Liberalism Is A Religion But Conservatism Could Be One Too

One often hears conservative pundits or even religious leaders say that liberalism has become a sort of religion among its adherents. Not having Judeo-Christian values to guide or aspire to, these people have made another deity for them - Leftism. Unfortunately, the same could be said about people in the Orthodox Jewish community who have turned conservatism into a quasi-religion.

No where has this phenomenon been better demonstrated and pronounced than when President Trump held office. The absolute and unmitigated loyalty that most Orthodox Jews had for the former president and the conservative movement was staggering and obsessive in its scope. For many Orthodox Jews, political conservatism has become the 5th portion of the Shulchan Aruch. It was almost as if any religious Jew who did not support Trump was deemed a heretic.

In the conservative media, the popularity of conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro in Orthodox Jewish circles probably best represents the unquestioning allegiance that religious Jews have towards conservatism and the Republican Party. Ben Shapiro has become the Bet Yosef of political discourse. From Modern Orthodox Jewish followers to Chareidi and Hasidic ones, Ben Shapiro’s words are viewed as the absolute authority on the political and social issues of the day. He is invited to speak at events throughout the country, where attendance is at full capacity and many Orthodox fans, among others, listen to him as if he were the Grand Rebbe of Boca Raton.

For many Orthodox Jews, political conservatism is perceived as unmitigated truth and political commentators like Ben Shapiro are perceived as being the exclusive carriers of accurate and sound logic. How did we get to this point? There is no denying that on many social issues, like abortion and identity politics, Orthodox Jewish values align squarely with conservative ideology. Many Orthodox Jews, if not most, consider themselves to be conservatives. There is nothing wrong with this and it is to be accepted and even admired. But blind and unwavering allegiance to conservatism and the excessive, over-the-top, loyalty to the Republican Party is a deeply troublesome and worrisome phenomenon.

The reasons for this wonder can be partly attributed to several factors, including the heavily right-wing orientation of Orthodox Jewish news organizations, the shunning of other sources of news media in Jewish households, and the social media algorithms which create echo chambers that reinforce people’s preexisting beliefs.

Matters were made much worse when several prominent and influential rabbis publicly endorsed Trump for his reelection bid in 2020, breaking a long-held practice of rabbinic leaders not endorsing political candidates, let alone candidates running for president. Their endorsement of Trump merely solidified the impression that many Orthodox Jews have that the political conservative movement is a Torah-backed movement and that the Republican Party’s platform represents Torah-true values and ideology.

Attitudes and perceptions started to shift in the frum media after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021, an attack widely believed the former president instigated. Soon after, several high-profile rabbis in the Orthodox media lamented Orthodoxy’s embrace and total allegiance to Trump, and by extension, the Republican Party and the conservative movement. Even the Yated Ne’eman, the influential and widely circulated Chareidi newspaper, featured an unprecedented editorial that reflected and questioned its past unwavering support of Trump. The frum media started doing some soul-searching.

Mishpacha, one of the most widely read Orthodox publications, also reflected on what went wrong and the lessons that can be learned from the Capitol attack. The weekly magazine published an article by Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky, the Rosh HaYeshiva of Greater Washington, in which he wrote, “No candidate or party represents Torah values. Neither the Republican nor the Democratic platform is Torah.” He continued to say that “emotional enthusiasm for a candidate or a party is an aish zarah,” a foreign fire, referencing a term the Torah uses to connote some form of idol worship.

Likewise, media personalities like Ben Shapiro have their place in the conservative media but they should not be considered to be the representatives of truth, morality, and Torah values. We go to our rabbis and religious leaders for ethical guidance and direction. We learn the Torah to seek truth, wisdom, and moral clarity. Its teachings warn us about the prohibitions of idol worship. Unfortunately, liberalism has become a form of idolatry to many secular Jews. Let’s ensure that conservatism doesn’t become a form of idolatry to religious Jews.

Tzvi Haimov has a degree in political science from Queens College. Haimov currently resides in Fresh Meadows, Queens, and can be reached for comment at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

By Tzvi Haimov