At the Republican gathering in the heart of the United States' largest Jewish community, party strategists are trying to chip away at the long-standing support by American Jews of the Democratic Party. President George Bush had won only a fifth of the Jewish vote in 2000. But Republicans believe Bush's defense of Israel and his stand against terrorism have given them an excellent chance to attract more Jewish support this year. In a tight race, Republicans believe even a small shift of the Jewish vote in closely contested states could help them win the election. Since 2000, the Republican Jewish Coalition has opened regional offices in the swing states of Pennsylvania and Florida, along with new offices in New York and Southern California.
On the eve of the convention, his Democratic challenger John Kerry published an op-ed in "Forward", a Jewish newspaper based in New York, promising that "as president, I will never pressure Israel to make concessions that will compromise its security." The Bush-Cheney campaign held a special briefing this week for Orthodox Jews, a target for Republicans because of the community's conservative positions on social issues such as gay marriage. Esther Jungreis, a Holocaust survivor and wife of an Orthodox rabbi, was invited to give the Convention's benediction on Tuesday.
