Time for the biannual "Jewish vote leaving Democrats" discussion

First, some raw facts. In the 2006 midterm elections, 87 percent of Jews voted for Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives. Last week, in the 2014 midterm elections, 66 percent cast ballots for Democrats. That’s a 21-point drop in eight years—and, it might seem, a major cause for celebration among the likes of the Republican Jewish Coalition and philo-Semitic political strategists everywhere.

But while Jewish support for Democrats has definitely declined over the last decade, the context is important. Poll numbers show how people are voting, but it’s more difficult to figure out what they mean for the role of Jews in American politics.

And for such a small group, that’s a big question.