The Absurdity of Vilifying Democrats

Vice President Kamala Harris

Mishpacha Magazine featured a very thoughtful op-ed by OU Executive Vice President, Rabbi Moshe Hauer. Therein he made the case that the Jewish community must never become partisan. At least not to the point of vilifying the other party. Even when the other party is perceived to be less than fully supportive of Israel and issues that are important to the Jewish community. I could not agree more.

It is in that spirit that he says that we should all be particularly grateful when the ‘other’ party does or says things that are in our favor. Even though at other times their words and actions seem to contradict our values. This is why for example the the following (as noted by Rabbi Hauer) was quite gratifying: 

First, the Democrats delivered a critically important message for America, Israel, and the Jewish People. While it was disturbingly clear the extent to which the organizers were walking on eggshells throughout the convention, they ultimately delivered a strong message that clearly distanced the party from the flag-burning haters of pro-Hamas demonstrations… 

…we needed the nominee on the stage and the assembled crowd of delegates to show strong and hearty support for Israel and the Jewish people — and they did. If we want them to keep showing that kind of support, we need to acknowledge it. 

But, as Rabbi Hauer also points out: 

There remains no room for naivete or complacency, as we have much to worry about in terms of messaging and policy going forward, “globalize the intifada” protesters who “have a point,” and the continued championing of the two-state solution, as if October 7 never happened. 

This is key and the reason so many of us in the Orthodox Jewish community have gravitated to the Republican party. Their support for Israel had no hint of the above messaging.  

I do in fact worry about what a Harris policy with respect to Israel will look like - should she get elected. If, as I suspect, Trump continues to be his own worst enemy and loses the election, I fear that Harris may re-examine the decades long policy of pro Israel support and change it to a more ‘even-handed’ policy. Which will surely place more emphasis on the plight of Palestinians and blame it on the 'occupation'.

I also fear that Harris may at some point decide to withhold some US  military aid as leverage  towards the ‘panacea’ of a 2-state solution, An option that not a single Israeli leader thinks is a good idea. Harris might feel that this kind of leverage does not contradict her promise to keep Israel secure. She may think it enhances it! Especially with Jewish advisers like Ilan Goldenberg.

So there is legitimate fear about what a Harris presidency might bring. There is course have no way of knowing what it will be like exactly. But there are rumors floating around that Harris will re-evaluate US policy towards Israel after the election. And  I am concerned.

That being said, one never knows. I wouldn’t bet the farm on it, but Harris may not change US policy at all and may even be a stronger supporter of Israel than Biden. Either way it is important not to vilify her. She is not evil. She is an American patriot despite her past progressive leanings. On the contrary, When she says or does something positive for Israel or the Jewish people we should acknowledge it and praise her for it. 

The one thing we should never do is reinterpret positive statements as negative ones. We must express appreciation for the good words and deeds when they happens just as we express disappointment when the opposite happens.  Bottom line is that Israel can ill afford to lose bi-partisan support. We need to do whatever we can to retain it

One more thing noted by Rabbi Hauer is the wisdom of choosing unity: 

A few weeks ago, the Democrats were fighting what appeared a hopeless battle for victory in the upcoming election. But when President Biden stepped out of the race, it took them less than a day to rally around Vice President Harris. They were in a battle against the Republicans and knew they did not have the luxury of squabbling among themselves. In fact, instead of just avoiding infighting, they rallied behind their leader, made some tough choices, and came together with a mission to succeed and appear unstoppable. Israel had also chosen unity after October 7, which was very beneficial on a practical level, but it has all but dissolved into factionalism and politics. There is much to learn from the unity that is driving the Democrats’ stunning reversal. 

Yes. Israel was united for about a second. That’s about how long that unity seemed to last. It disappeared very quickly . And now, unfortunately the murder of 6 hostages by Hamas demonstrates just how divided we are. One of the largest anti Netanyahu protests in Israel’s history took place in its immediate aftermath. Half the country blaming Netanyahu for those murders instead of Hamas. It would have been nice to see a country united against Hamas instead divided about their own leader. I’d hate to think it will take another October 7^th to see that kind of unity again.