22 April 11 • 2019
jn
Michigan Jews Focus
of Trump 2020 Push
R
epublicans are planning a
multimillion-dollar push
directed at Jewish commu-
nities in a handful of battleground
states in 2020, including Michigan,
in support of President Donald
Trump’
s 2020 re-election campaign.
According to reports Sunday
on Politico, the Republican Jewish
Coalition (RJC) will be spearhead-
ing these efforts.
“We are at the intersection of a
very unique moment in time where
we have the most pro-Israel pres-
ident ever in history in Donald
Trump, and we also at the same
time have a Democratic party —
because of the pressure of the pro-
gressive left — moving away from
the traditional support for Israel
that has existed going back to 1948,”
said RJC executive director Matt
Brooks.
“This strain within the
Democratic party is making those
centrist and center-left Jews who
care about these issues feel more
and more uncomfortable; and with
the strength of Donald Trump
and the Republican party on these
issues, we believe we’
ll be able
to bring these folks over to the
Republican side,” he added.
While Brooks didn’
t mention
which states the RJC will be target-
ing, former George W. Bush Press
Secretary Ari Fleischer — who is
also an RJC member — said that “if
you accept that there are sizeable
Jewish populations in Florida, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Michigan, the
Jewish vote, if we can make addi-
tional inroads, can be very helpful
in putting you over the top. The
White House knows this.”
In 2016, Trump carried Michigan
by 10,704 votes.
The 2018 Detroit Jewish
Population Study, sponsored
through the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, found that
68,600 persons 18 years of age or
older residing in Metro Detroit
Jewish households are registered
to vote, and that 94 percent did so
in 2016. The study found that 51
percent of these voters self-iden-
tified as Democrats, 15 percent
as Republicans and 34 percent as
Independents, the largest number
of Independents of 15 similarly
sized Jewish communities studied in
recent years.
Regarding the Republican push
toward drawing Jewish voters to its
ranks, Jewish Democratic Council
of America Executive Director Halie
Soifer said, “This is not new. We’
ve
seen different iterations of this in
previous elections either in midterm
or presidential elections, and each
time it’
s kind of repackaged with
a different narrative in an attempt
by Republicans to chip away at the
Jewish vote — and every time it
fails.” ■
jews d
in
the
ABOVE: President Donald Trump gestures
after speaking during the Republican Jewish
Coalition’
s annual leadership meeting at The
Venetian Las Vegas, April 6, 2019.
ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES/JTA
Wednesda
y, Ma
y 1, 2019
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
27375 Bell Road | Southfield | 48034
Congrega
tion Shaarey Zedek Sisterhood
presents
our community’s annual women’s da
y out!
Free Pop-up shopping, open to the community
Familiar faces and many exciting new additions in apparel,
artistry, jewelry, judaica and more!
Pa
tron Pre-glow | Luncheon and program
Compliment
ary V
alet Parking
Tickets and Pa
tron opportunities a
v
ailable!
sisterhood@shaareyzedek.org | llnwomansworld.org
248.357.5544
Follow us on Facebook
And
r
e
w
Gr
o
ss
Sa
nd
y
Sc
h
w
a
r
t
z
New York times
Bestselling Author
special guest
Woman of v
alor
community Leader