Donald Trump’s anti-Semitic tropes and infamous defense of Neo- Nazi’s at the racist Charlottesville March in 2017 show why white supremacists feel legitimized to boldly pronounce their hatred for the Jews. Their Holocaust-reminiscent calls of Jewish animus were recently on display at the Capitol insurrection. In a delayed response to the racist-riddled attack, Trump robotically condemned the violence. Jews were disappointed but not surprised that he didn’t say, “Those displaying hatred and violent messaging towards the Jewish people will suffer consequences. I denounce each of you and what you stand for and I reject your support of me. You bring shame, not patriotism to America.” His refusal to convincingly denounce Neo- Nazi’s makes it shocking that one of the major political parties of the United States kept him in office for four years.
Trump has fooled many Jews into thinking he is an ally of the Jewish people because of his strong support of Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu. Like most positions held by Trump, his demonstrative support of Israel is politically motivated and not an expression of support and protection for the fight against anti-Semitism. Many of his supporters point to Ivanka’s conversion to Judaism as evidence Trump understands and supports the Jewish people. However, if you’re Jewish it is the actions he doesn’t take and the statements he doesn’t make that reveal he is not out to protect the Jews against the rise of anti-Semitism. For Donald Trump, it’s about politics, power, and self-interest. So on Holocaust Remembrance Day, let’s be clear. Trump is the idol of white supremacists and anti- Semites for reasons that prove he is morally unfit to be president.
In 1938, a violent attack on the Jewish people called “Kristallnacht”, The Night Of Broken Glass” took place in Germany. Homes and entire Jewish neighborhoods were vandalized, burned to the ground, thousands were wounded and 91 were murdered. This attack was a foreshadowing of the atrocities that the Jews would soon suffer. In 1940, Adolph Hitler led Germany’s “Final Solution” movement to rid the world of the Jewish people. Forty concentration camps were established in Eastern Europe and became the death camps where 6 million Jews were exterminated in the gas chambers. Before being killed, Jews and other minorities deemed useless and sub-human were starved, tortured, humiliated, and separated from their families. In 1945, the camps were liberated by the Soviet Union.
There are Jews living today who survived the camps, and many who lost parents, grandparents, and other family members in the Holocaust. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer remembered his grandparents today who were exterminated at the infamous death camp Auschwitz in Poland where 1.3 million Jews were killed.” President Biden acknowledged this day of remembrance by releasing a heartfelt statement of compassion and a commitment to fighting anti-Semitism. As Biden often does, he recounted family memories that related to the atrocities of the Holocaust. He recalled his father expressing passionate regret for America not being able to do more to prevent the mass murders of Jews and others such as homosexuals, Slavs, the disabled. He spoke of taking each of his children to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany to educate them of the importance of the ” never again” message. Biden demonstrates a massive capacity for empathy, morality, and an understanding of how acknowledging the Holocaust serves as a reminder to people to stand against racial and religious hatred in America and throughout the world.
The state of the Republican party is truly sad and, like cancer, is killing everything good in its path. Democratic norms, our global reputation, the moral foundation of America, bipartisanship, and the Constitution are under attack in the same way any life-threatening disease kills what is healthy. How anti-Trump Republicans in Congress will try to remove the tumors still poisoning our country in Trump’s name remains an unanswered question. Human tumors like Rep. Mark Meadows, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Josh Hawley, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Mitch McConnell, Rep. Jim Jordan, Senator Rand Paul, and other opportunists are acting like emasculated sissies afraid of Trump, despite he is a one-term, legally compromised, twice impeached, globally rejected presidential embarrassment to the United States. Pre-requisites for becoming a member of Congress should be having a spine, showing knowledge of and loyalty to the Constitution, and not being a liar.
A fact, not fake news: In 2017, Trump made a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and didn’t mention the Jews. He mentioned “the perished” and “hatred” but did not mention anti-Semitism. Keeping the anti-Semitic hate-group vote was more important than protecting Jewish Americans from the resurgence of Neo-Nazism.
