No American Jew should vote Democratic

My name is Jerry Fogel. I live in Providence. I am a recovering Democrat.  I, too, have been afflicted long term by the delusion that because they support social programs, Democrats are our friends and allies. Torah teaches compassion for the unfortunate, for strangers.  These values are endemic to Jewish teaching, so we should be Democrats.  I admit to being party to this folly.

I loved JFK.  When he was assassinated, I felt I’d lost a family member. Like all Americans, I can picture the exact moment I learned of his murder. 

When Bobby Kennedy was shot, I screamed at the TV. My parents taught me reverence for Roosevelt. I admire Harry Truman’s courage in supporting statehood for Israel. My son’s name is Harry. I gave Bill Clinton slack for his philandering.  In 2008, I made phone calls for moveon.org to break the Republican lock on Congress, and it worked! And, to my shame and regret, I supported Barack Obama in 2006, gave money to his campaign, cried tears of gratitude when he was elected.

So you see, haverim, I am a deeply flawed man who has adhered to a destructive belief for too long. We are a stiff-necked people and slow to change.  Like an alcoholic, I will always have the worm in my gut. I like social justice. I want universal health care. I help homeless people.  But I have seen the light, and I now know the truth: The Democratic Party is not good for the Jewish people or for Israel, the land God promised us if we are faithful, the beautiful, courageous land which gives sanctuary to ... us. The place where two of my daughters have raised their families, where you can keep Kosher and keep Shabbat with no hassle, because there it is normal. It is the place described in Eikev as: “a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey.” This is the country that the Palestinian Authority wants to attenuate with yet one more hostile state on its borders. This is the beautiful land that Iran wants to “wipe off the map.”

Right after Obama’s cynical, sinister nuclear deal was approved in Lausanne, Switzerland, Iranian leaders vowed eternal enmity to America and Israel. Iranians massed in the streets, chanting, “Death to America!  Death to Israel!”  

President Obama presses on with his nuclear agreement, which legitimizes Iran’s nuclear program, clears the way for THE BOMB in the not-distant future, frees billions for Iran’s nefarious activities.

Democratic functionaries assure us that this will not happen.  Have you read “1984” lately? Remember Newspeak and Doublethink? War is peace, freedom is slavery, and letting Iran have a nuclear program and lots of money is the only way to prevent them from making nuclear weapons and sponsoring terrorism. As my teenage daughter would say: “Yeah, right.” This is Obama’s legacy foreign policy. Why?

Stop voting Democratic. I have. Our Democratic president won’t acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and has insulted Israel’s prime minister. His first speech as president was to Cairo, not to Washington. He helped the Muslim Brotherhood take over Egypt.

In 2010, Hillary Clinton condemned the building of Jewish homes in Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Building Jewish homes in Jerusalem undermines peace, but giving Iran a green light on a nuclear program is OK. 

In Congress, Lincoln Chafee, a Republican turned Democrat, was described as “a particularly strong opponent of AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee].” He criticized a “biblical influence on U.S. policy with respect to Israel,” opposes Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria, and is on the advisory council of J-Street, a group notoriously hostile to Zionism. 

In my mind, the pattern could not be clearer: Democratic politicians have adopted policies and positions that are unfriendly, if not dangerous, to Israel and to the Jewish people. And yet we continue to vote for them and support them financially because liberal ideas mesh with Jewish values of tzedakah.

We need to stop being such a stiff-necked people and start giving our political loyalty to men and women who have genuine love and respect for our traditions and for the one and only Jewish state, Israel. One after the other, this is exactly what Republicans have demonstrated. Republicans defend Israel in the halls of Congress instead of picking the nation apart. They are on our side.  Check it out.  With the Internet, it is very easy to listen to their speeches. 

It is refreshing to hear a politician who understands that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and deserves America’s full respect. We have to start giving Republicans a chance and stop supporting people who are really not our allies.

Jerry Fogel is a Boston native who has lived in Providence since the mid ’80s. He has seven children, most of them grown, two teenagers still at home. He has family in Israel, is a teacher and writer and a registered Independent.  He is a member of Temple Emanu-El in Providence.