In the wake of Israel’s decision to ban Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) from entering Israel, President Donald Trump upped the ante and spoke directly to Jewish Americans who continue to vote for Democrats.
“Five years ago, the concept of even talking about this—even three years ago—of cutting off aid to Israel because of two people that hate Israel and hate Jewish people—I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. Where has the Democratic Party gone? Where have they gone where they’re defending these two people over the State of Israel?
“I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat—it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”
“‘It’s unclear who @POTUS is claiming Jews would be ”disloyal” to, but charges of disloyalty have long been used to attack Jews. As we’ve said before, it’s possible to engage in the democratic process without these claims. It’s long overdue to stop using Jews as a political football,’ Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted later Tuesday.
“Halie Soifer, executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, called the comments ‘yet another example of Donald Trump continuing to weaponize and politicize anti-Semitism.’
“‘If this is about Israel, then Trump is repeating a dual loyalty claim, which is a form of anti-Semitism. If this is about Jews being ”loyal” to him, then Trump needs a reality check. We live in a democracy, and Jewish support for the Republican Party has been halved in the past four years,’ Soifer added.
“There’s a kind of a calming feeling, I always tell folks, when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors—Palestinians—who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways have been wiped out, and some people’s passports. And, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews ...”
In their totality, these incidents paint a troubling picture for Jews and the State of Israel, given the apparent motivation and intent behind them. For example, when Omar alluded to the belief that anyone supportive of Israel harbors “dual loyalty,” she wasn’t issuing words of praise. Rather, these comments reflected her attitude towards the State of Israel and those who support it.
On the other hand, Trump’s recent comments were not analogous to Omar’s “dual loyalty” comments for several reasons.
Firstly, Trump’s comments didn’t contain any ill-will, but came from a position of compassion for the Jewish State and the Jewish people. Trump wasn’t being critical of American Jews because they are Jewish or support the State of Israel. Rather, he was questioning their loyalty if they continued to support those who want to harm the State of Israel or the Jewish people and religion.
The president’s words were not anti-Semitic. To the contrary, they were like the words of a caring father who doesn’t want to see his children get hurt.
Historically, many traditional or “old-school” Democrats strongly supported the State of Israel. Therefore, when Jews voted for Democrats, it didn’t endanger the State of Israel because those who were elected also supported Israel. However, the playing field has significantly changed, and some of the “newer” (and older) faces of the Democratic Party have vastly different opinions.
“Kirsten Gillibrand came out against the same Israel Anti-Boycott Bill she’d once co-sponsored. Jersey’s Cory Booker voted against the Taylor Force Act that cut off funding for the Palestinians while they subsidize terrorists and their families. And Vermont’s Bernie Sanders tried to place three anti-Israel activists on the 2016 Democratic platform committee.”The anti-Israel sentiment should be concerning to Jews around the country. This isn’t to say that Jews cannot be critical of certain policies yet remain supportive of the State of Israel. However, Jews shouldn’t live in a vacuum. They should be weary of the language and rhetoric that is being used by some on the left and its possible impact on the State of Israel.
That was Trump’s point! His comments were not anti-Semitic. Rather, they served as a blunt reminder to American Jews to wake up.