The growth of a Jewish conservative movement began in the 1930s among a small group of intellectuals who broke with Communism and Stalinism. It expanded during the Cold War among a number of thinkers and activists who began to challenge not only Soviet expansionism but the welfare state as well . In the 1970s and 1980s this group of primarily New York intellectuals gained wider attention and played a significant role in the Reagan administration. They have helped to develop a body of conservative political thought and action that has contributed to the ascendancy of the political conservatism of recent years. The importance of tracing the historical development of American Jewish political conservatism lies in the need to recapture this often ignored and important part of the American Jewish experience.
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This program is funded by The Lynne and Harry Bradley Foundation.