Just before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, some in the U.S. Jewish community are expressing concern. "Since his first election, we’ve seen a spike in antisemitic incidents in the U.S.," said Rabbi Josh Weinberg, vice president for Israel Affairs of the Reform Movement in North America.
"According to Anti-Defamation League data, these incidents go beyond rhetoric on campuses and include actual bloodshed. That’s why I find it hard to understand other Jews who believe he’ll fight antisemitism and are pleased about his return to the White House."
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s election win speech
(Video: Fox News)
But he has a Jewish daughter and son-in-law.
"And Jewish lawyers and accountants, and some of his best friends are Jewish — so all is well," he replied sarcastically. "But during his campaign, Trump spoke at the IAC conference in Washington, D.C. and warned that if he lost, it would be the Jews' fault. Statements like that should alarm us. The people he surrounds himself with holding extreme right-wing views, which is deeply concerning."
Weinberg stressed that his criticism stems from Jewish and religious values: "The Torah commands us to 'love the stranger... for you were strangers in the land of Egypt,' but Trump’s approach to immigrants and asylum seekers contradicts this commandment.
“Additionally, the Book of Genesis instructs us to care for and preserve the land, yet the 47th president plans to reverse environmental restrictions and questions climate change entirely."
"As a Jew and rabbi, I believe every person is created in God’s image,” he added. “This belief underpins our fight against racism and discrimination and our support for a woman’s right to choose. The Jewish legal tradition on this matter is clear. However, Trump aims to restrict abortions, aligning with the evangelical church, and his Supreme Court appointments have already led to such limitations."
"The Reform Movement does not endorse any candidate or party, but our concerns are rooted in Jewish values and law," he clarified. "That said, we must acknowledge his efforts to secure the release of hostages and the anticipated cease-fire in Gaza.
“If successful, much credit is due to Trump and his team. The Biden administration also deserves praise for its extensive work over recent months. After Trump’s election, his decisive stance put pressure on all sides, which likely contributed to sealing the agreement."
While polls indicate that a majority of Israelis preferred Trump, U.S. Jews largely upheld their traditional support for the Democratic Party, with most voting for U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
Unlike liberal Jewish denominations, Trump garnered overwhelming support from Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox communities. His supporters now hope his return to the presidency will combat antisemitism and bolster Israel.
'Trump proved himself a good friend to Israel'
However, some, like attorney Stephen Flatow from New Jersey, find Trump’s support for the proposed hostage deal problematic. April will mark 30 years since a car bombing at Kfar Darom Junction killed seven IDF soldiers as well as his daughter Alisa, a 20-year-old student.
Stephen FlatowPhoto: Joel Gerard"I'm the president of the Religious Zionists of America (RZA) and Alisa’s father," Flatow said. "As a father, I'm glad that the hostages' children and parents will soon reunite. However, as the father of a terror victim, I'm tormented by the thought that the price Israel paid for the release of the hostages will haunt us in the coming years, as the released prisoners return to terrorism and cause further harm to Israelis."
Since his daughter’s murder, Flatow has pursued legal battles against those financing terrorist organizations and the banks enabling their operations. His efforts led to significant revelations, including the U.S. indictment of major banks like BNP Paribas, which admitted to large-scale transactions with Iran and paid a record $8.9 billion fine in 2014.
Despite his criticism of the hostage deal, Flatow acknowledged Trump’s positions on Jews and Israel. "Regarding his statements on antisemitism — his promise to combat the phenomenon on university campuses is commendable and very much needed from public officials in Washington," he said.
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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump
(Photo: SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
How do you assess his future support for Israel?
"Trump proved himself a good friend to Israel in his first term. If he’s even three-quarters of that in his second term, it’ll far exceed Biden’s actions post-October 7."
And what about the fears expressed by liberal circles?
"Speaking personally and not as RZA president, I disagree with the Reform Movement’s warnings about Trump’s re-election, his stances and the far-right in the U.S. I believe reality will prove itself; we’ll just have to wait and see. But I’m far from panicking over his victory."
'World as we knew it will change'
"The return of Trump to a second term means the world as we knew it will change," said Dr. Kobby Barda, a specialist in U.S. political history and a lecturer at Holon Institute of Technology’s interdisciplinary school.
Unlike many experts who predicted Biden or Harris would win, Barda anticipated Trump’s comeback, analyzing the shift in the U.S., including the Democratic Party’s waning appeal and growing frustration with the extremes of the Woke movement.
"Americans are fed up with the progressive wave that prioritized the fight against Israel as a near-supreme value," he said. "While Israelis focused on Jews targeted on campuses, Americans noticed blue-haired activists and keffiyeh-wearers removing American flags and raising Palestinian ones."
So, what does Trump want and how will it affect Israel?
"He’s fighting for the hostages’ release and will combat antisemitism in academia through executive orders cutting federal funds to institutions that don’t address it, alongside measures like expelling rioting students. With Trump’s leadership, agencies like the FBI will likely ramp up hate crime investigations including a rise in hate crime cases opening."
"Trump also seeks a Nobel Peace Prize, pushing for a Saudi-Israeli agreement in the year’s first quarter. Saudi Arabia will likely gain approval for civilian nuclear development and a defense pact with the U.S., while Israel benefits from Saudi partnerships, including in AI development,: Barda said.
“Trump is convinced Iran plotted his assassination, so I foresee a green light for strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities — whether a joint U.S.-Israel operation or an Israeli attack with U.S. approval and logistical support. Many officials in Trump’s administration have also marked Iran as a pariah."
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Barda explained Trump’s support for Jews as part of a longstanding Christian-Jewish alliance in America. "In 1790, the U.S.’s first president, George Washington, wrote to Rhode Island Jews, affirming the U.S. government’s rejection of religious persecution and promoting tolerance.”
"The path set by Washington continued for many years,” he added. “Unlike Jews who were repeatedly massacred in Europe and Arab countries, there were cases of discrimination against Jews in the U.S., but there were no pogroms except for a single lynching incident in 1915 in which a Jew named Leo Max Frank was murdered."
What about the Jewish concerns about the far-right?
"Over the past year, most Republicans have rejected antisemitism, whether from the left or the right."