Publication Date

March 2001

Journal or Book Title

A Comparative Study of Multiculturalism and Assimilation in Canada, the US, and Australia

Abstract

This brief essay is written at the time of the end of the American election of November 2000. From the perspective of the history Jews in the United States one of the significant aspects of this election has been that for the first time in history there has been a Jewish candidate on the ballot. Joseph Lieberman, the Senator from Connecticut, has been the candidate of the Democratic Party for Vice-President. Not only is Joseph Lieberman of Jewish background but also, more remarkably, he is a practicing Orthodox Jew. At the same time, in this very close and contested election, there has developed a dispute about the voter count in the area of Miami. This is an intensely ethnic area populated, in part, by retired middle-class Jews from the north, many from the New York City metropolitan area. Also in adjoining areas are communities of African-Americans and Hati-Americans where similar voting problems have occurred. These matters will soon be footnotes to an important historical event, the contested presidential election of 2000, however, the point is readily apparent, namely that ethnic voting preferences remain very much part of the core concerns of contemporary American history. As of this writing these matters have not become part of race, religious or ethic hatred. This is true at least in terms of opinions, attitudes and actions that have been publicly expressed.

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