Religion and politics are a notoriously explosive mix that has been the casus belli for thousands of years.
In the Trump era of social media and conspiracy theories, the public injection of ultranationalist religious extremists has only added to the abuse and chaos.
While the national media has focused on Christian Evangelicals and their downward trek into shedding their traditionally accepted Christian beliefs for a twisted view offered by Trump-inspired leaders, Orthodox Jewish adherents have not received much media coverage.
Maybe it’s because focusing on Jewish religious zealots could be construed as anti-Jewish or that this sub-group of American Jewry should not be stigmatized by looking at their foray into right-wing politics. But this omission misses a critical break with traditional American Jewish history that is having an impact on the U.S., as well as the elections in Israel.
Propelled by misinformation, propaganda, and vast amounts of money, the Ultra-Orthodox Jews have embraced the Trump movement, even though they are now in the same political tent as Christian nationalists, neo-Nazis, QAnon conspiracy believers, and plain old Jew haters.
How these ultra-religious Jews, who ordinarily spent their days studying Torah and other religious texts, found themselves cohabitating with people who would have organized pogroms against them a century ago is a modern political wonder.
But shepherded by wealthy, largely secular Jews in the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) and a small fringe group, JEXIT, both religious and secular Jews have been pitched the Siren song that Trump-MAGA Republicans are “better” for the U.S. Jewish community than Democrats.
This is a wild statement considering that since about 1920, American Jews have flocked to the Democratic Party because it embraced immigrants and espoused social and political values that reflected Jewish values. This mutually beneficial pact has only strengthened since 1948, when Israel was formed. In turn, American Jews supported the Democratic Party, while numerous Jews won political office under the Democratic banner.
What Hath Trump Wrought?
The presidency and candidacy of Trump, combined with the rise of a right-wing Israeli government, provided agitators in the Jewish community to push the rumor that more Jews should become Republicans because…., well, there was no single compelling issue unless you were a conservative zealot or a Jew who was connected to a right-wing government in Israel.
Numerically, these reasons would only appeal to a few American Jews. But to expand the selling points, the agitators concocted a myth that Trump was “better” for the Jews and for protecting Israel. Both were very debatable, but the myth gained momentum after the attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2024, and the subsequent rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S. by pro-Palestinian supporters.
Before October 7, anti-Semitic violence in the U.S. was done predominantly by right-wing white supporters, many of whom were Trump loyalists. This includes the Proud Boys and about a dozen or so neo-Nazi and skinhead hate groups identified by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Law Center.
But because of Trump’s policies on Israel and his favorable tax policies for the wealthiest Americans, Trump’s candidacy resonated with wealthy Jews who either overlooked or don’t care about his appeal to religious extremists, most of whom would never associate with Jews or else considered them part of the financial and media cabal that controls U.S. capitalism.
This includes wild theories, such as the Great Replacement Theory, which says that Brown and Black immigrants are being imported to displace Whites in the U.S. At the same time, Jews will also replace Christians as either “the Chosen people” or in vital executive positions. This was the chant in Charlottesville by the Proud Boys, who yelled, “The Jews will not replace us.” If you think the idea is too wild, think again. It is accepted by 60% of Republicans.
According to a Bloomberg article, “Republicans who hold a favorable view of Trump are more than twice as likely (68%) as those with an unfavorable view (32%) to agree that immigrants are invading the U.S. Among Trump fans, 73% agree with Trump’s Nazi-infused rhetoric that undocumented immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.”
“The macabre dance between paranoia and propaganda is displayed when media habits are added. Among those who most trust conservative news, 81% agree with the Great Replacement, about four times more (23%) than those who most trust mainstream news.
“Christian supremacy, like White supremacy, is a factor, with 43% of Trump fans agreeing that “God wants Christians to take control“ of the “7 mountains“ of society, a reference to Christian supremacists dominating key sectors of American life, including education, business, and government.”
So how do the Republican Jews, most of whom are secular and wealthy, fit into this?
The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) mission statement states: “We seek to foster and enhance ties between the American Jewish community and Republican decision-makers. We work to sensitize Republican leadership in government and the Party to the concerns and issues of the Jewish community while articulating and advocating Republican ideas and policies within the Jewish community. ”
It’s not clear how this differs from what Jewish Democratic organizations do. Any political group addresses “concerns and issues” that affect their constituency. So why is the RJC so secretive?
This is even more suspicious because the RJC has donated hundreds of millions to Trump and MAGA Republicans. Dr. Miriam Adelson, the wife of the late casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, has donated over $200 million to Trump. This is significantly more than if she needed to buy the ambassadorship to Israel. So, what’s the motivation?
The protection, security, and advancement of Israel is the convenient cover story of the Republican Jews. To them, Israel is being abandoned by Democratic presidential administrations (there is no evidence of this) and appeasing Israel’s enemies (no proof of this, either). These lies are key talking points of Trump supporters. Republican Senator Tom Cotton told CNN host Jake Tapper that Biden has not supported Israel over the past 11 months since Hamas attacked Israel.
In turn, Trump has said that if he loses the 2024 election, it will be “the fault of the Jews.” The American Jewish Committee retaliated that Jews comprise only 2% of the U.S. population, yet Trump says they should be blamed if he loses. Cotton did not answer this question but defended Trump’s wild remark.
Meanwhile, Trump has held numerous fundraising events with Republican Jews, even while Trump met with white Christian nationalists. Yet despite Trump’s felony convictions and public sex and adultery scandals, the Orthodox, as well as the secular wealthy Jews in the RJC, blindly support Trump.
At a gilded fundraiser at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, hosted by billionaire Howard Lutnick, the wealthy reached deep into their pockets for Trump, even as his landmark trial about hush money paid to Stormy Daniels unfolded in tawdry detail in a dingy courtroom downtown. Lutnik said he doubted the guilty verdict would change the mind of a single person at the fundraiser. And why not?
Or the minds of many others. Less than two weeks after a gilded fundraiser at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan hosted by billionaire Howard Lutnick, and as Trump’s trial over the hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels was underway, private equity mogul and longtime Republican donor Stephen Schwarzman announced he was getting behind Trump again. The Blackstone Inc. co-founder is among the 40 wealthiest people in the world, with a $41 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
But despite their trappings of wealth, these Trump supporters had already welcomed despicable people into their tent. This includes Steven Miller, Boris Boris Epshteyn, Carl Icahn, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Jason Greenblatt, Steven Mnuchin, and Mark Levin.
This explains why shortly after Trump was found guilty on 34 charges related to falsifying records to conceal that he paid an adult film star to cover up a sexual liaison before the 2016 presidential election, the head of the RJC leaped to Trump’s defense.
“Without question, this is a political prosecution of a political opponent,“ Matt Brooks, the RJC’s CEO. “It’s a weaponization of the legal system. The case is deeply flawed and will likely be overturned on appeal. The Democrats think this will hurt Trump; the reality is that it will likely propel Trump to victory in November.“
Brooks’ prediction remains to be seen, but the fact that Trump had sex with a porn star while he was married seems OK to Brooks and other Jewish Republicans.
How To Fool the Orthodox
Trump’s character flaws should bother average ethical and moral citizens, but for the Orthodox who elevate and follow Jewish values, endorsing a convicted felon and person of flawed morals like Trump should present significant problems. A key aspect of Talmudic law is the emphasis on communal responsibility and mutual protection among Jews. Since Trump has connections to violent anti-Semitic groups, he endangers the mutual protection responsibility.
The concept of arevut means that all Jews are responsible for one another. This principle is derived from the Talmudic teaching “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,“ which translates to “All of Israel are responsible for each other.“ This mutual responsibility extends to various aspects of life, including economic support, spiritual well-being, and protection from harm.
Long considered a monolithic group that votes in unison with whatever the group’s leading rabbis recommend, Orthodox Jews have been a reliable voting block in New York’s local elections. Their prime political concern is neighborhood safety, financial support of their schools and Yeshivas, and keeping the community secure and secular.
But when the Orthodox sects became involved in the presidential election, the level of misinformation they were fed, combined with their preoccupation with bolstering the right-wing government in Israel, made them excellent fodder for Trump. This happened easily and quickly because the Orthodox avoid secular politics unless it is hyper-local.
The Orthodox Yeshivas also do not teach American history to their male students, although female students are exposed to more secular education than boys. Traditionally, these yeshivas for boys and men focus on Torah studies of rabbinic literature and other sacred texts. Yeshiva high school students are exposed to the core topics required to earn a General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
Orthodox men may not know about the New Deal, the Civil War, Louis Brandeis, Felix Frankfurter, Harvey Weinstein, the Civil Rights Movement, Christian evangelicals, the space race, and the Cold War. They will know about the Holocaust, the formation of Israel, and Israeli history and current events.
But because there is such a massive hole in their American Jewish education, they can accept MAGA propaganda about Biden “not doing enough for the Jews“ or that Trump is good for Israel because he has a Jewish son-in-law, who could also face criminal prosecution for self-dealing. (Some yeshivas offer U.S. history classes. For instance, Yeshiva University lists a general history class that covers U.S. Presidents, along with the history of piracy, legal history, modern Russia, social movements, the history of the Jerusalem Temple, the Talmudic rabbis, and Medieval Jewish history, according to the school’s web site.
So when MAGA followers talk about the role of Jews in the Evangelical evolution, the Orthodox have no idea who they are dealing with. The same Bloomberg article cited earlier found that “Christian supremacy, like White supremacy, is a factor, with 43% of Trump fans agreeing that “God wants Christians to take control“ of the “7 mountains“ of society, a reference to Christian supremacists dominating critical sectors of American life, including education, business, and government.
“If Christian supremacy fails, there is always Armageddon. Two-thirds of Republicans agree that “the final battle between good and evil is upon us, and Christians should stand firm with the full armor of God.“ But that “full armor of God“ does not clothe the Jews.
This is all news to the Orthodox, yet they continue to hold Trump rallies and contribute to his campaign. Dr. Miriam Adelson, who has donated at least $200 million to Trump and the wealthiest in the RJC, knows better. Still, they have their motives, which are most likely mainly financial and less related to policies on border protection and abortion.
The vast contributions by Republican Jews have already been made, and it looks like these donations will be wasted if Trump continues to publicly display his mental decay and rotten choice of candidates and surrogates. If Trump loses, the American Jewish community will remain split, with a wealthy cadre that will continue to attack Jewish Democrats and promote divisive messages both in the U.S. and Israel.
Wars between Jews are not new. Between 1000 and 586 BCE, there were periods of the united and divided monarchies of Israel and Judah after Solomon died. The ten northern tribes refused to submit to Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, and revolted, ending in a split between Israel in the north and Judah in the south. When Israel was founded in 1948, the Haganah and Irgun, Jewish paramilitary organizations, fought each other over their different ideologies and strategies regarding British rule and the Arab-Jewish conflict.
So, why are the wealthy Jewish Republicans causing a split in American Jewry? What is their motive, and what are their issues? Federal policies, protesting the wealth gap, getting more tax breaks for the wealthy, U.S. support of Israel, abortion, women’s rights, immigration, border protection? These are not religious issues since the 2,000-year-old broad Jewish legal and moral framework already has established answers in its texts emphasizing justice (tzedek), kindness (chesed), and communal responsibility.
There must be a more considerable yet undisclosed reason why wealthy Jews would demean the 80% of American Jews who are Democrats. But, we can wait for an answer.
In the interim, we should all watch to see if wealthy Republican Jews wasted millions trying to fool the majority of American Jews that Trump was remotely connected to anything close to following traditional Jewish values.
