Groups call Donald Trump's post targeting Jewish Americans amidst Rosh Hashanah antisemitic
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Jewish groups criticized former President Donald Trump after he shared a post targeting “liberal Jews” following the start of Rosh Hashanah, one of the most important holidays for Jewish people around the world.
Trump on Truth Social reshared a post on Sunday reading “Just a quick reminder for liberal Jews who voted to destroy America & Israel because you believed false narratives.” The post also included a list of the former president’s actions during his term in office centered around Israel, such as the controversial choice to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Conflating American Jewish people with Israelis, or their political positions with that of the Israeli government, is a longstanding antisemitic trope.
The original post that Trump shared appeared to be created by the organization JEXIT, the Washington Post reported. The group encourages Jewish Americans to leave the Democratic Party, according to their website.
The post was immediately denounced by other Jewish groups in the U.S. Groups also the criticized the timing of the message, which came during the most sacred time of the year for Jewish people. Trump shared the post near the end of Rosh Hashanah, which marks the start of the Jewish New Year. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and holiest holiday for Jewish people, is approaching next week.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement to USA TODAY “It is dangerous and wrong to suggest an entire segment of the Jewish population voted to destroy America and Israel."
"Whether or not it’s intentional, President Trump is playing into conspiracy theories about dual loyalty here. Even worse, this is happening on one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah," Greenblatt added.
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the former president marked “the end of Rosh Hashana with an antisemitic post accusing Jews who voted against him of ‘destroy[ing] America & Israel.’”
The American Jewish Committee on Monday tweeted that “Claiming that American Jews who did not vote for Mr. Trump voted to destroy America and Israel is deeply offensive and divisive.”
“As we approach one year until the next election, we urge political candidates from the top to the bottom of the ballot to avoid incendiary rhetoric,” the group added.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America CEO Halie Soifer in a statement said the group condemns "the antisemitic threat Donald Trump issued on Rosh Hashanah."
"At a time of rising antisemitism in the United States, this hatred and bigotry must not be normalized, including by the party Trump leads," Soifer added.
It’s not the first time Trump has drawn criticism for comments about Jewish voters. Trump last year attacked Jewish Americans for not giving him enough political contributions and suggested, falsely, that they have dual loyalties to the United States and Israel.
Jewish American groups also criticized Trump in 2019 for calling Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu "your prime minister" during an address to the Republican Jewish Coalition, among other incidents.
Contributing: William Cummings and David Jackson, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jewish groups criticize Donald Trump's post targeting 'liberal Jews'
