Letters to the editor

Donald Trump will turn on Israel and the Jews
Donald Trump “supports” Israel for the moment out of simple political expedience. The instant he thinks Jews won’t vote for him in sufficient numbers, he will turn on them, as he turns on everyone whom he sees as “disloyal.” He already laid the groundwork for this in his recent comments that, if he loses in 2024, Jews will bear much of the responsibility (“At antisemitism event, Trump says ‘the Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss’ if he is defeated,” Sept. 27).

That’s a guaranteed recipe for having Trump turn on you. He has no moral commitment to Israel. The moment he thinks he doesn’t need Jews anymore — and that time is approaching, as it does with virtually everyone who flatters themselves as his friends — it’s “goodbye Israel” from Trump.

During his recent debate with Kamala Harris, Trump spread a story about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, that his campaign picked up from Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the national neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe. On Aug. 10, about a dozen masked Blood Tribe members carrying banners adorned with swastikas marched in downtown Springfield. But that source for his debate claim didn’t seem to bother Trump.

Many of Trump’s comments mirror language used by historical antisemites, such as his claim that immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the country. Adolf Hitler used the term “blood poisoning” in “Mein Kampf” to criticize the mixing of races.

Trump has a history of associating with antisemites. Remember how he hosted that dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes? Only weeks before West met with Trump, West threatened on social media to go “death con 3” on “JEWISH PEOPLE!” And Fuentes is a well-known Holocaust denier. He said in one of his social media posts, “Jews have too much power in our society. Christians should have all the power, everyone else very little.” He encouraged people to “kill the globalists” (and we know who antisemites mean when they refer to “globalists”). Fuentes described Jews as “a hostile tribal elite” and called the state of Israel “the anti-Christ.” Did Trump call either of them out for this, or refuse to meet with them? No.

But even if one makes the case that Trump truly didn’t know who he was meeting with, look at what that tells you about how easily manipulated he is by antisemites.

Barak Ravid, a veteran Israeli journalist, interviewed Trump for his 2021 book, “Trump’s Peace: The Abraham Accords and the Reshaping of the Middle East.” Ravid published a transcript of Trump saying that he had fallen out with Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump told Ravid that Netanyahu “made a terrible mistake” by congratulating Joe Biden on his victory in the 2020 election. It was unforgivably disloyal. “**** him,” Trump said of Netanyahu.

Trump will turn on any person, any country that does not kiss his ring. The minute the government of Israel does not do his bidding, he’ll throw it under the same bus that has run over so many Trump allies before.

Jack Bailey
Pittsburgh

Trump is ‘no friend of the Jews’
Last month, Donald Trump said that if he loses the election, Jews would be partly to blame (“At antisemitism event, Trump says ‘the Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss’ if he is defeated,” Sept. 27).

For anyone who has the slightest understanding of history, rhetoric and antisemitism, this was very clearly the echo of something he said to the Proud Boys almost exactly four years ago: “Stand back and stand by.” It was a signal to his followers that, should he lose, the Jews should be the first target of their rage. It was a call to rampage. It was a call to a widespread pogrom.

Donald Trump is no friend of the Jews, or of Israel. Anyone who thinks he’s the better choice, on this or on any other issue, is misled.

Naomi Weisberg Siegel
Pittsburgh

Trump and ‘fighting antisemitism’
It is ironic that Donald Trump, one of the greatest haters and dividers in history, appeared and spoke at a “Fighting Antisemitism” forum in Washington, D. C., claiming to be a friend of Israel and of Jews (“At antisemitism event, Trump says ‘the Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss’ if he is defeated,” Sept. 27).

True to form, Trump displayed his hatred for the majority of the members of our faith who dare to vote in a manner he cannot abide: to cast our ballots for Democrats. Not only did he again question such Jewish voters’ mental state, but he endangered us as he has intentionally done to so many who have crossed him, placing a target on our backs by stating that if he loses the upcoming election (God willing), the Jews will be to blame. In an era in which there are many crazed followers of his, who lap up and accept everything he says, such a comment is not only highly offensive, but reckless. Those of us with open eyes, ears and minds saw the result of his most fervent supporters following his incitement to violence on this country’s modern day of infamy, Jan. 6, 2021, the day on which a worried world looked on with incredulity as Trump supporters desecrated the Capitol and attempted to overthrow a duly-elected government.

His idiocy and infantile nature were also demonstrated in his using this event to label Jewish Democratic Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer as “a Palestinian.” He also has attempted to convince voters that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris “hates Israel,” — this as the Biden/Harris administration has been one of the strongest supporters of the Jewish state since its inception.

The return of Donald Trump to the White House would be a calamity: a mandate for continued chaos, division and malice, particularly against “the other.”

Oren Spiegler
Peters Township

The quest for a shared society continues
I attended the JCC event with Mohammad Darawshe mentioned in the Chronicle’s Sept 27 issue (“Quest for shared society in Israel involves Pittsburghers”). I stood and asked Mr. Darawshe how he thinks the Arab-Israeli conflict has changed over the past 40 years.

I met Mohammad for the first time 40 years ago. I was a member of a group of Americans planning to move to Israel. He joined us at one of our meetings. One memory that stuck with me all these years is when we all stood and sang “Hatikva.” Glancing at Mohammad, standing silently with these young idealistic Jews, I wondered, “What’s his hope?” Shortly after that, we arrived to an Israel at war. The war was called Mivtzah Shalom Hagalil (Operation Peace for the Galilee). It was supposed to bring peace to the residents of northern Israel, who were under constant threat from missile attacks from Lebanon.

And here we are, 40 years later, with tens of thousands of northern Israeli residents displaced from their homes due to a rain of missiles from Lebanon. Thousands of Lebanese fled their homes due to Hezbollah embedding their missiles in residential areas.

It was nice to hear from Mohammad that small steps of progress are being made to bridge the Arab-Jewish conflict, but until the bigger issues of the conflict are solved on a national level, sadly, the suffering of Jews and Arabs will continue.

Mitchell Nyer
Pittsburgh

Good wishes missing
The pages of the Sept. 27 issue of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle are filled with good wishes for the New Year of 5785 from many of our current and want-to-be future leaders, from our Pittsburgh City Council, Allegheny County government, the governor of Pennsylvania and Congress members.

There is one Pennsylvania leader who is conspicuous by her absence. I wonder why.

Sheryl Stolzenberg
Pittsburgh