I do not care for telling people how to vote and charging people with political stupidity is very unlikely to persuade them, but American Jews must sit down and seriously think about their vote.
After reading this essay I thought of an ad in my local Jewish paper that had been paid for by a Democratic organization. Part of the ad had the audacity to say this, "Since 2021, the Vice President has helped lead the most pro Israel administration in 'American history,' standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel as it has faced unprecedented attacks on its homeland and its people." Unfortunately, such blatant lies are believed by many Jews who vote Democrat. One of the problems, and there are many, with Harris, and the Biden administration, is that cowardice seems to reign and votes are more important than a country bombarded with rockets on a daily basis, while Israeli lives are being played on a chess board by the US. She and the others constantly speak of the genocide and the Palestinian people's 'suffering,' and yet they don't seem to care the thousands of surviving Israelis who have no home to go to, the Israelis in the north who had to vacate their homes and are still without them. They also disregard the lives of babies growing in the womb in favor of late term abortion. This has nothing to do with my position on abortion, merely citing the hypocrisy of this woman. At a rally the other day, two Christian students attended and when she spoke about abortion, they shouted out 'Christ is King' and 'Jesus is Lord.' They were mocked by the crowd and she commented to them that they were at the wrong rally. Where was her sarcastic voice when she could have responded to the Progressive Lefty calling out the Jews for genocide? MIA. Whether you like Trump or not, he will speak directly to an issue, has done more for Israel than any president and continues to speak out in his favoable support of Israel and how they are fighting the war. What you've said may change the minds of some Democrat voting Jews, but unfortunately not enough of them. The Jews who support her must feel a great comfort and safety in their lives to think that they will remain unscathed by anti-Semitism. For their sake, I hope they are right.
The American Jewish community has been marginalizing by the Obama led Democratic Party which still dreams of a two state solution thinks Iran is a rational partner and hates Israel
I disagree, which is rare for your terrific essays. I believe that Harris is trying to get elected and may say anything to do so, including appearing to agree with an idiot heckler. But in terms of character she is head and shoulders above Donald. If you believe Harris's response to a heckler, do you believe Trump's saying Jews would be responsible if he lost this election? How would he act on that, if elected. A vote for Trump is not a vote for Israel, but a vote against our democracy. And, it is on our democracy that Israel's (and American Jews) survival depends.
Harris' character is not better than Trump's. Let's not forget that she hid Biden's incompetence and lack of mental acuity and at the first chance she got threw him off the cliff to become the nominee without as much as 1 vote. It looks like the DNC disenfranchised over 14 million voters which in my book is an even bigger threat to our Democratic elections. It appears that they do all of what they accuse Trump of doing. Listen I don't like the guy's personality but he has done more for Israel than any American president in last two decades and his daughter and some of his grandchildren are Jewish. We know what he did for this country while in office and all I hear from Harris is she can think of nothing she would different than Biden and everything is Trump's fault with inciteful hate words. No one knows her policies or who she truly is. She is a bad chameleon who changes her accents, race, and thoughts depending on her audience. Don't know but I can't take a change on my children's and grandchildren survival in this country by voting Democrat. The Democratic Party I grew up with no longer exists and the current party doesn't care about my life no my tribe's life siding with terrorists.
It’s a problem all over the West. Left wing parties have gone to extremes. Harris reminds me of our PM Trudeau in Canada who went too far left and is in deep trouble in the polls.
Thank you. You are correct. Trump does care about Israel, the Jewish people and fears G-d. He supports Israel no hesitation. He is the Darius of this age. The blinders put on by decades of propaganda have to fall off. I'll pray for clarity & discernment. I already voted for Trump. Israel & USA can't afford another democrat for a long while. We have to fix the present mess, detox our government system and rebuild.
This essay should be read in every synagogue (especially Reform), at meetings of all Jewish organizations, at Hillel on embattled college campuses. As the author writes, American Jews should not be told how to vote. However, American Jews must THINK about their votes and what it means, not just for the next four years but for the next generation.
Kerstein's article ignores American Jewish history, and the fascist Trump agenda. Biden is the best president that has supported Israel in American history. He has given Israel 100% of what it asked for, while Trump is antithetical to Jewish values. This is evident, so it's not clear what Kerstein is promoting.
I would vote for Kamala’s brain in a jar before I’d vote for fascist Trump.
And don’t kid yourselves, a Trump win will get you President Vance, a wholly owned subsidiary of tech bro billionaire fascists Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, David Sacks, and Marc Andreeson. If you’d like to learn about their political philosophy, Google their thought leader, creepy incel weirdo Curtis Yarvin. Yarvin’s dream is to make genocide comfortable for all non techies, so we will leave the geniuses alone and let them innovate in peace. I could not make this shite up.
Anyway, I’d give a President Trump a month before Vance ousts him via the 25th A or some other way. These billionaires are already friendly with the Prince of Poisonings - Putin.
I’ve already cast my vote for Harris/Walz and Dems all the way down the ballot.
Oh yeah, and I hadn’t even mentioned women’s healthcare yet. Jewish law does not allow a fetus in utero to be prioritized over the life of the mother. Women are DYING from being refused life saving care needed following complications from pregnancies. Even if I didn’t believe Trump was a fascist, I don’t believe he or any other Republican would reverse course on what they’ve unleashed with Dobbs.
It’s sad to me that so many of the commenters (and the author of the piece) value women’s lives so little.
Harris/Walz to preserve our constitutional republic and to stop the tragic and preventable deaths of young women.
I don’t worry for a second that Harris will abandon Israel. I do wish Israel would get rid of Bibi so he can finish out his days in prison for his financial crimes which include bribery and embezzlement and the country can return to secular rule.
Trump is loyal to Trump. He’ll promise anyone anything to get what he wants, which in this case is to avoid prison, but when it comes time to fulfill his end of the bargain, it will be, “Israel, I never knew you. Jews, meh. Not enough of you voted for me - how about joining the immigrants in my new Trump Camps?”
Apologies for my ignorance of your native tongue, but I don’t know any Trump voters and the Republicans I know can’t wait to be rid of that piece of dreck?
Let me know if I’ve properly translated your message and give my regards to your mom next time you leave your basement
I bet you blocked my reply about your translation of my message. Anyway you didn’t get your wish about getting rid of our President. You should happy that we aren’t stuck with the head of the Biden crime family or the BJ queen.
I think you are a head case. My mom has been dead a long time and survived the Holocaust. Were she alive she could probably tell you the difference between a fascist and a Republican or Hitler and President to be Trump even though she never had the opportunity to go to school. Idjit is often how the Irish pronounce it and I thought I was being kind and someone like you would not know that it is idiot misspelled. But you were astute enough that I just couldn't fool you. At least I know the difference between a fascist and Trump. If you really had any understanding what Hitler and the Nazis did to six million Jews and the effect on the survivors you would laud Trump who has done more for Jews than any previous President by far. In fact if you look in the mirror you and Biden/Harris are more fascist than Trump. It's really amazing how stupid so many Jews are when they can't see what is so despicable of many Democrats to wit Schumer, Nadler, Schiff Blinken. I presume you are one of those Jews. Unlike your beloved Biden who spent more time in basements than working ,I have no basement. Maybe your problem is that you don't know any Republicans. If you did you might learn something. I doubt it. I think that diseases like TDS are incurable and so many like you are insufferable. I stand by my view, Idjit.
What makes you think we haven’t? Many of us have also read Curtis Yarvin, Merge the two and you have a very creepy agenda for the country and an even creepier fate for the non-fascists of America.
Because if you have read it you wouldn’t support a racist impeached Nazi lover. Anyone see his promised taxes yet? Everyone supporting his Covid support to Putin when he ignored Americans? You trumpsters support his Jan. 6 ‘day of love’ when people died, destroyed the Capital bldng. & they smeared shit all over the walls & he was home watching TV? How can anyone lower their standards to support such a sad & pathetic human being?
I’m all in for Harris/Walz. Voted on the 1st day of early voting. Where on earth did you get the idea I voted for the corrupt racist rapist fraudster who tried to overturn a free and fair election and cheered on the mob who wanted to hang his own VP?
Ok good. I definitely don’t want to be mistaken for someone who voted for fascism and against democracy. I forgot I muted one or two people on this thread and can no longer see their comments, so probably you were talking to one of them.
I would certainly rather have a guy who’s prejudice towards me runs to trusting me with his money than a beotch who’s Jewish by injection because she’s married to a philandering JINO but hears the “plight” of the people who want to destroy me because of my Jewishness, just saying.
It is shameful and shocking to think the Jewish community could throw support to a man who had said he admires Hitler. His own past staff says he is a menace to our country.
Kamela’s remark was to acknowledge the carnage taking place right now.
Actions speak louder than words. The Biden administration has sent weapons and assistance on the ground. More than any other president.
And… how can you consider voting for a man who has put your wives and daughters in danger should a complication happen in pregnancy and an abortion is required to save her life?
You are defending a man who publicly. at a rally, admired Arnold Palmers penis size. Watch out. He may make circumcision illegal
Easily he has demonstrated time and time again all bullshit aside to be an unequivocal supporter of the Jewish state and people. Open your eyes the Dems have embraced Islamist ideology look at CLDP.org and then get back to me.
Kafr may be a Trump troll because he doesn't know that Biden is the best supporter of Israel in history. He has supplied the 60 bunker buster bombs that killed the Hamas leader, and all the military hardware they asked for.
No not a Trump fan in any way. But Biden and his mentor Barack Hussein Obama have used the leverage of foreign aid to hamper the Israeli response to an ideology calling for the destruction of Israel and the annihilation of the Jewish people. It is not Islamophobia to read the Koran and Hamas charter and Fatah charter to understand the literature of a people committed to wiping you from the face of the earth. I believe what they say. Mr Epstein I believe you would do well to abandon an attitude of contempt without prior investigation. Strategically the Obama aid deal bankrupted much of the Israeli defense/military industry by giving free weaponry with strings attached. Downright evil! Being hampered in freedom of maneuver during wartime by your hero Biden only prolongs the war.
Anyone supporting the likes of Biden, Harris, Schumer, Sanders, Nadler, Obama and the like can't be Jewish.....unless they are totally ignorant or completely misinformed. Calling Trump Hitler should be an insult to anyone who knows anything about what a Nazi is or what happened to the world's Jewish population because of Hitler and the Nazi's.
Alan Dershowitz, America’s singular master of constitutional law, just publicly left the Democratic Party. We desperately need the Orange bull in the China closet right now. Trump is dedicated to Israel —he’s proven that—and there is not a cell of antisemitism in his make up. The late Roy Cohn was his closest attorney and friend…just saying…egregious but sincere has its necessity.
Roy Cohn was the most despicable person in American Jewish history, while Dershowitz lost his credibility years ago. Biden is Israel's best supporter in history, but Miriamne obviously doesn't know history.
Biden has a funny way of showing his support for Israel and please save the hyperbolic statement for something worthwhile. Biden lectured Begin on the Israeli settlements as a young senator and was not diplomatic in doing so. Fortunately, Begin gave him a history lesson.
You know how Roy Cohn’s life ended? He died of AIDS alone. He was an absolutely despicable American, as sociopathic as Trump, & deserved to be alone. But his best friend Donald had abandoned him years prior, either when he was no longer useful or became too sick to be useful. That’s Donald in a nutshell. Sound like a beautiful friendship?
Did you know that Roy Cohn served Senator Joe McCarthy in his efforts to root out “communists” in America? Heard of McCarthyism?
I really can't see what the objection is to Donald Trump. He did more good in his four-year term than any president for a long time. However, the election was stolen from him, and it looks very much as though that is going to happen again. If it does, I'm afraid things are going to go badly wrong for everybody, including the Jews. I really hope the Americans can prevent this voter fraud from happening again.
Alison is brainwashed. There were extensive investigations by Republicans that showed Trump LOST the election, but convincing Alison is a waste of time.
I don’t think the election was stolen but I think Trump would be better for Israel. He won’t keep funding Iran. The Dems didn’t used to have a thing for the Ayatollahs. It started with Obama and Biden has followed. There’s no doubt where Harris would stand.
Election was stolen. Censorship by the media and denials by the Dems of the Hunter laptop, and complicity of the deep state operatives deprived voters of knowing the truth about the Biden crime family
Ben, I recommend that you try to get this piece placed in The Free Press or Tablet/The Scroll. You’d get a much better cross-section of American Jews’ response to the election. The bat signal has clearly gone out here, which doesn’t reflect the 40/60 R/D recent polling of American Jews.
By the way, my legal, immigrant ancestors were Socialists, Communists and eventually liberal Democrats. If they were alive today, they’d be voting Republican due to the Democrats’ embrace of illegal immigration, which depresses the wages of the working poor, which they were; the substitution of DEI for merit; and the hostility to Jews and Israel.
I find this editorial offensive. I am an Israeli American whose mother was born in Jerusalem in 1928, fought in the infantry for Israel's survival in 1948 and was then accepted to the Israel Philharmonic as a violinist. I have been to Israel many times, have a large family and friend group there and speak fluent Hebrew.
I am voting for Harris, so is my mother, who is now 96 and living in New York, and so is her entire extended family of nine grandchildren and their s/o's.
Kerstein begins disingenuously by saying "I do not care for telling people how to vote and charging people with political stupidity is very unlikely to persuade them, but..." the subtext of which is "but I am telling you how to vote and if you don't listen to me you suffer from political stupidity."
He then proceeds to give an utterly one-sided account, casting Harris as a venal, borderline anti-Semitic, genocide supporting sociopath. None of this is true. Judging by the actions of the Biden – Harris administration, they have been among the greatest friends Israel has ever had. Despite what you may read or hear, the US has sent $18 billion of military equipment to Israel since October 7. it has sent full carrier groups to the Mediterranean to protect Israel and intimidate her enemies, and not once but twice has helped shoot down the cruise and ballistic missile attacks from a run and Yemen they have also vetoed resolutions at the UN
Friends are free to tell friends when they disagree with them and they may be right or wrong. But the best friends are those who support you when the chips are down as Harris most assuredly will Israel
On the other hand, we have a diagnosable narcissistic sociopath who can barely speak without lying. He says what you want to hear because he has a genius for intuiting that. But his entire history is that he does only what he considers to be in his personal self interest and that glorifies him at any given time. Believe his words at your peril. It is poisoned fruit. Even worse, he has shown alarming signs of cognitive deterioration over the past year or two (ironic considering Biden's history as well).
This is a man who brags about grabbing women by the genitals, cheats on his wife with a porn star and then pays her hush money, and discusses the size of Arnold Palmer's penis at a political rally. He is a candidate who sent precious Covid tests to his buddy Putin for his personal use at a time when there was a shortage in the US. He has relentlessly praised Putin, who is himself a friend to Iran, Israel's and the West's implacable enemy. He encouraged the only domestic attack on the US Capitol in our history, attempted to overthrow the results of a free and fair election, and has spoken repeatedly about his intent not to respect the results of this election. He has further talked about using the army to go after his political opponents, has sown divisiveness throughout the country, has entertained the variant anti-Semites Nick Fuentes and Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago and has issued anti-Semitic dog whistles such as blaming "the Jews" if he loses the election.
Kerstein is an apparently so untroubled by these deeply troubling facts that he omits them from his essay.
As to Harris' comment regarding the odious heckler at her rally, this is a classic example of twisting a sound bite to suit your narrative. There is nothing in Harris' history in which she has supported the disgusting genocide claim, and her campaign has repudiated it. See here: https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/article-825441.
On the other hand, Trump will sell Israel down the river in a heartbeat if he calculates at any time that he personally will benefit.
Offensive? So anything that goes against your opinion is offensive? That seems borderline fascist. It is okay if you disagree but calling something offensive because you disagree is extreme and uncalled for. Democracy is about plurality of opinion, something to be celebrated, not insulted.
Honestly @Josh, I am surprised that you chose to call this point out (ie., Ron’s “calling it offensive”)- I also would not have used the “O” word word, but I think Ron’s points are excellent and overall, the dialogue here represents plurality, and I’m glad I’ve read each reply and comment here.
I have read your work almost every day since Oct 7, and am very grateful to you (not always your guests but that’s for another day). I share much of what you write with American friends and Israeli family because you are so darn smart and insightful, even if I don’t agree with everything you write (but most of it), I have learned so much and you have influenced my thinking.
Though I’ve thought about it long and hard, and have come close (because of my identity as Jewish American - not American Jew) but I just can’t bring myself to vote for a man as despicable as Trump and all that he and Vance stand for, and I hope and pray that I am doing the right thing.
Thank you @Josh for your dedication to writing, to history and teaching and your passion - love your writing style and this forum you’ve created. Please continue to stick to that, and maybe hold back on the other stuff (though I forgive you since it’s likely part of your passion).
Also, Trump has shown time and time again that he has no limits and will not respect the rule of law. He fomented an attack on the Capitol that threatened his own VP. And he knew about the danger to the VP at the time and said “so?”. This is a deeply immoral man. We just saw him target a vulnerable minority (Haitians) with lies about them eating dogs. You may think it’s a joke but those lies garnered many threats to that community, forcing schools to shut down. (If a guy will do that, he’ll also target Jews. He already has, in his coded, plausibly deniable way - just wait until it becomes overt). He is like pouring gasoline onto a fire. His first act will be to announce the rule of law doesn’t apply when he says it doesn’t - when he pardons the J6ers. That will set the tone. Generally Jews don’t do well in societies where the rule of law has basically collapsed.
Even if I was a single-issue pro-Israel voter, I simply cannot fathom why I think Trump would help this situation. Let’s look at the facts. In the prior admin, Trump did a few high-profile things that helped Israel. A) He moved the embassy, although it turns out he got 20m to do that from Sheldon Adelson, B) he generally followed the policy laid down by Kushner, Friedman and Adelson and pushed the Abraham Accords. He pulled out of the JCPOA (leaving no mechanism and enabling Iran to be where they are now), sanctioned Iran and c) bombed Soleimani. Ok. But all that was before Putin invaded Ukraine.
We know Trump has no policy preferences and no beliefs. A second Trump admin won’t look like the first. The old gang of regular kleptocrats won’t be there to keep his admin “in check.” He’s going to be talking to Putin on the regular. Putin is now tied to Iran more closely than ever, buying arms from them. He’s already talking about making a great deal with them. An article in TOI said that the IDF was concerned Trump was going to tell Bibi to wrap it up. And why wouldn’t he? His base is deeply isolationist. The argument about how much foreign military assistance we send to them resonates with his base because they know nothing about foreign military financing grants and are all too ready to believe that all their money going to Jews is the reason their life is hard. And if/when Bibi pushes back or ignores Trump the way he does Biden, Trump won’t be so nice about it. He’ll get on that bully pulpit and make sure his base knows he is displeased with the Jews. And if you think your sons/daughters will be safer on college campuses, think again. Now the “free Palestine” movement is largely unpopular and seen as extreme. Trump starts making big wild unconstitutional shows against Muslims in this country and all of civil society will (rightly) have to mobilize to defend them. They will become righteous victims, the excesses of “Free Palestine” forgotten, and Jews will be the group allied with the devil. Remember how evangelicals sold their souls to ally with Trump to get their preferred policy outcome and basically lost a good percentage of their adherents? The same would happen to us. Nothing will destroy American Jewry faster than a large % of it being seen as allies to Trump. Destroyed from within and without. All for a man with no loyalty who will throw us under the bus. Because #ETTD (Everything Trump Touches Dies)
Littlemp--Adelson gave Trump $100 MILLION and his wife just gave Trump another $100 million to force American foreign policy to allow Israel to annex Judea and Samaria. Before the Israel war started in October, 100% of attacks on American Jews were from white Christian, Nazi groups, all of whom are Trump supporters. American Jews who think the convicted criminal Trump mirrors Jewish values are lying to themselves.
Don't kid yourself, Trump is no friend of the jews and will throw us under the bus the minute it becomes expedient. He's already said he'll blame the jews if he doesn't get elected. And then there's who he hangs out with ... rabid antisemites like Nick Fuentes. Let's first put Trump in prison where he belongs and then take on the Democrats.
We Jews must reform the Democratic Party to pro Israel. Voting for a fascist and misogynist is not the solution. We should not have to live under a dictatorship
to have a government that is pro Israel. Vote Blue. Fight 2025.
After reading this essay I thought of an ad in my local Jewish paper that had been paid for by a Democratic organization. Part of the ad had the audacity to say this, "Since 2021, the Vice President has helped lead the most pro Israel administration in 'American history,' standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel as it has faced unprecedented attacks on its homeland and its people." Unfortunately, such blatant lies are believed by many Jews who vote Democrat. One of the problems, and there are many, with Harris, and the Biden administration, is that cowardice seems to reign and votes are more important than a country bombarded with rockets on a daily basis, while Israeli lives are being played on a chess board by the US. She and the others constantly speak of the genocide and the Palestinian people's 'suffering,' and yet they don't seem to care the thousands of surviving Israelis who have no home to go to, the Israelis in the north who had to vacate their homes and are still without them. They also disregard the lives of babies growing in the womb in favor of late term abortion. This has nothing to do with my position on abortion, merely citing the hypocrisy of this woman. At a rally the other day, two Christian students attended and when she spoke about abortion, they shouted out 'Christ is King' and 'Jesus is Lord.' They were mocked by the crowd and she commented to them that they were at the wrong rally. Where was her sarcastic voice when she could have responded to the Progressive Lefty calling out the Jews for genocide? MIA. Whether you like Trump or not, he will speak directly to an issue, has done more for Israel than any president and continues to speak out in his favoable support of Israel and how they are fighting the war. What you've said may change the minds of some Democrat voting Jews, but unfortunately not enough of them. The Jews who support her must feel a great comfort and safety in their lives to think that they will remain unscathed by anti-Semitism. For their sake, I hope they are right.
The American Jewish community has been marginalizing by the Obama led Democratic Party which still dreams of a two state solution thinks Iran is a rational partner and hates Israel
I disagree, which is rare for your terrific essays. I believe that Harris is trying to get elected and may say anything to do so, including appearing to agree with an idiot heckler. But in terms of character she is head and shoulders above Donald. If you believe Harris's response to a heckler, do you believe Trump's saying Jews would be responsible if he lost this election? How would he act on that, if elected. A vote for Trump is not a vote for Israel, but a vote against our democracy. And, it is on our democracy that Israel's (and American Jews) survival depends.
Harris' character is not better than Trump's. Let's not forget that she hid Biden's incompetence and lack of mental acuity and at the first chance she got threw him off the cliff to become the nominee without as much as 1 vote. It looks like the DNC disenfranchised over 14 million voters which in my book is an even bigger threat to our Democratic elections. It appears that they do all of what they accuse Trump of doing. Listen I don't like the guy's personality but he has done more for Israel than any American president in last two decades and his daughter and some of his grandchildren are Jewish. We know what he did for this country while in office and all I hear from Harris is she can think of nothing she would different than Biden and everything is Trump's fault with inciteful hate words. No one knows her policies or who she truly is. She is a bad chameleon who changes her accents, race, and thoughts depending on her audience. Don't know but I can't take a change on my children's and grandchildren survival in this country by voting Democrat. The Democratic Party I grew up with no longer exists and the current party doesn't care about my life no my tribe's life siding with terrorists.
It’s a problem all over the West. Left wing parties have gone to extremes. Harris reminds me of our PM Trudeau in Canada who went too far left and is in deep trouble in the polls.
BTW, Where is Trump's supposed Jewish daughter - silent through all of the Jew demonizing...Counting the $2B she & her husband got from the Saudis.
To remind ya'all. Sheldon Adelson gave Trump $20M to move the embassy to Jerusalem & then Sheldon put out $39M in cash for the actual move.
Love your last two sentences and couldn’t agree more.
Self delusion is pathetic.
Thank you. You are correct. Trump does care about Israel, the Jewish people and fears G-d. He supports Israel no hesitation. He is the Darius of this age. The blinders put on by decades of propaganda have to fall off. I'll pray for clarity & discernment. I already voted for Trump. Israel & USA can't afford another democrat for a long while. We have to fix the present mess, detox our government system and rebuild.
Trump only cares about trump. NO ONE ELSE. NO ONE
This essay should be read in every synagogue (especially Reform), at meetings of all Jewish organizations, at Hillel on embattled college campuses. As the author writes, American Jews should not be told how to vote. However, American Jews must THINK about their votes and what it means, not just for the next four years but for the next generation.
Amen.
Kerstein's article ignores American Jewish history, and the fascist Trump agenda. Biden is the best president that has supported Israel in American history. He has given Israel 100% of what it asked for, while Trump is antithetical to Jewish values. This is evident, so it's not clear what Kerstein is promoting.
Completely idiotic response.
💯.
I thought about it: I want to maintain our Democracy & I will NEVER EVER vote for MAGA & in particular that lowlife.
He belongs In jail. Twice impeached, kisses Putin’s ass, convicted in court 34 times & a HITLER LOVER.
I would vote for Kamala’s brain in a jar before I’d vote for fascist Trump.
And don’t kid yourselves, a Trump win will get you President Vance, a wholly owned subsidiary of tech bro billionaire fascists Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, David Sacks, and Marc Andreeson. If you’d like to learn about their political philosophy, Google their thought leader, creepy incel weirdo Curtis Yarvin. Yarvin’s dream is to make genocide comfortable for all non techies, so we will leave the geniuses alone and let them innovate in peace. I could not make this shite up.
Anyway, I’d give a President Trump a month before Vance ousts him via the 25th A or some other way. These billionaires are already friendly with the Prince of Poisonings - Putin.
I’ve already cast my vote for Harris/Walz and Dems all the way down the ballot.
Oh yeah, and I hadn’t even mentioned women’s healthcare yet. Jewish law does not allow a fetus in utero to be prioritized over the life of the mother. Women are DYING from being refused life saving care needed following complications from pregnancies. Even if I didn’t believe Trump was a fascist, I don’t believe he or any other Republican would reverse course on what they’ve unleashed with Dobbs.
It’s sad to me that so many of the commenters (and the author of the piece) value women’s lives so little.
Harris/Walz to preserve our constitutional republic and to stop the tragic and preventable deaths of young women.
I don’t worry for a second that Harris will abandon Israel. I do wish Israel would get rid of Bibi so he can finish out his days in prison for his financial crimes which include bribery and embezzlement and the country can return to secular rule.
Trump is loyal to Trump. He’ll promise anyone anything to get what he wants, which in this case is to avoid prison, but when it comes time to fulfill his end of the bargain, it will be, “Israel, I never knew you. Jews, meh. Not enough of you voted for me - how about joining the immigrants in my new Trump Camps?”
Idjit
Is “idjit” how you spell “idiot” in Incel-ese?
Apologies for my ignorance of your native tongue, but I don’t know any Trump voters and the Republicans I know can’t wait to be rid of that piece of dreck?
Let me know if I’ve properly translated your message and give my regards to your mom next time you leave your basement
Shalom!
I bet you blocked my reply about your translation of my message. Anyway you didn’t get your wish about getting rid of our President. You should happy that we aren’t stuck with the head of the Biden crime family or the BJ queen.
I think you are a head case. My mom has been dead a long time and survived the Holocaust. Were she alive she could probably tell you the difference between a fascist and a Republican or Hitler and President to be Trump even though she never had the opportunity to go to school. Idjit is often how the Irish pronounce it and I thought I was being kind and someone like you would not know that it is idiot misspelled. But you were astute enough that I just couldn't fool you. At least I know the difference between a fascist and Trump. If you really had any understanding what Hitler and the Nazis did to six million Jews and the effect on the survivors you would laud Trump who has done more for Jews than any previous President by far. In fact if you look in the mirror you and Biden/Harris are more fascist than Trump. It's really amazing how stupid so many Jews are when they can't see what is so despicable of many Democrats to wit Schumer, Nadler, Schiff Blinken. I presume you are one of those Jews. Unlike your beloved Biden who spent more time in basements than working ,I have no basement. Maybe your problem is that you don't know any Republicans. If you did you might learn something. I doubt it. I think that diseases like TDS are incurable and so many like you are insufferable. I stand by my view, Idjit.
You people better read Project 2025. You all think you’re so smart. WAKE UP!
What makes you think we haven’t? Many of us have also read Curtis Yarvin, Merge the two and you have a very creepy agenda for the country and an even creepier fate for the non-fascists of America.
Because if you have read it you wouldn’t support a racist impeached Nazi lover. Anyone see his promised taxes yet? Everyone supporting his Covid support to Putin when he ignored Americans? You trumpsters support his Jan. 6 ‘day of love’ when people died, destroyed the Capital bldng. & they smeared shit all over the walls & he was home watching TV? How can anyone lower their standards to support such a sad & pathetic human being?
You can’t possibly be talking to me.
I’m all in for Harris/Walz. Voted on the 1st day of early voting. Where on earth did you get the idea I voted for the corrupt racist rapist fraudster who tried to overturn a free and fair election and cheered on the mob who wanted to hang his own VP?
No I am not
Ok good. I definitely don’t want to be mistaken for someone who voted for fascism and against democracy. I forgot I muted one or two people on this thread and can no longer see their comments, so probably you were talking to one of them.
Ok. Completely idiot, aren’t you, Ruth. #LOL
Complete idiot aren’t you, Ruthie.
Who the fuck are you to give me a nickname? Referring to “Ruthie” here. It’s a badge of honor to be called “idiot” by a fool.
I would certainly rather have a guy who’s prejudice towards me runs to trusting me with his money than a beotch who’s Jewish by injection because she’s married to a philandering JINO but hears the “plight” of the people who want to destroy me because of my Jewishness, just saying.
It is shameful and shocking to think the Jewish community could throw support to a man who had said he admires Hitler. His own past staff says he is a menace to our country.
Kamela’s remark was to acknowledge the carnage taking place right now.
Actions speak louder than words. The Biden administration has sent weapons and assistance on the ground. More than any other president.
And… how can you consider voting for a man who has put your wives and daughters in danger should a complication happen in pregnancy and an abortion is required to save her life?
You are defending a man who publicly. at a rally, admired Arnold Palmers penis size. Watch out. He may make circumcision illegal
Easily he has demonstrated time and time again all bullshit aside to be an unequivocal supporter of the Jewish state and people. Open your eyes the Dems have embraced Islamist ideology look at CLDP.org and then get back to me.
Kafr may be a Trump troll because he doesn't know that Biden is the best supporter of Israel in history. He has supplied the 60 bunker buster bombs that killed the Hamas leader, and all the military hardware they asked for.
No not a Trump fan in any way. But Biden and his mentor Barack Hussein Obama have used the leverage of foreign aid to hamper the Israeli response to an ideology calling for the destruction of Israel and the annihilation of the Jewish people. It is not Islamophobia to read the Koran and Hamas charter and Fatah charter to understand the literature of a people committed to wiping you from the face of the earth. I believe what they say. Mr Epstein I believe you would do well to abandon an attitude of contempt without prior investigation. Strategically the Obama aid deal bankrupted much of the Israeli defense/military industry by giving free weaponry with strings attached. Downright evil! Being hampered in freedom of maneuver during wartime by your hero Biden only prolongs the war.
Anyone supporting the likes of Biden, Harris, Schumer, Sanders, Nadler, Obama and the like can't be Jewish.....unless they are totally ignorant or completely misinformed. Calling Trump Hitler should be an insult to anyone who knows anything about what a Nazi is or what happened to the world's Jewish population because of Hitler and the Nazi's.
Alan Dershowitz, America’s singular master of constitutional law, just publicly left the Democratic Party. We desperately need the Orange bull in the China closet right now. Trump is dedicated to Israel —he’s proven that—and there is not a cell of antisemitism in his make up. The late Roy Cohn was his closest attorney and friend…just saying…egregious but sincere has its necessity.
Roy Cohn was the most despicable person in American Jewish history, while Dershowitz lost his credibility years ago. Biden is Israel's best supporter in history, but Miriamne obviously doesn't know history.
Biden has a funny way of showing his support for Israel and please save the hyperbolic statement for something worthwhile. Biden lectured Begin on the Israeli settlements as a young senator and was not diplomatic in doing so. Fortunately, Begin gave him a history lesson.
I was going to reply, but the hell with it. No point in trying to understand Jews who could be so blind.
Roy Cohn is a shanda for the Jews.
You know how Roy Cohn’s life ended? He died of AIDS alone. He was an absolutely despicable American, as sociopathic as Trump, & deserved to be alone. But his best friend Donald had abandoned him years prior, either when he was no longer useful or became too sick to be useful. That’s Donald in a nutshell. Sound like a beautiful friendship?
Did you know that Roy Cohn served Senator Joe McCarthy in his efforts to root out “communists” in America? Heard of McCarthyism?
I really can't see what the objection is to Donald Trump. He did more good in his four-year term than any president for a long time. However, the election was stolen from him, and it looks very much as though that is going to happen again. If it does, I'm afraid things are going to go badly wrong for everybody, including the Jews. I really hope the Americans can prevent this voter fraud from happening again.
Alison is brainwashed. There were extensive investigations by Republicans that showed Trump LOST the election, but convincing Alison is a waste of time.
You're the one who was brainwashed.
Convincing you of anything is a waste of time.
I don’t think the election was stolen but I think Trump would be better for Israel. He won’t keep funding Iran. The Dems didn’t used to have a thing for the Ayatollahs. It started with Obama and Biden has followed. There’s no doubt where Harris would stand.
Election was stolen. Censorship by the media and denials by the Dems of the Hunter laptop, and complicity of the deep state operatives deprived voters of knowing the truth about the Biden crime family
Ben, I recommend that you try to get this piece placed in The Free Press or Tablet/The Scroll. You’d get a much better cross-section of American Jews’ response to the election. The bat signal has clearly gone out here, which doesn’t reflect the 40/60 R/D recent polling of American Jews.
By the way, my legal, immigrant ancestors were Socialists, Communists and eventually liberal Democrats. If they were alive today, they’d be voting Republican due to the Democrats’ embrace of illegal immigration, which depresses the wages of the working poor, which they were; the substitution of DEI for merit; and the hostility to Jews and Israel.
I find this editorial offensive. I am an Israeli American whose mother was born in Jerusalem in 1928, fought in the infantry for Israel's survival in 1948 and was then accepted to the Israel Philharmonic as a violinist. I have been to Israel many times, have a large family and friend group there and speak fluent Hebrew.
I am voting for Harris, so is my mother, who is now 96 and living in New York, and so is her entire extended family of nine grandchildren and their s/o's.
Kerstein begins disingenuously by saying "I do not care for telling people how to vote and charging people with political stupidity is very unlikely to persuade them, but..." the subtext of which is "but I am telling you how to vote and if you don't listen to me you suffer from political stupidity."
He then proceeds to give an utterly one-sided account, casting Harris as a venal, borderline anti-Semitic, genocide supporting sociopath. None of this is true. Judging by the actions of the Biden – Harris administration, they have been among the greatest friends Israel has ever had. Despite what you may read or hear, the US has sent $18 billion of military equipment to Israel since October 7. it has sent full carrier groups to the Mediterranean to protect Israel and intimidate her enemies, and not once but twice has helped shoot down the cruise and ballistic missile attacks from a run and Yemen they have also vetoed resolutions at the UN
Friends are free to tell friends when they disagree with them and they may be right or wrong. But the best friends are those who support you when the chips are down as Harris most assuredly will Israel
On the other hand, we have a diagnosable narcissistic sociopath who can barely speak without lying. He says what you want to hear because he has a genius for intuiting that. But his entire history is that he does only what he considers to be in his personal self interest and that glorifies him at any given time. Believe his words at your peril. It is poisoned fruit. Even worse, he has shown alarming signs of cognitive deterioration over the past year or two (ironic considering Biden's history as well).
This is a man who brags about grabbing women by the genitals, cheats on his wife with a porn star and then pays her hush money, and discusses the size of Arnold Palmer's penis at a political rally. He is a candidate who sent precious Covid tests to his buddy Putin for his personal use at a time when there was a shortage in the US. He has relentlessly praised Putin, who is himself a friend to Iran, Israel's and the West's implacable enemy. He encouraged the only domestic attack on the US Capitol in our history, attempted to overthrow the results of a free and fair election, and has spoken repeatedly about his intent not to respect the results of this election. He has further talked about using the army to go after his political opponents, has sown divisiveness throughout the country, has entertained the variant anti-Semites Nick Fuentes and Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago and has issued anti-Semitic dog whistles such as blaming "the Jews" if he loses the election.
Kerstein is an apparently so untroubled by these deeply troubling facts that he omits them from his essay.
As to Harris' comment regarding the odious heckler at her rally, this is a classic example of twisting a sound bite to suit your narrative. There is nothing in Harris' history in which she has supported the disgusting genocide claim, and her campaign has repudiated it. See here: https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/article-825441.
On the other hand, Trump will sell Israel down the river in a heartbeat if he calculates at any time that he personally will benefit.
Offensive? So anything that goes against your opinion is offensive? That seems borderline fascist. It is okay if you disagree but calling something offensive because you disagree is extreme and uncalled for. Democracy is about plurality of opinion, something to be celebrated, not insulted.
Honestly @Josh, I am surprised that you chose to call this point out (ie., Ron’s “calling it offensive”)- I also would not have used the “O” word word, but I think Ron’s points are excellent and overall, the dialogue here represents plurality, and I’m glad I’ve read each reply and comment here.
I have read your work almost every day since Oct 7, and am very grateful to you (not always your guests but that’s for another day). I share much of what you write with American friends and Israeli family because you are so darn smart and insightful, even if I don’t agree with everything you write (but most of it), I have learned so much and you have influenced my thinking.
Though I’ve thought about it long and hard, and have come close (because of my identity as Jewish American - not American Jew) but I just can’t bring myself to vote for a man as despicable as Trump and all that he and Vance stand for, and I hope and pray that I am doing the right thing.
Thank you @Josh for your dedication to writing, to history and teaching and your passion - love your writing style and this forum you’ve created. Please continue to stick to that, and maybe hold back on the other stuff (though I forgive you since it’s likely part of your passion).
Oy Veh
Trump—Abraham Accords
Trump—moved embassy to Jerusalem
Trump—backs Bibi
Biden—gives and takes support and arms
Biden/Harris—entertains pro-Hamas perspectives
🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
I vote on policy.
Yes. Exactly this.
I disagree with you.
Also, Trump has shown time and time again that he has no limits and will not respect the rule of law. He fomented an attack on the Capitol that threatened his own VP. And he knew about the danger to the VP at the time and said “so?”. This is a deeply immoral man. We just saw him target a vulnerable minority (Haitians) with lies about them eating dogs. You may think it’s a joke but those lies garnered many threats to that community, forcing schools to shut down. (If a guy will do that, he’ll also target Jews. He already has, in his coded, plausibly deniable way - just wait until it becomes overt). He is like pouring gasoline onto a fire. His first act will be to announce the rule of law doesn’t apply when he says it doesn’t - when he pardons the J6ers. That will set the tone. Generally Jews don’t do well in societies where the rule of law has basically collapsed.
In addition, The Trump Teriff will throw us into a recession; jobs lost & cost of goods 20% higher.
Trump is only good for Trump. There is no policy issue - domestic or international - for which Trumpism is the answer.
Sharing as evidence - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/i-helped-create-a-monster-ex-apprentice-executive-issues-apology-about-trump/vi-AA1svkyh?ocid=BingNewsSerp
Even if I was a single-issue pro-Israel voter, I simply cannot fathom why I think Trump would help this situation. Let’s look at the facts. In the prior admin, Trump did a few high-profile things that helped Israel. A) He moved the embassy, although it turns out he got 20m to do that from Sheldon Adelson, B) he generally followed the policy laid down by Kushner, Friedman and Adelson and pushed the Abraham Accords. He pulled out of the JCPOA (leaving no mechanism and enabling Iran to be where they are now), sanctioned Iran and c) bombed Soleimani. Ok. But all that was before Putin invaded Ukraine.
We know Trump has no policy preferences and no beliefs. A second Trump admin won’t look like the first. The old gang of regular kleptocrats won’t be there to keep his admin “in check.” He’s going to be talking to Putin on the regular. Putin is now tied to Iran more closely than ever, buying arms from them. He’s already talking about making a great deal with them. An article in TOI said that the IDF was concerned Trump was going to tell Bibi to wrap it up. And why wouldn’t he? His base is deeply isolationist. The argument about how much foreign military assistance we send to them resonates with his base because they know nothing about foreign military financing grants and are all too ready to believe that all their money going to Jews is the reason their life is hard. And if/when Bibi pushes back or ignores Trump the way he does Biden, Trump won’t be so nice about it. He’ll get on that bully pulpit and make sure his base knows he is displeased with the Jews. And if you think your sons/daughters will be safer on college campuses, think again. Now the “free Palestine” movement is largely unpopular and seen as extreme. Trump starts making big wild unconstitutional shows against Muslims in this country and all of civil society will (rightly) have to mobilize to defend them. They will become righteous victims, the excesses of “Free Palestine” forgotten, and Jews will be the group allied with the devil. Remember how evangelicals sold their souls to ally with Trump to get their preferred policy outcome and basically lost a good percentage of their adherents? The same would happen to us. Nothing will destroy American Jewry faster than a large % of it being seen as allies to Trump. Destroyed from within and without. All for a man with no loyalty who will throw us under the bus. Because #ETTD (Everything Trump Touches Dies)
Littlemp--Adelson gave Trump $100 MILLION and his wife just gave Trump another $100 million to force American foreign policy to allow Israel to annex Judea and Samaria. Before the Israel war started in October, 100% of attacks on American Jews were from white Christian, Nazi groups, all of whom are Trump supporters. American Jews who think the convicted criminal Trump mirrors Jewish values are lying to themselves.
I’d much rather a President who you can influence through normal means than be playing a game of “are our bribes bigger than theirs” with Russia/Iran.
The right wing Nazi types exist but they’re fringe. Not so the campus protesters.
Don't kid yourself, Trump is no friend of the jews and will throw us under the bus the minute it becomes expedient. He's already said he'll blame the jews if he doesn't get elected. And then there's who he hangs out with ... rabid antisemites like Nick Fuentes. Let's first put Trump in prison where he belongs and then take on the Democrats.
We Jews must reform the Democratic Party to pro Israel. Voting for a fascist and misogynist is not the solution. We should not have to live under a dictatorship
to have a government that is pro Israel. Vote Blue. Fight 2025.