Ethnic and religious group politics in the United States: The case of the American Jewish Committee, 1982-1987

This is a case study of the American Jewish Committee. It set out to apply some standard political science theories on interest group politics to the behavior of the Committee. This study also examined the political and intellectual context in which the American Jewish Committee found itself in the 1980s and what, if any, impact the neoconservative movement had on the Committee and the organized Jewish community.;Four major findings emerged from this research: (1) American Jews continue to be liberal politically, but the conception of liberalism to which they are attached is somewhat narrower, more particularistic and moderate than before. As the Jewish community moved in a somewhat more conservative direction, the American Jewish Committee did not adequately adjust to this change. (2) Even well-established religious organizations like the Committee must be continually attentive to organizational maintenance needs or else they will experience institutional problems. (3) The American Jewish Committee's leadership selection and policy-making processes are undemocratic, but the decisions the agency reaches tend to be representative of its members. (4) The Committee has been a powerful force based largely on its ability to gain access to political elites, but because of internal problems and greater competition from other groups in the Jewish community, the agency lost some of its influence in the 1980s.;In sum, in terms of the American Jewish Committee's maintenance needs, method of governance, political strategies and tactics, and effectiveness in the political arena, the Committee is similar to other major interest groups in the United States. The major difference, however, is that the American Jewish Committee's future existence depends upon American Jews continuing to identify as Jews. All interest groups must rely upon the continued support and participation of their members, but the Committee's long-term survival is contingent upon its members maintaining an even more fundamental level of identification. This is a subject that has not received much attention in the literature. Yet much more work needs to be done in this area in order for political scientists to have a fuller understanding of the behavior of religious groups.