Q: Is Trump good for the Jews? My friends and I are feeling so insecure that I read the paper the way my grandfather did. That’s not to say I am unconcerned about America, but my worries for both Israel and combating antisemitism in the US are at the forefront in my mind. On the one hand, he seems to be a strong ally of Israel, on the other hand, I feel that democracy and stability are the most important things for Jews in America and around the world.
A: To be perfectly honest, the conversation of whether Trump will be good for the Jews is not the one we need to be having right now. He has been elected President. The real question is whether or not Trump’s actions make him a political ally, enemy, or something in between. Does his political and military support of Israel make him a “friend of the Jews,” or is he an opportunist? Does his withholding of research funds for college campuses represent a fight against antisemitism or the appropriation of Jewish issues to resolve his political grudges?
Currently, there are two major issues affecting Jews: antisemitism and Israel. According to the Anti Defamation League, roughly seven in 10 (69%) Jewish adults report experiencing antisemitism online or on social media — including those who say they have been personally targeted and those who say they have seen or heard antisemitic incidents. This increases to eight in 10 (83%) among young Jewish adults.
The detractors will discount this study by saying that antisemitism is “in the eye of the beholder” and the ADL is in the business of seeing antisemitism everywhere. But one cannot ignore the vandalism in synagogues and the attacks (sometimes resulting in death) on Jews and Jewish organizations. We cannot let people gaslight us. Nor can we be blamed for wanting to protect ourselves whether it is directly or via a government that takes a strong position against antisemitism.
Many people are hailing the fact that Trump has taken money from Columbia University because it has not protected the Jews on its campus, demonstrating himself as a protector of Jews. Others of us fear that Trump is using the cause of antisemitism as an excuse to limit free speech,to curtail civil liberties, or to defund universities that he might politically disagree with, impeding research in the name of political grudges. None of us wants to be harassed for being Jewish but we also don’t want to be used as scapegoats or as a front for hidden agendas.
Many believe that Jews, like any other ethnic group, deserve a homeland. The archaeological record shows that Jews have been living in the land of Israel for over three thousand years. The UN granted Jews the right to have a state in November of 1947, a direct result of the destruction suffered during the Holocaust and solution for the subsequent refugee crisis. Many people feel that the fact that Trump is a disrupter is a good thing because the current stalemate in the Middle East is not working. We need new ideas for solutions in this region. But can we trust Trump? He has proven to be an untrustworthy ally to many other countries. He has broken a myriad of agreements that America has long had in place. Who is to say that he will remain an ally of Israel? Some feel he has flip flopped on American support for Ukraine multiple times in his short tenure. Will he do the same to Israel?
One thing is clear, however: Trump is a disruptor. It is what makes him so appealing to many of his supporters. However, in the beginning of his term, his disruption has seen him brush up against the rule of law and the constitution of this country. Throughout history, the Jews have fared better in stable societies. Jews have thrived where others have thrived, be they Christians, Muslims, Palestinians or Canadians. Similarly, constitutional protections of religious and civil liberties have done more to protect American Jews than any one politician or leader.
Everyone in the body politic prioritizes some things over others. No one person agrees 100% with any specific politician or political party. In fact, one of the things that makes the system work is that the parties have varied and widespread positions which appeal to different segments of the population. A person might like the Republican position on taxes but the Democratic position on social issues and then has to decide which is more important to him. Because of this, it is natural to put our own interests first. We don’t want to get trapped into letting others decide how we should prioritize our interests and opinions. We certainly have a right to worry about our own well-being. Some of us are self-conscious about putting issues surrounding Israel or our Jewish identities before other political issues. However, democracy and stability are Jewish issues.
Civil rights laws protect Jewish ethnicity and nationality and the first amendment protects freedom of religion. But beyond this, Jews have always flourished when granted civil liberties and stability. Thus, anything that weakens the constitution or civil rights laws is a threat to us. We Jews are in a precarious position. We all know what’s bad for the Jews but what is actually good for the Jews remains a question. One thing is certain, many politicians will hide behind eliminating antisemitism and protecting Israel for their own purposes. We need to be wary of being used to further politician’s hidden agendas.
Whether you like or dislike his policies, or anywhere in between, we must not to blindly trust our leaders. To echo what Henri Levi wrote in a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, “Jews have too often, throughout history, been the pawns in the power games of great nations… You know Jewish history too well not to be aware that in this passion of nations that they call nationalism, there lies an infernal machine — one that almost always ends up turning against the Jews.” Past behavior is often a good predictor of the future. Trump has shown himself to be an ally of Israel, but also a quixotic and capricious ally. Therefore, we should use caution before putting our full faith in him.