Are Canadian Jews significantly different from American Jews, or does Harper's success among them represent something that could be replicated among US Republicans?
We already are seeing a shift among more conservative Jews, although many of them already were supporting the Republicans. I do think Jews are one of the few American groups whose children tend to be more conservative than their parents. Most Jews in my generation born in the 80s and 90s were raised in affluence and tend to be less faithful to the Democrats, taxes, etc. Also there is a growing divide in the Jewish community between more liberal folks who care more about broader domestic issues and those who place Zionism as their most fundamental issue. Many Jews even those who would otherwise be liberal on every issue from health care to gay marriage are still stuck on the issue of Zionism and don't see the current Democratic party as very supportive of Israel.
But I don't think America is anywhere close to where Canada is right now with demographic shifts. The Republicans still have succeeded despite alienating minority voters and probably will continue to do so for a long time. Look at California a state where minorities hold strong voting power and still the Democrats dominate among nearly every group. Jews here are much more embedded with the Democratic Party and unlike the Liberal Party of Canada, there are no replacement parties in the horizon to cut apart the vote and encourage Jews and other minorities to flee the Democratic Party. As long as the Republicans are so tightly associated with the Christian Right, they will not be given the Jewish vote outside of the Orthodox. However this upcoming election could change things as we have already witnessed a decline in 2008, and it looks like the GOP is steering itself away from their religious right convictions.
If it took this long for liberal Canada to see this shift, it will take several decades, or radical changes in the party system in the US for Jews to start changing their votes.
