It is healthy for our community, and our society, to respectfully (but passionately) debate political and other issues. I believe that a vote for President Trump is both misguided and dangerous from a Jewish point of view.
The President, from his campaign days onward, has demonstrated disdain for the rule of law. He has berated not only politicians, but journalists, judges, and others, who disagree with him as not only incorrect, but treasonous. He has consistently praised authoritarian rulers such as Vladimir Putin, leaders in whose countries you can be killed or imprisoned for opposing the government. Authoritarian regimes always lead to social intolerance, and invariably Jews are among the first to be targeted.
The President has empowered right-wing elements in our society which are anti-Semitic. His infamous comment after the Charlottesville march about there being “fine people” among those carrying torches and wearing swastikas was terrifying to anyone who knows Jewish history. Nor was this an isolated incident. He has inspired those who seek to make the United States into an exclusively white and Christian country. He has supported conspiracy theories such as QAnon which feature anti-Jewish messages and images. It is no coincidence that physical attacks against Jews are at their highest rate in decades in this country. And, while many in our community express their concern over BDS groups (as they should), these are not the people who have taken up arms to kill Jews, as we have seen occur in Pittsburgh, Monsey, and elsewhere.
The President has enacted policies which treat human beings cruelly. Can any of us – particularly after the Shoah – truly support an approach which separates children from parents? Similarly, his initial ban on travelers from selected countries, made law just after his inauguration, left innocent people stranded in airports and in strange countries, not knowing fpr days what would happen to them. In both cases, a more well-considered and humane policy could have accomplished the same goal of securing the country’s borders.
The President’s casual and careless attitude about COVID has caused the U.S. to be one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic. In fact, he has repeatedly played down the warnings of doctors and scientists, who have been trained to guide the country in such situations. We know how devastating the disease has been, and how frum communities like ours have been hit hard. Can we not expect to do better, in a country that spends more on health care than any other? And should we not also be ashamed to see fellow religious Jews, sporting Trump shirts and banners, opposing COVID restrictions by rioting in the streets and assaulting other Jews who disagree with their tactics? Could this really be how bnei Torah behave?
The President has made lying and insulting others his preferred mode of behavior. If we look at the behaviors for which we said “al chet” on Yom Kippur, we see many that have characterized his time in office: “tumat sefatayim” (making our lips unclean), “lashon hara” (speaking badly of another), “azut metzach” (arrogance), to name a few. Can we simply ignore those and give our support to a person whose conduct is antithetical to the values we revere? Can we tell our children to act one way, and enthusiastically vote for someone who embodies the opposite?
Did we not just read on Yom Kippur what is “the fast that I [Hashem] choose?” It is to “Loosen the bindings of evil, and break the slavery chain. Those who were crushed, release to freedom….Break your bread for the starving and bring dispossessed wanderers home.” (Yeshayahu 57: 6-7; translation by R’ Jonathan Sacks). Concern for the other is paramount to the Torah’s vision of a healthy society. The current Administration has not demonstrated such concern.
Some will make the argument that the President, despite his flaws, is the lesser evil of the two major candidates on the ballot. This is incorrect, for two main reasons. Jews have thrived in America because it allows freedom of religion, without the government imposing a particular set of religious and social norms. The more those norms are set by the state, the less freedom we will have to act according to our traditions. It is therefore better for us when others are also allowed to live as they choose – even when we disagree with their choices – without government interference. The Democratic Party’s policies are more likely to preserve our communal autonomy.
Secondly, the President has attempted to describe Joe Biden and all Democrats as “socialists”, people who will take away Americans’ money and liberties. It is worth remembering that key programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, among others, were opposed when first introduced, by people who feared that the government was putting itself into areas where it did not belong. We all benefit from these programs today, as well as similar government programs. Many of these would not exist if so-called “socialist” legislators had not enacted them. These were people who believed in using government to achieve social good.
We must be guided, as always, by the values of the Torah. We cannot allow them to become secondary to those of any political party or leader. Considering these values, I urge members of our community to look past the rhetoric, consider the long term, and vote for Joe Biden.
Alan Goldman
University Heights
