Jewish and Israeli Reflections on the American Election

I’m not Jewish, but since October 7, I have spent a great deal of time and energy advocating for Israel and against antisemitism in the West. I’ve met many Israelis, including American-born Israelis who lost family and friends in the October 7 Hamas massacre. I have also watched the rise of anti-Semitic action worldwide, including in my own “progressive” neighborhood. Many of my Jewish friends in the United States voted Republican for the first time in their lives because they were afraid of what a Harris administration might mean for Israel and Jews in the United States.

While polls vary, most agree that the Jewish vote in the US went more to the Republicans than in 2020 or any recent year. Still, a majority of American Jews in the US voted Democratic. Some American-Israelis have a different perspective, seeing Republican administrations as better for Israel. I asked some American-Israeli friends to share their reflections on the recent election.

Jonathan Feldstein,  president of the Genesis 123 Foundation, whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians with Israel, was born and educated in the United States and moved to Israel in 2004. He shared his thoughts:

I and all of my family voted for Trump in the recent election because Harris represents the “progressive” extreme of the Democratic party. Her comments about Israel and the Middle East have ranged from vapid to grossly inaccurate. As president, she would have been beholden to the anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas wing of her party which she not only did not reject, she pandered to.

Israel and the US must maintain an inseparable alliance because the threats to us both are existential. The Iranian Islamic regime is at the core of this. We need to envision a world without Ayatollahs and act together to protect the world from this threat. Dealing with Iran in a decisive way will also send messages to bad actors in Turkey, Russia and China. We must remain resolute.  

Gidon Ariel, who runs a non-profit organization that builds bridges between pro-Israel Christians and Jews called Root Source and lives in a suburb of Hebron, Israel, wrote:

I was eligible to vote in the US election. I overcame technical hurdles, I voted, and I also helped dozens of other US citizens to vote. I voted for President Trump because I thought he was a far better candidate than Harris, and by far better for Israel. He is clearly conservative, which aligns with my values, as opposed to Kamala, who was the Progressives' darling.

Arnie Arnie Draiman, a philanthropy consultant living who grew up in Maryland and moved to Israel over 40 years ago, put it this way:

I always think that Republican administrations are better for the economy, and while Israel is important, the economy is more important. Republican administrations tend to be better for Israel too, but in the end, American presidents do what they think is right for America. The Biden administration was very wishy-washy since the start of the war. There were times when President Biden showed great efforts to help Israel and other times when he withheld support. Biden and Harris tried to play both sides. They didn’t send a consistent message. I believe the Trump administration will be more consistent, though not always in Israel’s favor.

When I asked about the dramatic uptake in anti-Semitic rhetoric and actions since October 7, he referred to the Tom Lehrer song, “National Brotherhood Week.”

It’s all about people who hate each other getting along, but there’s one thing everyone agrees on: “Everybody hates the Jews.” We understand it, we don’t like it, but we’re used to it.

Another American Israeli, Heidi Shulman, shared a perspective that might resonate more with liberal American Jews:

I think Biden really cares about the Middle East and especially about the hostages. He started out great. If it had not been an election year, he might have been fantastic, but hard to know. I think Trump is a wild card, self-centered, and megalomaniacal. I also think he is the reason there was a deal for the hostages. I think he’s the reason there was a bad deal—I think he could have come down on the other side more if he did not want a win for his inauguration.

My family and friends in the US are concerned for their safety as liberals and gays and women and do not feel affected by anti-Semitism. The war was not a part of their decision-making process.

I asked a liberal American Jew, Jill, who writes The Liberal Jew, for her reflections on the recent election. Prior to the election, she wrote that she would not vote for Trump, though Jews of her acquaintance were urging her to. I asked, “How do you feel about your decision now, almost two weeks into the Trump presidency?”

Jill responded: 

I want to be clear that the American Jews who voted Republican are still very much the minority. The overwhelming majority of Jews voted Harris; they just weren't as vocal about it since it followed their typical voting behavior. The ones who ended up switching teams just were louder. The way I view my decision is that I wasn't going to switch teams or shift my political orientation just because other people on the left were acting demented.

As a non-Jew who’s a strong supporter of Israel, I was torn on Election Day. Like many, I felt that the Left not only abandoned Israel and American Jews, but actively demonized our strongest ally, the only Western-style democracy in the Middle East. As I wrote openly in support of Israel and against anti-Semitism, I felt unsafe in my neighborhood full of progressives and anarchists. My neighborhood is covered in graffiti that says, “Free Palestine,” and “Hamas” is carved into the sidewalk just a block from my apartment. Keffiyeh-wearing white people walk through the farmers’ market at the local park, and I overhear them saying things like, “I think Israel should be wiped off the map.” I continue to wear my Star of David proudly, but I’m afraid to put my “We Stand With Israel” poster in my window. I’m fairly sure someone would throw a brick through it. This neighborhood is prone to violence, and the Hamas supporters frequently repeat the slogan, “By any means necessary.” A presidential candidate who not only supports Israel but also promised to crack down on violent pro-Hamas protesters appealed to me, but as a pro-choice woman and a lifelong Democrat, it was hard to imagine that any Republican, especially one with the erratic personality of Trump, could solve these problems without creating even worse problems. Like many of my American Jewish friends, I felt politically homeless this year.