President Trump and the Jews

It is disappointing and hard to explain.  Probably 80% of the Jewish people I know not only do not like Trump, they hate him.  Yet, there has not been a better president ever for the Jewish people.  Recall that in Trump's first term, he moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel's capital city of Jerusalem.  The city where Congress said it should be.  He recognized Israeli sovereignty over the strategic Golan Heights.  He stopped funding UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority.  The PA under Abbas has continued to reward terrorists who kill Jews (pay for slay).  And he was instrumental in negotiating the Abraham Accords between Israel and four Arab countries.

Now we are only about two months into Trump's second term.  Yet already, Trump has done much for the Jewish people.  Trump appointed well known civil rights attorney Leo Terrell to head the Department of Justice's "Task Force to Combat Antisemitism."  Education Secretary Linda McMahon has warned schools across the country that they need to protect Jewish students.  Trump froze $400 million in federal money (grants and contracts) that was to be given to Columbia University.  Maybe they'll get the message that they need to do more to protect their Jewish students.

Trump is trying to deport Israel hater Mahmoud Khalil (see the immediate prior post).  When Biden was in office, Columbia took little action to expel students who violated school policy with their protests shutting down parts of the campus.  While some were arrested by the NYPD, the Manhattan DA ultimately dropped most charges.  Trump wants to do better.  

Trump has started a campaign against the Houthis, a terrorist group that now controls most of Yemen.    The US military has been conducting airstrikes against the Houthis and Trump has said they will continue until the Houthis agree to stop targeting American and other ships.  What has this got to do with the Jews?  The Houthis also launched missile attacks into Israel during this current war with Hamas.  Anything that weakens the Houthis is good for Israel.  

The 3/15/25 online edition of the New York Post had an Op-Ed by a David Christopher Kaufman.  The title of the Op-Ed was "When will 'sideline' Jews finally speak up against their haters?"  I have often discussed with my wife that there are many famous Jewish people in Hollywood, and we agreed that it would be nice if more spoke out against the growing antisemitism and Jew-haters.  Yet, these same people have had no problem speaking on behalf of other minorities.  Those who do speak out deserve our praise, because they know they will be catching flak from much of the Hollywood community.

Those Jews speaking out to defend the Jewish people against antisemitism, include Debra Messing. Michael Rapaport, Amy Schumer, Jerry Seinfeld and David Schwimmer.  Michael Rapaport, upon hearing that the Trump Administration revoked Mahmoud Khalil's visa and green card, said "Good, good, good, you f..k."  After Khalil's wife said he was kidnapped, Rapaport went off on her:  "You have the audacity, the balls, the gall to use that word 'kidnapped' when there are 59 hostages who have been kidnapped for 520 plus days, and you're talking about your husband who's a terrorist groupie...here in this country on a student visa, and then had the honor and privilege of getting a green card...and you got the balls and audacity to say that your punk ass husband was kidnapped?...Why weren't you telling your husband, 'Yo Khalil, why don't you get a job, save up.  I'm 8 months pregnant.'"   

On the other hand, we have Jesse Eisenberg.  You may recall he played Mark Zuckerberg in the movie about Facebook, "The Social Network."  And he was up for an Oscar this year.  Here is his incredibly ignorant comment about the Holocaust.  "I think my family does not think in a kind of tribal way.  And so I think, like, the takeaway from the Holocaust would probably be something more along the lines of, you know, goodness, look what people can do to each other rather than, look what people do to Jews."  If he is truly that ignorant about the Holocaust, and the history of the Jewish people, he should keep his mouth shut.  Because it is hard to imagine a more moronic comment.   

So what does Hollywood have to do with Trump and the Jews.  Because Trump does not give a damn about what Hollywood thinks.  Not like Obama and Biden.  And regardless of what Hollywood Jews may think about Trump, it's past time for them to speak out not only against antisemitism, but in support of Trump's numerous pro-Jewish policies.

I think that Mr. Kaufman in his NY Post Op-Ed (see above) expressed it very well.  "There is no more potent a weapon for Hamas and its global band of sycophants and enablers than Jewish silence.  Which is why the time for Jewish timidity is over.  Love Trump or hate him, if he can commit to defending Jews globally, Jews - even along the sidelines - certainly must too."  Indeed!  

Once again I call upon all my readers who support Israel and the Jewish people, whether Jewish or not, to speak out.  Do not let your silence be seen as acquiescence.  We should always have this goal in mind:  Never Again!  Never again will Jews go silently to the slaughter.  Jews will fight back.  Let's start with speaking out against antisemitism and the Jew-haters.  It's the least we can do.  Am Yisrael Chai!  The people of Israel live.  And all Jews are considered to be the people of Israel.  It's past time to stand up for one another.  Never again!