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Jews Lose 38 Percent of Senate and Congressional Representation in Half Decade Since 2009

[additional-authors]
January 8, 2015

While religous profession is almost a requirement for declaring national-level political candidacy in the U.S., the fastest growing religion preference, NO RELIGION is still the most under-represented in Congress.  Jews of NO RELIGION is the fastest growing segment of the Jewish community and perhaps it would be well if Jewish political trackers started paying attention to this segment of the Jewish community.  The only declared religiously unaffiliated Congress member is Kyrsten Sinema who was raised Mormon and not particularly seen as friendly to Israel. 

If Jews by No Religion, who are about an estimated fifth (22 percent) of the identified Jewish community, were voted into Congress, then they would be much more similar to congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema than the currently religiously identified Jewish congressional representatives in terms of their emotional attachment to Israel.  

The 2013 Pew Jewish American Survey found that a quarter (23 percent) of Jews by religion described themselves as not very emotionally attached or not at all attached to Israel and over half (55 percent) of Jews of No Religion described themselves as not very emotionally attached or not at all attached to Israel.

No Religion is the burgeoning American public currently very under-represented in American national political institutions.  It would only be natural that Jews of no religion with political aspirations may catch this new political train barreling down in the distant horizon.

 

 

 

Changed in the Religious Makeup of Congress (1961-2015)

 

How the 114th Congress Compares With the 113th Congress

 

 

 

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