rosh hashanah 20204

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By Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D. 

In what will likely be the most consequential US presidential election ever, there are many reasons why Vice President Kamala Harris should be elected president. Since this is a Jewish publication, I, as an American who made aliyah eight years ago, will focus on issues of special concern to Jews and Israel.

Harris and her Jewish husband have been leaders in efforts to combat antisemitism. In sharp contrast, Trump hosted notorious antisemites for dinner at Mar-a-Lago, forwarded antisemitic posts from white supremacist groups, described as “very fine people” white supremacists who paraded through Charlottesville, Virginia, shouting “Jews will not replace us,” and made antisemitic statements including that US Jews care more about Israel than they do about the US and that Jews who do not support him are disloyal to Israel and Judaism.

While climate change is an existential threat to Israel, the US, and, indeed, the entire world, Trump and his vice presidential nominee J. D. Vance are both in denial about it. They ignore the overwhelming consensus among climate experts that the world is in great peril due to climate change. 

Alarmingly and predictably, there has been a recent significant increase in the frequency and severity of heat waves, wildfires, storms, floods, and other climate events. Yet, Trump considers human-induced climate change a hoax. He would likely appoint other climate deniers to key environmental posts and make every effort to roll back regulations designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if reelected, just as he did during his presidency.

He recently told a meeting of fossil fuel executives that he would continue carrying out their bidding if they collectively donated a billion dollars to his election campaign. He regularly promises to “drill, baby, drill,” expand fuel pipelines, block electrical vehicle production, and oppose additional renewable energy sources.

Israelis should be especially concerned about climate threats. The state is heating up faster than the world average, and the hotter and drier Israel becomes,  increases the likelihood of instability, terrorism, and war. Also, its coastal plain, which contains much of its population and infrastructure, might be inundated by a rising Mediterranean Sea.

While Israel depends on a strong US democracy, Trump’s statements and actions threaten it. Amazingly, he told a Christian group that if they vote for him and he is elected, he will “fix things” so they won’t have to vote in future elections. Consistent with this assertion, he stated that he would like to be a dictator on Day One if he is reelected. He has shown steadfast admiration for dictators, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, China’s Xi Jinping and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, and fascist-leaning parties in France, Germany, Italy, and other countries.

Trump has made common cause with anti-democratic elements within Israel. He sparked a violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 that attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He now says he would pardon those convicted of participating in that onslaught, who assaulted police officers and hunted down the vice president, House speaker, and lawmakers. He also encouraged his vice president to overturn the election results.

Truth is an important Jewish value, one of the three pillars that sustain the world, along with peace and justice (Pirkei Avot 1:18). Yet, Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading statements during his administration and about 30 more during the recent presidential debate. He is still telling the big lie that he won the US 2020 presidential election despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

It is obvious that Trump has no regard for the truth. This is incompatible with ethical leadership. How can anyone support Trump, a pathological liar?

Trump’s few positive actions regarding Israel deserve praise, but they are dwarfed by his endangering Israel and, indeed, the entire world by his denial of climate threats and by pulling the US out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was working well according to professional inspectors and most nuclear and strategic experts. This has enabled Iran to now be much closer to being able to create nuclear weapons and to be in a much better bargaining position for future negotiations.  

In addition, Trump’s policies are contrary to basic Jewish values of kindness, compassion, and concern for the disadvantaged, the stranger, the hungry, and the poor. His views and actions discussed above and his being a sexual predator and convicted felon are certainly not consistent with Jewish values. His views on many issues, including health care, human rights, taxes, and environmental sustainability, are also inconsistent with basic Jewish teachings.

Contrary to all of the negatives mentioned above, Kamala Harris has a long record of supporting Israel, strongly opposes antisemitism,as mentioned above, recognizes climate threats, has Passover seders and other events celebrating Jewish holidays at her vice presidential office, and, along with Tim Walz, has positions on issues that are aligned with basic Jewish values.

For all of the above reasons and more, Jews, Israel, the US, and the world need Harris-Walz and can’t afford Trump-Vance. The above reasons are also why a strong majority of US Jews vote for Democrats, and a strong majority of Jewish legislators are Democrats.

Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus at College of Staten Island. He is the author of Vegan Revolution: Saving Our World, Revitalizing Judaism; Judaism and Vegetarianism; and over 250 articles at JewishVeg.org/schwartz.