by William A. Gralnick
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I am a Jew. I am writing this to be read by Jews. However, I urge Christians to read it because Jesus' being a Jew links us. I ask Muslims to read it because Moses, who led the Jews out of Egypt to the promised land, is one of your prophets.
What I don't get is how nearly twenty-five percent of American Jews are voting for Donald Trump. Of that, says a poll taken of Orthodox Jews, 93% of "ultra Orthodox" Jews will vote for Trump, while a little under 50% of "modern Orthodox" will join them. The total percentage rivals the Jewish vote for then General Eisenhower and we Jews liked Ike but still voted Democrat. To borrow a poke that Lloyd Benson took at Dan Quale during their vice-presidential debate, "Donald Trump in no Dwight David Eisenhower."
Why am I so puzzled? Jews have been the most literate, educated ethnic group in America. We consume enormous amounts of the written word and are news junkies. That leads me to believe that a lot of Jews heard Donald Trump say that it would be the Jews fault if he lost the election. Punishment often follows blame; that's worrisome. Put that in the same barn with the statistics of rapidly rising anti-Semitism in this country and you have a combustible combination.
And what, or who, else is in that barn? Why the very groups that are bad for the Jews, some very bad. The "some of the good people" in North Carolina who camped out in front of a synogogue, armed and shouting that Jews wouldn't replace them. They are in there. These Nazis, just forget the neo part, they are what they are. Their members intimidate and attack Jews on the streets and vandalize Jewish institutions right here in the cities of America. They hate Jews and they support Trump. There are dozens of such para-military hate groups hiding like rats waiting for the right time to show themselves. And they hate Jews. And they support Trump.
Keeping these gems company are the Christian nationalists who believe this nation to be a Christian nation. Whatever means needed, like censorship, even book burning, is a means that justifies the end. Franklin Graham, whose legendary father was an advisor to presidents, is an election denier. He and hundreds of pastors and tens of thousands of their congregants believe Jews are doomed to hell. And they support Trump.
Don't forget that "old saw" about what happens if you forget history. Jews we have seen this before and seen it long before Hitler. Hitler's Nuremberg Laws that gave the Hitler the legal justification for putting the noose around Jews necks is grounded in a Middle Ages work by Martin Luther called, "The Jews and Their Lies." He wrote it to punish the Jews because they would not convert and support his fight against the Papacy. Then too there was the Inquisition. There are so many horrible tortures delivered by Christians during the Inquisition, it is hard to pick "a favorite." Peeling the skin off of a rabbi, like rolling back the top of a sardine can, prior to burning him alive certainly is close to the top of the list. Those who wish for a Christian nation don't see Jews as anything but a target for conversion and without it an obstacle to the second coming of Jesus.
Have none of you Jewish Trumpers been to Europe? There, where right wing political ideologues are making gains across Western Europe and Scandinavia, synagogues have police at their doors and in some places at the street corners above and below them. And in some of the countries, soldiers take the place of the police. In all cases, they are armed to the teeth. Many synagogues across America now have armed guards and security cameras. How much has your synagogue's budget increased for added security? "A lot" is the answer. We kid ourselves that the protection is to ward off Islamic terrorists. In part it is, but for Jews there is an enemy within America, pure white Nazi and Christian national extremists who see no place for us here. Are you willing to take the risk that your synagogue won't be the next "Tree of Life" synagogue that was shot up in Pittsburgh?
Some of my Republican Jewish friends, one a former ambassador, say that Trump is good for Israel. If Trump is not good for the Jews in the United States, then he is not good for Israel because Israel's security depends on the health, safety, well-being, and success of American Jewry. How does one not see that the prolonging of the Gaza crisis has very much to do with what awaits Prime Minister Netanyahu at its end? Netanyahu speaks better English and Hebrew than Trump, but he is the same kind of ne'er do well politically. Trump's support for Netanyahu will cause an erosion of support of Israel amongst young, voting age white Americans, among the Black and Latino populations, and of course with American Muslims. This will weaken support for Israel in Congress and undoubtedly will increase negative feelings for Jews culminating in an even greater increase in anti-Semitism.
And how does a Jew, especially a religious Jew, vote for a man who has no morals? The ten commandments were given to us, remember? Christian nationalists get around that by saying Trump is anointed by God. That helps them put aside the morals issue. While it is hard to believe that of all God's possible choices of someone to anoint, he'd pick someone who holds a bible upside down, couldn't manage to get the name of one of its books right (remember Corinthians Two?), becomes a bible salesman whose bibles are printed in Communist China where churches have to be officially registered by the government to be legal and Muslims are persecuted, has the morals of an alley cat, and who doesn't go to church himself, is a head-scratcher. Yet, that's the belief. But how does a Jew tie into any of that? I don't get it.
It is worth remembering the warning of the great modern American poet Maya Angelou that when someone tells you something about themselves, you should believe them. Trump has told us he is going to be a dictator on day one. He has told us his political enemies should go to jail. He has told us he will find "the enemy within" and root them out. He has told us that he will shred society by deporting millions of people, possibly interning them before transport can be arranged. He has told us that when you are rich and powerful you can do anything you want to women. What else do you need to know? What else do you need to hear? Hello! Wake up!
I say to you, my fellow Jews, and anyone else who has chosen to read this, it is time to put America first. As far as the Jew goes, the American experiment has produced a golden age for Jews. Is this about religion and abortion? Jewish law allows for exceptions, so it can't be that. Is it about support for private schools? If you put public aid to private schools, above everything else America has allowed Jews to do for ourselves and that America has done for us you are walking through a door that has the same sign over it as the gate in Dante's Inferno: "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
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