June 2, 2016 4:52 AM

"Winning by any means necessary" shouldn't include anti-Semitism

The anti-Semitic hate, much of it from self-identified Donald J. Trump supporters, hasn’t stopped…. An official at Twitter encouraged me to block the anti-Semites and report them to Twitter, but I have chosen to preserve my Twitter timeline as a research tool of sorts, a database of hate, and a shrine to 2016. The only response I blocked and forwarded to Twitter was a photo of my disembodied head held aloft, long Orthodox hair locks called payot photoshopped on my sideburns and a skullcap placed as a crown. I let stand the image of a smiling Mr. Trump in Nazi uniform flicking the switch on a gas chamber containing my Photoshopped face.

The reality that virulent anti-Semitism still exists is hardly breaking news. Hatred of Jews is almost as old as humanity itself, and to believe it’s ever approached eradication is to display an epic naivete. What I find so disturbing is not that anti-Semitism is still a thing; it’s that such a hateful cancer is so prevalent among Donald Trump’s base. Worse, the candidate has neither said nor done anything to repudiate (or disassociate himself from) it. I’m not going to accuse Trump of anti-Semitism; I don’t have evidence indicating that to be true. What IS beyond dispute is that The Donald, through his silence, condones and encourages those who would spread such virulent hatred and bigotry. If their candidate doesn’t denounce their open and unabashed anti-Semitism, how could they take his silence as anything but implicit endorsement?

No one who believes themselves fit to be President of the United States should advocate- whether openly or via their silence- for anti-Semitism or any other form of discrimination. Jewish-Americans are Americans, period. Anyone wishing to lead America must acknowledge that ALL citizens- no exceptions- should be guaranteed equal rights and treatment.

That Donald Trump has yet to repudiate anti-Semitism and those who preach and practice it says volumes about his priorities. With a long track record of speaking out against the rights of women, minorities, and other marginalized communities, Trump could fairly be called a bully and a thug. That he’s willing to tolerate anti-Semitism among his lowest common denominator followers is but the latest example of his odious commitment to winning by any means necessary [insert comparisons to Benito Mussolini here].

And still, we have heard nothing from Mr. Trump, no denunciation, no broad renouncing of racist, anti-Semitic support, no expressions of sympathy for its victims….

I understand Mr. Trump has a son-in-law who is an Orthodox Jew, and a daughter who converted to her husband’s religion. Mr. Trump has bragged about his Jewish grandchildren. Yet I also see tweets from Mr. Trump like the 2013 missive that re-emerged Monday promising “that I’m much smarter than Jonathan Leibowitz — I mean Jon Stewart,” and I cannot help seeing another belled cat.

Given Trump’s family connection to Judaism, you’d think he’d have an interest in rejecting anti-Semitism. Yet even as his silence speaks volumes, what he does say in speeches and on social media could accurately be interpreted as dog whistles.

In Mr. Trump, many in the alt-right have found an imperfect vessel for their cause, but they have poured their rage into his campaign without impediment. Mr. Trump apparently takes all comers.

I’m not about changing hearts and mind- haters are gonna hate- but I do fear what could happen if Trump doesn’t address the elephant in the room. Will he tolerate anti-Semitism among his followers up to- perhaps even beyond- the point where it metastasizes into violence? Is he truly reluctant to speak in a manner that might alienate the haters and bigots among his base? Does it really come down to his desire and willingness to win by any means necessary- even if those means include violence and bloodshed?

It seems hard to believe that Americans might really be OK with a “first, they came for the [insert name of despised minority class here]” brand of politics. When I look at Trump’s popularity and the very real possibility that he could be the one placing his left hand on John Roberts’ Bible next January, it’s hard to feel anything but fear for this country’s future. And loathing for a man willing to do and/or tolerate anything that will deliver him the power he craves.

We should be better than this…but we’re clearly not.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on June 2, 2016 4:52 AM.

Why would anyone believe Trump supporters to be racist?? was the previous entry in this blog.

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