American Jews Democrats? (Long answer)
- Milton Friedman on Jewish Support for Socialism
- Anti-Semitism: Thrust and Counterthrust
- Big, bad Israel?
- Blame the Jews
- Confront the Axis of Anti-Semitism
- Foaming at the mouth over Israel
- Federal liberty and the Jewish religious tradition
- In Defense of Irv Rubin
- Is Jim Moran an Amalekite?
- It's Tea Time for Some Jews
- Judaism and Religious Liberty
- Kosher Cops: Gov't Enforcement of Kosher Law?
- Libertarians Remember Sobibor
- Libertarians Remember Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
- Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness: Is it good for the Jews?
- Making Sense of Jewish Stereotypes
- Man of Steele: Anti-Semitic Pollution
- Nature of the Jewish State
- New Exodus
- Self-Censoring Jews
- Sex, Drugs, Jews, and Rock 'n' Roll
- Synagogue and State

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