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Guest column

Arthur M. Horwitz
Publisher / Executive Editor
ahorwitz@renmedia.us

Nearly A Quarter Of Jews Choose Trump. Why?

D

espite troubling anti-Semitic
themes in his campaign and at
least two rebukes from the Anti-
Defamation League (ADL), President-Elect
Donald J. Trump received 24 percent of the
Jewish vote, according to early analyses.
That’s about average
for a Republican because
Jews, given their support
of liberal policies, gener-
ally vote for Democrats.
Hillary Clinton, Trump’s
opponent, received 71
percent, slightly better
than President Barack
Berl Falbaum
Obama’s 69 percent in
2012. But, it was signifi-
cantly lower than Obama’s 80 percent in
2008, John Kerry’s 74 percent in 2004 and Al
Gore’s 79 percent in 2000.
Let’s put this into some historical context:
Republican President Dwight D.
Eisenhower received 40 percent, the second-
highest percent of votes from Jews, in
1956 when he ran for re-election against
Democrat Adlai Stevenson. The previous
high of 43 percent for a Republican was gar-
nered by Warren G. Harding.
President Ronald Reagan’s percentage of
the Jewish vote was right behind Eisenhower
with 39 percent in 1980. That total was
achieved because Jews abandoned President
Jimmy Carter, giving him only 45 percent of
the vote in 1980. The drop from 71 percent
for Carter in 1976 was a result of his anti-
Israel policies.
In 1988, George H.W. Bush (41) polled 35
percent of the Jewish vote against Democrat
Michael Dukakis, but in his reelection bid
four years later, his Jewish support dropped
to 11 percent, among the lowest ever for
a Republican. He suffered a rebuke from
Jewish voters because, at one point in his
presidency, he complained about the “Jewish
lobby.”
Another important race relating to the
Jewish vote was in 2000 when Joe Lieberman
ran for vice president with Al Gore. He was
the first Jew to run for national office on a
major party ticket. As a result, George W.
Bush received only 19 percent of the vote,
but that grew to 24 percent in 2004 — the
same percentage that Trump received.

TRUMP’S ANTISEMITIC SUPPORT
But Trump’s support from Jews is par-
ticularly noteworthy (and, one might add,
depressing) given his campaign was replete
with anti-Semitic overtones.
The ADL twice criticized Trump for using
language associated with The Protocols of the
Elders of Zion, both in his speeches and in
his last TV ad. Finally, the ADL apparently
considered Trump’s donations to the ADL
tainted and “redirected” his money (about
$56,000 over 10 years) to anti-bias and anti-

6 November 17 • 2016

bullying projects.
Also troubling, Trump hired Stephen
Bannon, an alt-right-winger, as his last
campaign manager and, since the election,
appointed him his senior counselor and
chief strategist.
Regarding Bannon, Buzz Feed News
reported that he allegedly stated he did
not like his children going to school with
too many Jewish students, according to a
divorce lawsuit filed by his wife in 2007.
More disconcerting was the fact that
former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David
Duke endorsed Trump, stating he was “over-
joyed” by Trump’s candidacy, and when
Trump won, Duke said, “It was one of the
most exciting nights of my life.”
The Crusader, the KKK’s official newspa-
per, also endorsed Trump.
More support came from Andrew Anglin,
founder of the neo-Nazi website Daily
Stormer, who stated proudly, “[The group]
supports Trump because he is the savior of
the White race. Sent by God to free us from
the shackles of the Jew occupation and to
establish a 1,000-year Reich.”
The leader of the American Nazi Party,
Rocky Suhayda, chimed in that a Trump
presidency would be a great victory and a
“real opportunity” for white nationalists
to expand and build their coalition in the
United States.
At one point, Trump’s campaign distrib-
uted an anti-Semitic caricature. It featured
Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent,
surrounded by $100 bills and superimposed
was the Star of David. The caption read,
“Most Corrupt Candidate Ever!”
Trump’s apologists, including Jewish ones,
defended Trump, stating the star was a
sheriff ’s badge. The problem: The caricature
was taken directly from a neo-Nazi white
supremacy website.
The hateful atmosphere Trump cre-
ated surfaced at the Republican National
Convention when a torrent of anti-Semitic
slurs flooded the RNC’s chat room. This
happened on the first day of the convention
when the former governor of Hawaii, Linda
Lingle, was speaking. She is Jewish.
Some of the comments: “Press H for
Hitler,” “Kike,” “Don’t Forget the 6 Gorillian,”
“Trump 2016! Build a wall!” “Oy Veh” and
“Ban Jews.”
Not only had the campaign refused to dis-
avow anti-Semitism, but some media outlets
said in news accounts that the campaign
retweeted anti-Semitic slurs. At one point, it
was reported Trump supporters tweeted 2.6
million anti-Semitic messages.
Indeed, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a
staunch Trump supporter who introduced
Trump at a rally, retweeted an anti-Semitic
message, reading: “The corrupt Democratic
machine will do and say anything to get
#NeverHillary into power. This is a new low.

Not anymore, Jews. Not Anymore.”
Journalists, particularly Jewish ones, were
continually threatened, and a website was
created listing their names.
Which brings us to Trump and Israel. He
has stated that he is “very pro-Israel,” but he
added he would be “neutral” in mediating
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which, obvi-
ously, is a contradiction, and more than puz-
zling as to what he meant.
When he spoke at AIPAC, the organiza-
tion’s president, Lillian Pinkus, was forced
to apologize for Trump’s offensive remarks.
Several AIPAC members walked out during
his speech.
Jay Michaelson, a columnist for The
Forward, wrote a long, analytical piece on
Trump and Israel, concluding that he would
be a disaster for Israel. He expressed concern
that “Despite grave reservations, many Jews
… are supporting Trump because of Israel.”
The key problems, Michaelson wrote,
were Trump’s inconsistency, extremism,
volatility and isolationism. “Don’t just trust
your gut. Don’t shoot from the hip. Think
for a moment. President Trump would be
Israel’s worst nightmare,” he wrote.
Given the record, it would seem that 24
percent of Jewish support for Trump is 24
percent too much.

*

A veteran West Bloomfield journalist and author of eight
books, Berl Falbaum, was an adjunct journalism faculty
member at Wayne State University for 45 years.

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