I find it astounding that anyone who understands Jewish history and tries to practice our religious beliefs and values could even consider voting for Donald Trump (“Israel-Firsters Seen Edging Toward Trump,” Editor’s column, July 1).
The Torah repeatedly teaches us that because we were mistreated as strangers and slaves in Egypt we should be compassionate to immigrants. Leviticus 19:34 proclaims, “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens, you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” And in the past century, Jewish immigrants faced decades of discrimination even in America, and countless thousands perished in the Shoah because of nativist fears of allowing in thousands of Jews trying to escape from Hitler’s murders.
Donald Trump launched his campaign by attacking immigrants, and this remains one of his strongest appeals to his supporters. Gary Rosenblatt noted many of Trump’s other positions that clash with basic Jewish values. And people who care about Israel delude themselves by thinking that Trump, who is as ignorant about Israel and the Middle East as he is about almost all foreign policy issues, would somehow be better for Israel than its lifelong friend Hillary Clinton.
As part of his “America First” positions, Trump has noted that he would welcome countries like Saudi Arabia acquiring nuclear weapons. Does that put Israel first, or make it more secure? Trump is the antithesis of everything we value and hold dear, and would be as great of a disaster for Israel as he would be for the United States if he (God forbid) entered the White House.
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