I had literally NEVER thought about this question AT ALL before, and now I'm kind of kicking myself.

Marni Davis, who literally wrote the book on Jews and Prohibition (it's called Jews and Booze- Becoming American in the Age of Prohibition, and though I haven't read the whole thing what I have read has been fascinating), wrote an entire article, as well as a chapter in said book, exactly about this, which are absolutely fascinating.

Interestingly, this concern actually specifically arose at the founding of the WCTU- some members feared that calling it "Christian" would alienate potential Jewish members. However, they were overruled as the majority believed that as no creed was specifically espoused by the group, it wouldn't be alienating. And, while the lack of interest of Jews in participation in the temperance movement was due to a variety of reasons, the original concern, as you might guess, definitely ended up being validated to a degree.

There were a number of reasons why Jews felt disengaged from the temperance movement. None of them were due to a lack of concern about alcohol abuse and intemperance- many spoke against it and considered it a growing problem in American society. Instead, one of the reasons was simply related to demographics; urban dwellers, entrepreneurs, and immigrants were among the groups most likely to directly oppose prohibition and temperance, and Jews in this time period generally fit most if not all of these categories. Jews, who were often businessmen, objected to the restriction on civil liberties in business that would result from the prohibition of alcohol production and sales. Jews, who back in Europe had long been restricted from various occupations (though, interestingly, innkeeping and bartending were often a popular option), were extremely wary of this as a principle.

In addition, many (mostly men) did feel somewhat morally superior, noting that Jewish men were not noted for drunkenness and Jewish women not noted for their wild behavior outside the women's sphere (referring to the actions of temperance activists)- one rabbi called them "whisky Amazons." While there aren't any records of Jewish women participating in civil disobedience as part of the temperance movement, there is at least one case of Jewish women (in Philadelphia in 1874) advocating for temperance, interestingly in very Christian terms (such as by referring to Sunday as "the Lord's Day"), as well as individual cases of support, often quashed by rabbis. But by and large, this was extremely uncommon, though non-temperance related Jewish women's groups did model themselves upon groups like the WCTU conceptually. [Interestingly, as far as claims of Jewish improved moral behavior, Christians had actually propped Jews up as an example of teetotalers in that they customarily used raisin wine, which was non- or minimally-alcoholic, for ritual purposes- despite the fact that in general, raisin wine was considered a lesser option by most Jews when they could not get real wine, due to its relative cheapness and simplicity to make oneself.]

But another reason was definitely due to religion. Even in cases where Christianity-oriented groups did not advocate missionary activity (which did happen), American Jews had a real reason not to want prohibition- wine is an important part of Jewish ritual, whether each week on the Sabbath or each year on Passover. Especially as they felt like they were less prone to drunkenness in general, they didn't feel it was right for their religious values and needs to be undermined by the Protestant majority. Jews had long been proud of and happy about the United States's commitment to freedom of religion and lack of state religion- something which most of their fellows around the world lacked- and the Christian (and often supersessionist) values underlying temperance, as well as the religious ramifications for Jews, left them cold. Jews believed that moderation was the answer- and that their community was an example of its success- and that the idea that moral people wouldn't drink a drop was not just an inherently problematic one, but an inherently CHRISTIAN one.

In the long run, the name of the temperance group was the smaller concern- the true problem was the fear that American values would be thoroughly Christianized, putting the civil liberties and potentially even rights of non-Christians- like Jews- in peril. As mentioned, this wasn't catastrophizing; this was the default situation in many countries in which Jews lived, and also a direct reaction to a specific pro-Christianity movement popular in the United States at this time. Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, a prominent rabbi of the era, wrote that "if religion and prayer are abused to wage war on liquor today... they may be abused tomorrow, on precisely the same principle, to persecute... Freemasons, Catholics, foreigners, infidels, or anyone who... does not conform to vulgar prejudices." He and other rabbis, such as Marcus Jastrow, protested efforts, both successful and unsuccessful, at legislating prohibition as being violations of the separation between church and state and tyrannical.

In the end, Jews, no matter how much they may have abhorred intemperance and alcohol abuse on their own terms, simply would not put up with the idea that the cure for these must be either complete prohibition or a completely Christian approach to temperance. It was these principles, much more than the name of the dominant organization, that were most significant in preventing a Jewish temperance movement; the whole concept went far too far beyond Jewish sensibilities for even a Jewish version of the movement to be entered into.