Former President Donald Trump is taking. a lot of heat in the Jewish and Israeli press for posting an attack on liberal Jews by JEXIT, a conservative Jewish group urging Jews to abandon the Democratic Party. The attack includes a list of Trump's accomplishments for Israel and the Jewish people, headed by the comment: "Wake Up Sheep. What Nazi / Anti Semite ever did this for the Jewish people or Israel?" The comment appears to be a response to the numerous attacks by liberal Jews against Trump -- and against Jews who voted for him -- that have accused him of being an antisemite, even a Nazi.
Included in Trump's post is the commentary: "Just a quick reminder for liberal Jews who voted to destroy America & Israel because you believed false narratives! Let's hope you learned from your mistake & make better choices moving forward! Happy New Year!" The context, of course, is the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, on which Jews are meant to reflect on mistakes made in the past and repent for them, committing to improving in the year ahead.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/111083021216078581
I don't think it's productive for a presidential candidate to talk this way, but it's not antisemitic. Trump is merely saying openly what some conservative Jews are saying, and have said, to liberal Jews.
Moreover, this is not a fight that Trump-supporting Jews started. For years, Jews who supported Trump -- or even who were deemed to have failed to oppose him loudly enough -- were accused of being accessories to antisemitism. I heard this from people who were formerly close to me; I heard it from anti-Trump Jews on Twitter, e.g.:
https://twitter.com/search?q=joelpollak%20from%3Ajpodhoretz&src=typed_query&f=top
And it didn't start with Trump. In 2008, comedian Sarah Silverman told liberal Jews to make "the Great Schlep" to Florida to canvas among elderly Jewish voters, whom she accused of being too racist to vote for Obama, whether they were Democrats or not.
https://theweek.com/articles/511720/sarah-silvermans-great-schlep
In addition: this is what Trump does: calling out uncomfortable truths. Maybe it's not the best role for a presidential candidate, but it also lets the bullies in the Jewish community know that he has their number.
Finally, it has to be said: Trump is right. No president has done more for the Jewish community, and received less acknowledgment, except from conservative groups like ZOA.
Jewish groups that have attacked Trump have treated it like a free punch, assuming there will be no long-term cost. But as Danny Danon, an Israeli conservative politician with a long history of diplomatic work in the U.S., put it last week in an interview with a Hebrew-language newspaper, leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu need to be more careful about giving Trump credit. For example, if there is to be a Saudi-Israeli peace deal, it must have support from Trump, who could be the next president -- which means that Trump must be given public credit for kicking off the process with the Abraham Accords. Continuing to treat Trump like a pariah, often on spurious grounds, could eventually have serious geopolitical implications.
Today's episode is devoted to the second anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks. It was produced before the announcement of a ceasefire deal, yet remains current & relevant.
Please listen, and #bringthemhome.
SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET (4-7 PT)
This week's portion is a beautiful poem, containing the Covenant between God and the people of Israel. But given the breaking news that Hamas may actually have agreed to release all of the Israeli hostages, I will devote my remarks to that.
One hopes it is true; if so, it makes this week's additional reading, from II Samuel 22, even more relevant: David's song of praise to the Lord for delivering him from the hand of his enemies.
"18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support."
So much to focus on this week -- and much breaking news. A peace deal in the Middle East, perhaps? Eric Adams dropping out of the mayor's race? And a looming shutdown as Democrats push their demands beyond absurdity.
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