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.
This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?
Special guests:
- Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
- Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
- Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
- Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
- DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.
In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.
The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.
Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.
We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...
We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.
Special guests:
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874
