On the eve of the first Republican primaries, Jewish Response appeals to frontrunner Mitt Romney not to attempt to leverage the Jewish vote by expressing unconditional support of Israel. Such an approach may gain him a few extremist votes, but the majority of Jews, especially the traditional observant, feel that this would misrepresent them and even endanger them.

It is well known that the prime argument of anti-Semitic groups today is that Jews harbor dual loyalty and, in fact, use their powerful lobby to force America into supporting Israel, even when it isn't in America's best interest. When politicians speak constantly of their support for Israel during an election campaign, it simply plays into the hands of these anti-Semites.

The fact of the matter is that 67% of Jews voted for President Obama in 2008, despite his relatively even-handed approach to Israel and the Palestinians. Furthermore, more than half of American Jews 35 years old and under feel uncomfortable with the very idea of a Jewish state. And among traditionally Orthodox Jews, a large percentage believe that the existence of a Jewish state in our time is a serious sin against Judaism.

Therefore, it is wholly inaccurate to portray Jews as being monolithically pro-Israel, as the media unfortunately does quite often. And we at Jewish Response fear that if Mr. Romney and others continue to run on a pro-Israel platform, it will reinforce that stereotype, adding fuel to the fire of anti-Semitism.

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