A group of Jews of color held a virtual sukkah-hop "friendraising" event in partnership with Americans for Biden on Wednesday night, ahead of the vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris. Sukkah hops traditionally involve children going from sukkah to sukkah to collect treats, but at Wednesday's event, attendees heard from speakers addressing the audience from within their sukkahs in Madison, Ann Arbor, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. The event did not raise funds. According to one of the event's organizers, political strategist and consultant Ginna Green, the event is the first of its kind featuring Jews of color. “It is very clear to many people of color and certainly to me that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris represent the direction that we need to go in,” she said, according to the Forward. The audience heard talks on a range of topics, including immigration, racial justice, the Supreme Court and public health, Green said, adding that she is hoping the event showcased "the diversity of the Jewish community for the campaign and for the electorate.”Demographers estimate that Jews of color account for between six and 15% of the American Jewish population, but many report feeling alienated by mainstream Jewish institutions. A recent online survey of 810 Jewish voters found that 67% plan to vote for the Democrat Presidential candidate Joe Biden, against 30% who are backing the Republican incumbent, Donald Trump. Green said that a “small but vocal minority” of Jewish Trump supporters were making Jews of color and progressive Jews feel edged out. This poses “a challenge because this election is less about partisanship and less about party and more about morality and humanity,” she added. Trump's vocal support for Israel, including moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and brokering normalization agreements between the Jewish state and the UAE and Bahrain have pushed up support for the Republican president within the Jewish community. The Orthodox community also skews conservative. A Nishma poll taken in January 2020 showed some 56% of the ultra-Orthodox and 29% of the Modern Orthodox voted for Trump in 2016, and his approval rating had risen to 68% among the ultra-Orthodox and 36% among the modern Orthodox earlier this year.Binyamin Rose contributed to this report.
