American Jews

Alarming Antisemitism Emerges On Many College And University Campuses

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The rise of antisemitism on so many college and university campuses, as well as in American society in general, is alarming.

One can believe that the lives of Palestinians matter, as much as Israelis, but the war between Israel and Hamas is causing a tremendous overreaction by some students and faculty members, and is causing danger and questions of personal safety and security for many American Jews.

The issue of antisemitism has always been a problem with white supremacist groups, but now it is rearing its ugly head in other communities. A small educated group of intellectuals and students have no concern about the reality of Jews in world history, and seem unaware or unconcerned about the Nazi Holocaust that slaughtered six million Jews under Adolf Hitler in World War II.

To deny Israel has a right to exist is as horrible as to say that Palestinians have no similar rights to peace, tranquility, and acceptance!

The Biden Administration is working on coming up with support for the Jewish community, both on college campuses, and in society in general.

From Danger Of Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 To Israel-Hamas War Crisis In 2023!

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Six decades ago, America and the world faced the news of the greatest crisis since World War II–the Cuban Missile Crisis under the Presidency of John F. Kennedy.

Now, the world faces the greatest crisis in the history of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel, the Hamas massacre of 1,400 Israelis and foreigners on October 7, the greatest loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust 80 years ago!

It is also the equivalent of 14 September 11’s, as if more than 40,000 Americans had been killed!

The leadership of President Kennedy was a great strength then, and now the leadership of President Biden has been a great boost to the Israeli government, as it plans for an ultimate war that could become, potentially, a regional and world conflict. It could be as dangerous if not more so, than the Cuban Missile Crisis was 61 years ago!

There is also a growing threat to Jews around the world, including the United States, with all Jewish institutions on an alert for antisemitic statements and threats!

The AntiSemitism Of Donald Trump Stated Loud And Clear!

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AntiSemitism has sadly been part of American history, and we have had Presidents whose attitudes towards the Jewish people have been questioned.

Many question Franklin D. Roosevelt’s reaction to growing evidence of the Holocaust during World War II.

Harry Truman’s reaction toward Jews and Israel only developed due to his long friendship with Eddie Jacobson, and yet he could not visit Truman at his home in Independence, Missouri, due to the antiSemitism of Truman’s wife, First Lady Bess Truman.

Richard Nixon, while assisting Israel during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, expressed antiSemitic slurs on the Watergate Tapes.

Many Jews have questioned Jimmy Carter’s criticism of Israel, and accused him of being an antiSemite.

George H. W. Bush’s Secretary of State James Baker uttered criticism of Israel and of Jewish influence.

Many Jews have always believed that Barack Obama was unfavorable toward Israel’s government under Benjamin Netanyahu.

But none of these Presidents, not even Nixon, match the antiSemitism of Donald Trump, which many thought was well hidden, but now has come out full blown, beginning with his statement in 2017 that the Neo Nazis and white supremacists at Charlottesville, Virginia had some “good people” on their side.

Now, in an open interview, he is critical of Jews who have the gall to vote for Democrats and are not in lock step on Israel’s government policies, and condemned in foul language former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for congratulating Joe Biden on his election victory in 2020!

And yet, there are Orthodox Jews and a percentage of extremely wealthy Jews who continue to support Donald Trump, even to the extent of continuing to back the Fascism of Trump displayed on January 6, 2021, and to promote the “Big Lie”, that Trump won the Presidential Election of 2020! They are blind to the evil that Donald Trump represents, and are a danger to the concept that Jews believe in social justice and compassion for those less fortunate!

Those Jews who continue to support Donald Trump even now should be roundly condemned and ostracized, and only are accelerating antiSemitism nationwide and worldwide!

Important To Have A US Ambassador To Israel Who Can Promote Middle East Peace

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The position of being US Ambassador to Israel becomes ever more important after the recent 11 day war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

Antisemitism is rising in America and around the world, due to the harsh Israeli attacks in the past two weeks, justifiable as a self defense tactic against Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians, but still causing grief for Israel even among many younger American Jews.

Someone who knows the Middle East well, and could do the job of pressuring Israel toward negotiations for a two state solution, promoting what President Joe Biden wants and thinks is essential for Middle East peace long term, is the goal.

And former South Florida Congressman Robert Wexler could be the person to do it, and is supposedly on the short list for the position.

Wexler has been the President of the S. Daniel Abraham Center For Middle East Peace since he left the Congress in 2010. It is an American Non Profit Advocacy Group that works with leaders and policy makers in the United States and the Middle East to help reach a just and comprehensive peace that will bring an end to the Arab-Israeli Middle East conflict. Meetings, travel, conferences, workshops, and diplomatic exchanges further the mission of this group.

Memo To American Jews Who Support Trump: You Are Overlooking History And Are Being Delusional!

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This author and blogger is proud of his Jewish heritage, and pleased that two out of three American Jews support the Democratic Party, which historically, since Franklin D. Roosevelt, stands for the basic values that all decent American Jews believe in: Tolerance, open mindedness, compassion, empathy, decency, social justice!

That does not mean that there have never been Republicans historically who one could find appealing, and even, at times, vote for and support.

But for any American Jew to support Donald Trump, who is a clear cut Fascist with strong tendencies toward Adolf Hitler, not just Benito Mussolini, is shocking beyond belief!

If one voted for Donald Trump as an “outsider” amid thoughts that a businessman with no government experience was worthy of being given a shot at leadership, and had unexplained hatred toward Hillary Clinton in 2016 to motivate you, that is one thing.

But after four years of Donald Trump, not as an outsider, but as the 45th President, and having witnessed what he has wrought, it is beyond understanding why any American Jew would vote for Trump again!

Some would say, oh the economy was going great under Trump, when the economy was already going great under Barack Obama, who took us from the Great Recession to the greatest economic recovery that we have seen in American history, including even Franklin D. Roosevelt before World War II came along!

All that Trump did is continue an economic recovery already in effect for a number of years. And that economic recovery was very uneven, with his push for a massive tax cut for the top one to two percent, which added to the national debt, and now threatens Social Security and Medicare! And 40 percent of the nation cannot afford an emergency $400 expense!

Some would say, oh Trump has done so much for Israel, in moving ahead to recognize Jerusalem as their capital; accept Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights from Syria; and promote diplomatic and other ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Israel and Bahrain, which only deepen the conflict over the future of Israel and the Palestinians. Realize that the leaders of those Arab nations are autocrats, corrupt to the core, and have no ethical basis at all toward their own population.

Any intelligent American Jew KNOWS that this is just a ploy for Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off accountability for his corruption, which has led to trial in Israel. It is also simply a way to manipulate that portion of American Jewry that Trump counts upon to help him win reelection, who think that whatever the Israeli government wants, should be supported by the United States.

But this ignores the fact that Barack Obama gave more aid and defense support to Israel through his promotion of the IRON DOME missile system, despite Netanyahu’s hostile attitude toward him, and his collaborating with Republicans on Capitol Hill, including Speaker of the House John Boehner against Obama!

But Donald Trump meanwhile consorts with antisemites and white supremacists, as at Charlottesville in 2017, but also other actions and utterances that incite violence against anyone who disagrees with his destruction of the US Constitution and rule of law! And remember that Richard Spencer, David Duke, and other extremist right wing antisemites love Donald Trump!

Donald Trump is a racist big time, if anyone looks at his history. He promoted racial discrimination in his Queens New York properties, and is infamous for his constant attack on “the Central Park Five”, five young minority men, accused of rape and assault, who he campaigned against, and has refused to admit he was wrong and apologize, when they were shown to be innocent and released after many years.

Donald Trump is a nativist, who has no issue with caging children at the border, a reminder of the early concentration camps which imprisoned Jews and other people, before the extermination concept was formulated in Nazi Germany!

He promotes anti immigrant hysteria, even though his mother was an immigrant, and two of his three wives were immigrants. And despite his close association with Muslim authoritarians, such as Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, he promotes Islamophobia, showing what a total demagogue and hypocrite he is, and his constant attacks on the few Muslim members of Congress!

Donald Trump is also a misogynist, who has abused dozens of women personally, and associates with others who have done the same, and has the gall to brag about it, but also has refused to provide evidence when charges are brought against him. He makes Bill Clinton look like a “choir boy” by comparison!

Donald Trump promotes hatred in his rallies, making people laugh as he ridicules opponents and makes fun of journalists who have been wounded by rubber bullets or tear gas, as he believes all media and all political opponents should be in prison! No other President has ever conducted himself in such a despicable manner! He is still pursuing his goal of putting Hillary Clinton, the Obamas, and Joe Biden in prison, all signs of an authoritarian demagogue!

Donald Trump rejects science, and is responsible for the mass loss of life in the COVID 19 Pandemic, and encourages his followers NOT to wear masks or practice social distancing, including at his rallies. At the same time, he thinks of his followers as “disgusting”, and calls veterans who have died in wars “suckers” and “losers”!

One might say that Donald Trump has a Jewish son in law, Jared Kushner; a Jewish Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin; and a key Jewish adviser, Stephen Miller; along with others who work for him who are Jewish. But these Jews represent an extremely privileged class, who put their basic Jewish values aside for the gaining of power and obscene wealth!

Donald Trump has lied more than 20,000 times in office, and has had, by far, the most corrupt administration and number of corrupt appointees ever seen in any Presidency, so how can any respectable American Jew support this?

If Donald Trump is reelected, he will become ever more a threat to the basic Jewish values that matter, and any American Jew who contributes to that horror, will go down in history, condemned for their inaction when they could have taken steps to end the nightmare of an American version of Benito Mussolini at the least, and god forbid, Adolf Hitler at the most!

Donald Trump, AntiSemite, Shows Through Statement About Disloyalty Of Jews Who Vote Democratic, As They Always Have

Ronald 8 Comments

Donald Trump revealed his antiSemitic views yesterday, exasperated that 75 to 80 percent of American Jews consistently vote Democratic, accusing them of disloyalty to the nation, a typical antiSemitic trope long used against Jews throughout history.

This man, who said there were “good people on both sides” in Charlottesville, where white supremacist young men chanted that “The Jews will not replace us”, and who David Duke and Richard Spencer rave about, since his white supremacist views have continued to evolve, even after the El Paso and Dayton Massacres, cannot understand why Jews are Democrats.

American Jews are Democrats because they are promoters of Social Justice and progressive causes, and many of them are troubled by Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s policies toward Palestinians, as Israel pursues a policy of denying basic human rights to them, undermining good will internationally towards Israel,

The fact that Netanyahu has not denounced Trump over this antiSemitic trope is troubling, and causes a chasm between American Jews and many Israelis.

American Jews voted 79 percent for Democrats in Congress in 2018, and American Jews have always voted in vast majorities of at least 60 percent since the early 20th century, with the exception of 1920. The lowest otherwise was Woodrow Wilson in 1916, John W. Davis in 1924, Jimmy Carter in 1980,and Walter Mondale in 1984, but with Davis and Carter having a progressive challenger on the left who took substantial percentages of the vote.

Here are the stats:

1916–Woodrow Wilson 55 percent

1920–Eugene Debs (Socialist) 38 percent behind Warren G. Harding (R) 43 percent and James Cox (D) 19 percent

1924–John W. Davis 51 percent with Robert La Follette Sr (Progressive) 22 percent and Calvin Coolidge (R) 27 percent.

1928–Alfred E. Smith 72 percent

1932–Franklin D. Roosevelt 82 percent

1936 FDR 85 percent

1940 FDR 90 percent

1944 FDR 90 percent

1948 Harry Truman 75 percent and Henry A. Wallace (Progressive) 15 percent and Thomas E. Dewey (R) 10 percent

1952 Adlai Stevenson 64 percent

1956 Stevenson 60 percent

1960 John F. Kennedy 82 percent

1964 Lyndon B Johnson 90 percent

1968 Hubert Humphrey 81 percent

1972 George McGovern 65 percent

1976 Jimmy Carter 71 percent

1980 Carter 45 percent, Ronald Reagan (R) 39 percent John Anderson (Independent) 15 percent

1984 Walter Mondale 57 percent

1988 Michael Dukakis 64 percent

1992 Bill Clinton 80 percent

1996 Clinton 78 percent

2000 Al Gore 79 percent

2004 John Kerry 76 percent

2008 Barack Obama 78 percent

2012 Obama 69 percent

2016 Hillary Clinton 71 percent

Notice that progressives who were not Democrats—Eugene Debs in 1920, Robert La Follette Sr in 1924, Henry A. Wallace in 1948, and John Anderson in 1980—took substantial number of votes away from the Democratic Presidential nominee.

So with those exceptions, Democrats have won 60 percent or more of the Jewish vote since FDR onward, except for Jimmy Carter in a three way race in 1980 and Walter Mondale and 57 percent against the landslide of Ronald Reagan in 1984.

American Jews Do NOT Have Dual Loyalties

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American Jews do NOT have dual loyalties.

We are Americans first, not Israelis.

As an American Jew, I do not allow Israel or its leaders to influence my own views on that nation, and its relationship with the American government, and the whole Middle East cauldron.

And we can disagree with the Israeli government leaders and policies, as much as we can disagree with the American government leaders and policies.

So Benjamin Netanyahu is not our leader in the sense of support, anymore than Donald Trump is.

We can support the survival of Israel, and the advancement of America without supporting specific government leaders in both nations.

For Donald Trump to say otherwise, as he did before the Republican Jewish Coalition last weekend, is an outrage.

Two thirds of American Jews are Democrats, and most of them do not support the right wing policies of Benjamin Netanyahu.

All that Trump does by suggesting dual loyalties is to encourage antisemitism, and to promote anti Israel sentiments.

American Jews will be in the front line of criticism of extremist right wing policies by Netanyahu, as they are of extremist right wing policies by Trump.

The Growing Danger Of Further AntiSemitic Attacks In America, Precipitated By The Right Wing White Supremacists And Religious Extremists

Ronald 2 Comments

America is in a major crisis, now clearly the worst domestically in a half century, and the growing danger of further attacks on American Jews is alarming.

We have a President who consorts with white supremacists, and overlooks their antisemitic acts and utterances.

And there are right wing religious extremists, whose goal is to convert American Jews to their warped brand of Christianity.

The hatred that the Pittsburgh Massacre assassin possessed was encouraged by the hate filled websites on the internet, fueled further by the refusal of Donald Trump to hold many of his followers accountable for their hatred, and his actual encouragement of violence against the media, which he calls “the enemy of the people”, because they have the nerve to hold him responsible for his words and actions.

Face it, Donald Trump is a pure right wing demagogue who hates our democracy, and would love to persecute any minority and any individual which stands in his way of wanting absolute power.

There is no truce possible when a President, unlike any in American history, has declared war on our institutions and our traditions, so no one who feels Donald Trump is a menace can sit on the sidelines and just figure the future is preordained, as it most certainly is not so.

Resistance and opposition must continue for the preservation of the traditions and institutions of America to survive into the long term future.

We have not come through the trials of the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the Cold War to allow any mentally unhinged person to take away our future!

The Coming Foreign Trip Disaster Of Donald Trump

Ronald 13 Comments

Donald Trump is about to engage in a nine day foreign trip, which is bound to be a total disaster.

He will visit Saudi Arabia, the home of the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina, and it will be delicate to do so, after his anti Muslim rhetoric and his attempted Muslim bans.

He will visit Israel, after having revealed Israeli intelligence information to the Russian Foreign Minister and Russian Ambassador to the United States in the Oval Office, and backing away from the idea of recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and hinting that Israel must agree to concessions to the Palestinians, as he pursues “the art of the deal”. Also, he has refused to visit Masada, since he cannot have his helicopter go to the top of Masada, and is unwilling to take a cable car to the Mount. He also plans only 15 minutes at the Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem, which will alienate many Israelis and American Jews.

He will visit Vatican City and Pope Francis, and has been highly critical of the Pope, who has been dismissive of Trump’s rhetoric and his planned Mexico Wall.

He will be at the NATO summit in Belgium, having alarmed members at his on and off attitudes towards the significance of the alliance, and his pro Russian tendencies that are now being investigated, and could lead to his Presidency in flames.

He will also be be at the G-7 summit with our major economic partners–Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan, to be held in Sicily, Italy.

There will be plenty of opportunity for flubs, blunders, embarrassments, and Trump is not good at sitting through long sessions, gets bored easily, and is not willing to do the preparation, and reading, required to be knowledgeable and competent at international meetings with experienced and competent diplomats and foreign leaders.

Despite what Trump claims, he is NOT a good student, and clearly has a variation of Attention Deficit Disorder, along with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and a likely possibility of Dementia or Alzheimers.

Trump is not up to this trip, which is too long and detailed, and cannot sleep in his own bed, and he is very intense about actually being seriously tested and challenged, as his Presidency deteriorates around him.

Barack Obama made his first foreign trip to Canada, and George W. Bush to Mexico, and after what is likely to be a disastrous trip, who knows if Trump will not just hole himself up in the White House, and scream and yell at his family and his aides, as he faces the end of his Presidency, as a total disgrace to the institution of the Presidency!

September 2015–A Month Of Federal Budget Deadline, Pope Francis Visit, Iran Agreement Debate For Congress!

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When Congress gets back from its summer recess after Labor Day, it faces, along with President Barack Obama, a very challenging and significant month of major events.

The budget deadline is coming on September 30, and as usual, the Republicans in Congress are threatening yet again to shut down the government, with the issue of funding of Planned Parenthood being the major stumbling block, along with fights to cut “safety net” programs and promote yet more tax cuts for the corporations and the wealthy.

Pope Francis, certainly the best Pope in his progressive vision since Pope John XXIII (1958-1963), will be visiting the United States and speaking before a joint session of Congress. He will deliver a message that progressives will love, including concern for the poor; acceptance of change in the Catholic Church on many conservative doctrines, including an open mind on gays and lesbians and divorce; condemnation of unbridled capitalism; and advocacy of the need for action on climate change and the environment in general. The Republican controlled Congress will be uncomfortable over his message, but it will boost the Obama agenda and legacy.

Also, the bitter battle over the Iran nuclear deal is extremely divisive, with American Jews divided; Democrats divided; and Republicans in unison against the deal, and advocating military force against Iran. All that Obama needs to sustain the agreement is one third plus one of the votes in one or both houses. That seems assured now in the House of Representatives with the assistance of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, but in the Senate, it will be more difficult, since future likely Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has come out against the agreement. But as long as at least one house cannot override the veto, the President will triumph.

So a month of “fireworks” is assured, and who knows what else will occur, particularly with the 2016 Presidential race in full swing, and already highly controversial!