Jewish writer picks ‘Squad’ over Trump

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COMPLAINTS AGAINST DONALD BY ‘THE SQUAD’ pictured above have included, but aren’t limited to, his obsession with Israel to the detriment of Palestinians (not to mention his general distain for Muslims). Tlaib was born (in Detroit) to Palestinian parents—and obviously has reliable knowledge of the Israel-Palestine situation that Donald would as soon ignore. Omar was a refugee from Somalia and certainly is versed in the plight of the oppressed. These two openly support a boycott of Israel because of its treatment of Palestinians.

The two planned a trip to Palestine via Israel. It could have been viewed as a fact-finding mission, so common to Congress members in the past. Also, Tlaib could have visited her Palestinian grandmother and shown Omar the lay of the land at the grass roots.

But how dare they besmirch the great white image of anti-Muslim (except for oil-rich Saudis, U. S. military-industrial facilitator) Donald and his grand plan of Israel as his Middle-East manipulator (and military money-launderer). He lobbied his good friend Benjamin Netanyahu, allegedly corrupt prime minister of Israel, raving to one and all about how these women “hate Israel and all Jewish people.”

There is no reason in the world to assume that these women are flaming anti-semites, hating all Jews out of hand—except in Donald’s warped and simplistic mind, where he adjusts reality to suit his own prejudices and purposes. Are these women Muslims? I couldn’t care less. Are they Americans on the front line of attending our country’s social conscience. You bet.

It was back in early July that Donald first seized upon these women’s challenges as an opportunity to present himself as some great savior of Judaism and Israeli heritage. Looking for the American Jewish vote in 2020, he began describing these women as the face of the Democratic party. In part, Donald. They are basically just standing up for justice and equality, for which our country always has supposedly been a guiding light.

The Democratic party is just more inclusive and diverse than the GOP.

The amalgamation that makes up American society includes a very great number of Jews of various levels of active faith. I, myself, have two grandchildren who are children of a Jewish father. We’ve had a menorah in the window over Hanukah a few times. So when Donald insulted our four congresswomen as “horrible anti-Israel, anti-USA, pro-terrorist . . .” (tweet, July 16), I turned to read an article the same day by Shoshana Hershkowitz in forward.com. See https://forward.com/opinion/427763/aocs-squad-represents-me-as-an-american-jew-more-than-any-republican/

She began: “In the midst of President Trump’s racist tweet-storm directed at Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, he decided to throw in Israel. As if it wasn’t enough to suggest that three U.S. born Congresswoman and one immigrant warrior ‘go back’ to their countries, Trump then had to drag the Jews into it.

“I have a message for the President: the Squad, as the four are known, represent me more as a Jew than he ever will. For me as an American Jew, seeing a diverse group of young women who are focused on progressive policies inspires me. As a Jewish woman, social and economic justice are inextricably connected with ‘Tikkun Olam’ - healing the world. ‘The Squad’ champions policies that seek to insure that everyone receives healthcare. They are working to end the epidemic of gun violence, and improve American life for people of all faiths, races, and creeds.

“This is in stark contrast to the other side. The other side is putting babies in cages, failing to condemn neo-Nazis, giving tax cuts to the wealthy, and — yes — making concentration camps on our border. And American Jews are appalled by it all. Only one in six American Jews identifies as Republican. More than 79% of American Jews cast their votes for Democratic candidates in 2018. We voted for Democrats at a higher rate than Evangelical Christians voted for Republicans.

“Trump and Republicans are trying to brand themselves as the ‘pro-Israel’ party. But we Jews know better. I am tired of being gaslit by my government. Seeing an American political party attempt to weaponize my family’s history enrages me in a deeply personal way. The arrogance of the Republican Party trying to tell me what Anti Semitism is, when there are literally two Jewish Republicans in the entire US Congress (two in the House, zero in the Senate) is astounding. . . I find far more solidarity with the Squad, a group of black and brown progressive women, than I ever will with the Republican Party.”