Whether one believes that Donald Trump is a hero or villain, a genius or sociopath, he has consistently demonstrated the pattern of calling out inconvenient truths. Trump successfully pointed out the corruption of “the swamp” of national politics on both sides of the aisle when no one wanted to look at that truth, and loudly pointed out the hypocrisy of politicians, individuals, and nations when no one else was really being honest about those realities. Although his methods may at times be coarse or offensive, he has a habit of seeing and exposing the underbelly of darkness that needs to be revealed. And for exposing those truths, he has been castigated, villainized, and hated.
Trump has done it again, and again is being denounced for it. He wrote a post on his Truth Social account that American Jews must “get their act together” and show more appreciation for Israel “before it is too late,” and additionally that he has been the best president ever for Israel. For this post, he has been demonized by the majority of Jewish liberal leaders. Jonathan Greenblatt (head of the Anti-Defamation League and former special assistant to President Obama) claimed that Trump’s post is a threat to Jews and a continuation of ancient anti-Semitic trope. Rob Eshman at The Forward writes how President Trump’s post is both a threat and a lie. Jewish leaders across the nation are lining up to denounce Trump on every level, but totally ignoring the honest truth of what he said.
While observant Jews typically support conservative politics, Reform, Conservative, and secular Jews have traditionally voted overwhelmingly with liberal politics for decades for a variety of reasons. Too many rabbis and Jewish leaders have been more concerned with pandering to secular political causes, “social action,” and leftist media than they have with teaching the Torah or traditional Jewish values. With President Trump’s election and the amazing work that was done for Jewish causes and Israel under his administration, some of that support shifted towards the Republican Party. The values of the Republican Party are much more in sync with Jewish values and objectives, but there is still much work to do in order to bring the majority of American Jews to the point where they recognize that for a Jew to support the Democratic Party as it now stands is analogous to a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders.
Those who condemn Trump like Greenblatt are actually not leaders of the Jewish people or teachers of their values, and haven’t been for a long time. Under Greenblatt’s leadership, the ADL has morphed from an important organization into a useful tool for progressives to promote the anti-Semitic agenda of the far left. While Trump championed Israel and the Jewish people, the ADL has championed anti-Semites and hate-filled causes. Let’s just compare what the ADL has done in recent years under Greenblatt to the pro-Israel and pro-Jewish actions that President Trump accomplished.
The ADL, an organization supposedly concerned with primarily Jewish matters, supports the hate of Black Lives Matter, champions the cause of calling George Floyd’s death a result of an unjust and racist system, and desires “systemic change”. Conversely, Trump made the lives of all American Jews, especially Jewish children, safer with his inclusion of anti-Semitism as hate crimes in Title VI. While the ADL partnered with CAIR and the ADL opposes anti-BDS legislation, Trump created the first real steps towards peace between Israel and the Arab nations with the Abraham Accords. Although the ADL is an organization founded to help protect Jewish rights and support Israel, it currently fights for abortion and other political leftist causes. Trump, on the other hand, did fight for Israel and fulfilled the commitment made by his predecessors of over two decades by moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel–the manifestation of bi-partisan legislation approved by Congress going back to 1995. It would seem that it is the ADL that threatens American Judaism, while Donald Trump fights for it. And despite all of Trump’s support for Jews and Israel, The Forward has the audacity to claim that Trump is “harassing Jews” and that Presidents Carter and Obama were both better for Jews and Israel. While Trump has made Jews around the world and in this country safer, these supposedly Jewish organizations are the ones that have actually put Jews directly in danger through their support of leftist causes. The hateful words of vitriol against Trump by The Forward and the ADL are not the words of the leaders of Judaism, but the diatribe of politically progressive leaders who happen to be Jewish.
And what is it that Trump said that is so offensive? He told the truth. American Jews do need to “get their act together” and either stop supporting the Democratic Party or change it significantly from the way it has operated for the last few decades. American Jews who continue to support the Democratic Party are supporting a party that has included support of BLM in their national platform, supports Palestine and calls for a return to horribly dangerous Iran deal, has a spokesperson in Karine Jean-Pierre who supports MoveOn.org and boycotting AIPAC, has never shut down anti-Semites in Congress such as Reps. Tlaib and Omar for their flagrant anti-Semitic vitriol, and supports known anti-Semites and Louis Farrakhan supporters such as Keith Ellison and the Squad.
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Every time that a Jew supports the Democratic Party, they are supporting an organization that, to paraphrase a current motto, is systemically anti-Semitic. Trump just pointed out that truth. And for this, supposed Jewish leaders are condemning him in every media outlet possible.
Donald Trump may be brash or crass. He may be right or wrong on many issues. But there is no doubt that he has been a huge friend to Israel and to American Jews, and there is no question that his post is both accurate and prescient. American Jews truly need to wake up and support the policies and politics that protect American Jews and strengthen Israel.
There is one Jewish organization that has always proudly stood with Trump: the Zionist Organization of America, which next month is honoring the former president with its highest honor, the Theodor Herzl medallion, for “being the best friend Israel ever had in the White House”. But with the exception of ZOA (and Jewish political organizations like the Jewish Republican Alliance and Jewish Republican Coalition), Trump is again being denigrated by American Jewish organizations and leaders, despite all the good that he has done and the truth of his post.
Every group in this nation collectively looks out for its own welfare with its political support. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Christians, Catholics, and Arabs all support the politicians and parties that help them. The glaring exception is American Jews, who all too often continue to support the left, despite its disdain for Israel and Judaism. Trump only echoed in his own way the words of the great Rabbi Hillel two thousand years ago: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”
Donald Trump is right. American Jews do need to wake up before it is too late. We need to reconnect with organizations that are Jewish in their spirit and values and not just names. We need to support leaders and politicians who support Israel and fight for religious freedom. And we need to remember to stop hating each other, and that we can disagree without being disagreeable.
May Jewish leaders recognize the truth of President Trump’s post, and reject the Golden Calf of Leftism as exemplified by the DNC, ADL, and all too many organizations that are Jewish in name but not in values.
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