I Am Both A Proud American, And A Proud Jew And Supporter Of Israel

Following the terrorist assault by Hamas against Israel on 10/7/23, a number of Jewish actors have been speaking out in defense of Israel and the Jewish people.  It has been my opinion that it is imperative for all Jews to speak out against the rising Jew hatred and Israel hatred following 10/7.  One actor, in particular, has been quite forceful in speaking out, and that is Michael Rapaport.  Acknowledging that his public support for Israel has cost him to lose acting jobes, he said "I don't have the slightest bit of regret." 

"There was no choice...Being supportive of Jews, being supportive of Israel, being supportive of our people was not a choice.  It was, and is, very organic to me."  Which raises an imteresting issue for those of us who are Jewish.  Is our Judaism something with which we identify only in rebuttal to the antisemites?  Or is it an important part of our lives?  Part of our self-identity?  

I have repeatedly said in the blog that antiseitism must always be fought, whether it comes from the Left, the Right, or radical Islam.  Without rebuttal, we risk letting it spread and grow.  I came across an article about a Pastor who has a podcast.  And he is quite antisemitic.  Here is something he said:  "Jews in the Biblical sense, right, they do not exist today anymore, right?...It's only Christians and non-Christians."  

Here are a couple of questions for this Pastor.  How do you explain the fact that Jews around the world have just finished celebrating the holiday of Passover (the story of the Jewish people's Exodus from Egypt)?  How do you explain that Jews everywhere celebrate Passover at the same time, and say the same prayers?  How do you explain that Jews have been celebrating Passover for over 3000 years?  Not the Jews of the Bible?  Really?  This false assertion is just a way for the antisemites to deny the Jewish people's connection to the land of Israel. 

Professor Gil Troy had an interesting article in the April 4-10, 2025 edition of the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles.  Quoting a Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz, we hear:  "I am a Jew grateful to have been born and raised here in America.  I pledge allegiance to our flag of the United States of America.  I also recognize my shared connection to Jews everywhere.  The Jewish people is my ancestry, and it's my extended family.  As part of the Jewish people, I maintain a loyalty to the Jewish state, the State of Israel."

I agree with Rabbi Lebovitz.  It is no secret to readers of this blog about my feelings for America.  Nor is it any secret about my feelings for the State of Israel.  Dual loyalty?  No more than millions of other Americans.  Those who proudly identify as Italian Americans or Irish Americans or African Americans are rarely accused of dual loyalty.  Are Catholic Americans accused of dual loyalty to the Pope and the Church?  But "dual loyalty" is simply another unfounded accusation thrown at the Jews, usually by antisemites.

My Judaism has always been important to me.  Not just as a rebuttal to the antisemites.  I have enjoyed going to religious services.  I have found it to be meaningful personally.  And, as I have, of late, attended services at Chabad, I will say that I have found the Chabad Rabbis to deliver sermons that are particularly inspiring and meaningful.

But what about leftwing Jews?  I ask that becuse I have had a long running disagreement with another Jewish friend, who is also politically conservative, about his attitudes toward leftwing Jews.  He feels no greater affinity for those Jews than he does for others who are on the Left.  And he has no particular affinity for people on the Left.  

I'm with Rabbi Lebovitz, and all the Chabad Rabbis that I know.  Rabbi Lebovitz:  "Our defining American Jewish mission must be to cultivate our sense of peoplehood...We must see our fellow Jews as our family, as our priority."  Of course, given my politically conservative outlook, it does not mean that I never struggle with my allegiance to all of the Jewish people.  But I have done my best to support and identify with the Jewish people everywhere.  Notwithstanding how much I may argue with some of them, or want to give some a klop on the side of their head.     

A Reply to the Last Three Comments on the Blog

Each of my last 3 posts has a comment by "Anonymous."  As the comments were all written within a short time frame, I'm assuming the same person wrote all 3 comments.  I have a reply to some parts of those comments.

In the first post ("It's Time To Replace Musk At DOGE," 3/27/25), anonymous asserts that he has not seen any evidence of fraud and abuse, that it's "bs."  Is that a joke?  A quick Google search took me to the US GAO.  "As of December 31, 2024, the Department of Justice has publicly announced criminal fraud-related charges involving pandemic-relief progams against at least 3,096 defendants - which can be individuals or entities."  That took no time to find.  And that's over 3000 criminal complaints from just a single, time-limited government program.  You will also note, anonymous, that the ending date is 12/31/24, when Biden was still President.   

In the second post ("More About Mahmoud Khalil," 4/2/25), anonymous says that it is "disconcerting that the doctor and Khalil push such hateful agendas."  Other than the understatement, I agree.  He then says the best way to deal with such speech is "to rebut them publically in a big way."  First, if you would like to comment further, anonymous, I would like to know what you specifically have done to "rebut them publically in a big way."  And while I agree that is the proper approach for rebutting an American citizen, I don't agree that should be the approach for non-citizens.

Not when we have another option - deporting them.  American citizens are given the right to speak their minds under our First Amenment.  I'm a big believer in it.  But why in the world would we allow someone who has been given the privilege of coming to our country with a visa or green card, the opportunity to spew hate speech against Americans, to speak against the foreign policy of our duly elected government, and most shockingly - call for the overthrow of our government.  Are you really suggesting, anonymous, that our only recourse against foreigners who call for the destruction of our country is to "rebut them publically in a big way?"  

What if someone broke into your home, and declared that they not only had the right to be there, but that they also should be able to "overthrow" (evict) the exisiting residents - you and your family.  Would you really say that the proper way to deal with them would be to speak out publicly against them?   Because I'm willing to bet that you would call the police and ask the police to kick them the hell out.    

In the last post ("Do You Have Remorse Having Voted For Trump?", 4/4/25), I am faced with a rather lengthy diatribe by anonymous.  First, Anonymous tells me that I should give examples of "woke or DEI."  Well, I hate to repeat myself, so I won't.  Please reread the post, anonymous, for some examples.  Anonymous says that I am greatly exaggerating the number of criminals who have entered the country illegally.  I have never understood that argument.  One criminal entering the country illegally is too many.  We have enough of our own home grown criminals already.  But I am glad to see that anonymous agrees that criminal aliens should be deported.  (I won't discuss here whether everyone who enters the country illegally is, by definition, a criminal.)

Customs and Border Protection reports the following numbers during the Biden Administration.  Fiscal Year 2021, 10,763, FY 2022 12,028, FY 2023 15,267 and FY 2024 17,048.  That's "only" 55,106 criminal illegal aliens.  Not too many for you, anonymous?  But it turns out that those people have already been convicted of a crime.  The US House of Representatives reported that 1.9 million illegal aliens during Biden's term were "gotaways."  Who are they?  Gang members?  Cartel members?  Human traffickers?  Drug traffickers?  Shouldn't we want to know?

It is insanity to have an open border policy, where we do not vet every single person coming into the country.  I appreciate Anonymous saying that immigrants are needed to work in the farm and hopitality industries, and that we need a system to allow for "these folks to work here legally."  But in the meantime, do we allow them in without knowing who they are, and let employers pay them low wages?  I have advocated for decades that Congress needs to address the issue of "legal" immigration, so that we get the people in who will be a benefit to the United States.  That does not seem to be happening.

I'll end with 2 issues I will not address here, other than to say, I did not address either one these issues (tariffs and the trans population), so I am not sure how they came up in your comment.