US Jewish groups accuse Trump of anti-Semitic stereotypes

Several Jewish groups in the US have accused President Donald Trump of promoting anti-Semitism during a speech on Saturday while trying to appeal to Jewish voters.

In his address to the Israeli American Council in Hollywood, Florida, Trump said Israel "has never had a better friend in the White House" than himself, and he listed his acts since taking office, which he thought demonstrated that friendship.

Trump sought to convince the Jewish audience that they had “no choice” but to vote for him or else lose money to Democratic presidential contenders’ wealth tax plans.

The Republican president also said some Jews “don’t love Israel enough,” recalling the time in August when he said Jews who vote for Democrats are not loyal to Israel.

Halie Soifer, the executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America called the president’s remarks “deeply offensive” and his use of stereotypes “unconscionable,” saying that the Saturday night remarks “only reinforce our belief ... that Donald Trump is the biggest threat to American Jews.”

"We strongly denounce these vile and bigoted remarks in which the president – once again – used anti-Semitic stereotypes to characterize Jews as driven by money and insufficiently loyal to Israel," Soifer said.

“He even had the audacity to suggest that Jews ‘have no choice’ but to support him. American Jews do have a choice, and they’re not choosing President Trump or the Republican Party, which has been complicit in enacting his hateful agenda.”

Trump was introduced at the Florida event by Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire American Zionist who has donated millions to Trump’s election campaign.

After Adelson introduced Trump, the president “dipp[ed] into the deep well of anti-Semitic tropes that shape his worldview,” J Street, a liberal Jewish group, wrote on Twitter Sunday.

Jewish groups said Trump invoked Jewish voters’ wealth while using broad stereotypes to describe their character.

“A lot of you are in the real estate business, because I know you very well. You’re brutal killers, not nice people at all,” Trump said. “But you have to vote for me — you have no choice.

He continued: “Some of you don’t like me. Some of you I don’t like at all, actually. And you’re going to be my biggest supporters because you’re going to be out of business in about 15 minutes if they get it. So I don’t have to spend a lot of time on that."

The American Jewish Committee also condemned his use of stereotypes. “Surely there must be a better way to appeal to American Jewish voters, as you just did in Florida, than by money references that feed age-old and ugly stereotypes,” the group said on Twitter.

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Some right-wing Jewish groups defended the president’s speech, insisting Trump’s reference to the Jewish voters’ wealth was not an anti-Semitic trope.

“To all those who are saying @realDonaldTrump trafficked in anti-semitic tropes in his speech last night by talking about how the Dems will tax them see their wealth evaporate- get over yourselves,” Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, wrote on Twitter. “

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who said he attended the speech, praised it as “one of the most pro-Israel speeches ever delivered by an American president.”

The anti-Semitic accusations come despite Trump’s unwavering support for Israel.

Since he became president in January 2017, Trump has reversed long-standing US policies towards Israel and Palestine, which has drawn widespread international condemnation.

Trump recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital in December 2017 and moved the US embassy to the city in May 2018. He has also cut American aid to Palestinians.

In March 2019, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, a Syrian territory. And last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would no longer consider Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as illegal.

Such measures is partly intended to boost Trump’s chances of re-election in 2020 by appealing to US evangelical Christians, a loyal voter base who believe the gathering of Jews in Israel is a prerequisite for the return of Jesus.

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