Posted by
J-GOP on Friday, January 18, 2008 4:25:03 PM
As with the primaries and caucuses that came before it, Nevada's primary scheduled for this Saturday is sure to be as much of a nail-biter for the Republicans as it is for the Democrats. But with states jockeying for front-runner status and presidential candidates vying for every last vote, contenders from both parties can almost certainly write off one entire constituency as a result of the decision to hold Nevada's caucus on Saturday: the state’s Orthodox and Conservative Jews.
The scheduling of the Nevada caucuses for Saturday, January 19, in the late-morning hours means that Orthodox and Conservative Jews who observe the Sabbath on Saturdays will be unable to participate in what is shaping up to be a pivotal contest. Unfortunately, by the time that Jewish organizations learned about the scheduled date and cried “foul”, it was too late to change the impending caucus time.
According to an article that appeared in The Forward, both Conservative and Orthodox Jews are raising last-minute vocal opposition:
“The issue is the number of people who have to decide whether to participate in the democratic process or participate in their religious observance,” said Hadar Susskind, Washington director for an umbrella organization of national Jewish groups, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. “They shouldn’t be forced to do that.”
While previous election years, including 2004, saw Nevada primaries held on a Saturday, it wasn’t until the current caucus that religious groups raised eyebrows. In past cycles, Nevada’s placement as one of the last presidential primary states rendered its outcome unimportant, but with Nevada this year holding the coveted third spot in the contest lineup, a new spotlight is being trained on the Silver State. And with the leading Democratic candidates locked in a neck-and-neck three-way race there — and no clear front-runner having emerged from Iowa and New Hampshire — a few thousand votes could make or break the election result, say opponents of the Saturday morning timeslot.
What's the impact? According to Rabbi Shea Harlig, regional director of Chabad of Southern Nevada, estimated that Nevada is home to some 200 Orthodox families, and to nearly 1,500 families affiliated with Conservative synagogues. The state counts eight Orthodox congregations in total, with seven in Las Vegas and one further north, in Reno.
The decision has a greater impact on Republican than Democratic turnout since non-observing secular Jews that plan on voting during the Sabbath are more aligned with the Democratic party than the Republican party, which has been traditionally home to observant Orthodox and Conservative Jews.