For an alternate viewpoint, see “Point: Time for U.S. Jews to Rethink Their Democratic Loyalties.”
Neo-Nazis recently participated in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), one of the largest annual gatherings of Republicans, where Donald Trump has been the keynote speaker for the last seven years. While White supremacists, including Nick Fuentes, had previously been turned away from CPAC, this year they openly mingled with Republican participants and elected officials. CPAC’s welcoming of neo-Nazis is indicative of a larger acceptance, tolerance and embrace of dangerous extremists that has taken place within the Republican Party. Since Donald Trump referred to neo-Nazis as “very fine people” in Charlottesville, Va., those same people have found their home within the GOP.
In the nearly five months since Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel, there has been a rise of antisemitism within the United States, especially on college campuses.
According to a late-November survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel International, 73 percent of Jewish college students experienced or witnessed antisemitism on campus since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. This is a deep concern to all who care about the safety, security and well-being of the next generation of American Jews, as well as Israel’s future.
Far too often, however, there is an inclination to equate the normalization of dangerous right-wing extremism within the Republican Party and the rise of anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment on the far left. These are two separate phenomena that must be confronted. Still, they cannot be fully addressed without accepting a hard truth — the dangerous antisemitism on the far right has been fueled by Trump, who has legitimized hate and dangerous threats to our democracy within the GOP. Meanwhile, any anti-Israel and antisemitism sentiment on the far left is opposed and actively countered by President Biden and every leader in the Democratic Party.
Antisemitism found a home in the Republican Party with the political ascent and full embrace of Trump. The organization I lead, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, was created as a result of the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville — the same event that inspired Joe Biden to launch his campaign to restore the soul of our nation.
The specter of neo-Nazis with tiki-torches chanting “Jews will not replace us” in Charlottesville and Trump equating them with peaceful protesters was a startling wake-up call for many Americans regarding the danger posed by Trump and the GOP to our safety, security, values and democracy.
Trump will soon become the presidential nominee of the Republican Party for the third time. He admires dictators like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban, has a long history of antisemitism, and has pledged to serve as a “dictator on day one.” His campaign speech and threats are not an aberration. He means what he says, and Jewish voters know his Republican Party is one of election denial, insurrection, isolationism and threats to democracy.
President Biden entered office with a longer and stronger record on Israel than any president. His proposed $14.3 billion emergency aid package to Israel is unprecedented, and after October 7, he became the first sitting president to visit Israel during wartime. He has vetoed three one-sided U.N. resolutions critical of Israel since October 7. He introduced and is implementing the first U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
Republicans in Congress, on the other hand, continue to block security and humanitarian assistance for Israel and Ukraine. They have also tolerated dangerous extremism and antisemitism. On January 30, House leadership invited a pastor with a record that includes notoriety as a Christian Nationalist, involvement in the January 6 insurrection, and a long history of spewing hateful vitriol toward Jews, Muslims and LGBTQ+ individuals to serve as guest chaplain. No Republicans objected.
Trump recently said that he opposes all foreign aid and would replace foreign aid with loans — he made no exception for Israel, not even amid a war against Hamas. This comes on top of offensive and anti-Israel remarks by Trump on October 11, the same day Biden pledged his unwavering support of Israel and increased efforts to ensure the security of American Jews.
The American Jewish community has long, deep ties to the Democratic Party, strengthened by President Biden’s leadership. Since October 7, Biden and Democrats have stood with Israel and American Jews, which is why Jewish voters will continue to stand with Biden and Democrats at the polls in November.
