We are approaching a binary election in which all voters, including Jewish voters, must choose between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. For Jewish voters, that choice should be informed by the values of our tradition and what those values require of us. Judaism obliges us, as part of our covenant with G-d, to help repair an imperfect world. At its core, that covenant means respecting and displaying love and kindness for other human beings, recognizing the central teaching of Judaism that all human beings have intrinsic dignity and are in the image of G-d. For that reason, one simply cannot be a serious Jew without caring about those who are downtrodden—the stranger, the orphan, the widow, the poor.
If we take the values of Judaism seriously, Jewish voters should support Kamala Harris for the same reasons all Americans should support her: Harris is a decent, compassionate woman who understands and shares our values, while Donald Trump plainly does not. Trump’s embrace of bigotry, race-baiting, xenophobia, corruption and cruelty jarringly clash with those values. We have been observing Trump as a candidate and as president for nearly a decade, and from what we’ve seen it is simply impossible to conclude that Trump recognizes the intrinsic dignity of all human beings. Does anyone seriously believe that Donald Trump cares at all about the downtrodden or, for that matter, anyone but himself?
Trump has also demonstrated over and over that he poses a genuine threat to American Jews. Antisemites, white nationalists and neo-Nazis are drawn to him, and he welcomes and encourages their support. He is constantly trafficking in dangerous antisemitic tropes and anti-Jewish stereotypes, regularly accusing Jews who don’t support him of “dual loyalty.” Lately, he has effectively put a target on the backs of Jews by proclaiming that we will be to blame if he loses the election.
We know from Jan. 6 that his supporters take him seriously and literally, even when he rallies them to violence on his behalf. Imagine their reaction if Trump loses and they believe his blatantly antisemitic assignment of blame to Jews. Contrast Trump’s embrace and encouragement of antisemitism with Harris’s leadership in fashioning and implementing the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, mobilizing over two dozen federal agencies to take over 100 specific, actionable steps to end Jew hatred and prevent antisemitic attacks.
How then can one explain the support Trump appears to enjoy among even a minority of Jews, especially Orthodox Jews? The explanation one hears most often is that Trump is strongly pro-Israel, better and more reliably for Israel than Harris. But putting aside whether that alone, if true, would justify Jewish support for Trump, that explanation is fatuous to the point of absurdity. Let’s look at the facts.
Kamala Harris’s support for Israel has been steadfast and unwavering. She was critical in providing more than $14 billion in security assistance to Israel after Oct. 7, and the Biden-Harris administration recently announced an additional $5.2 billion in military sales to Israel.
The Harris-Walz website, much like the Democratic Party platform, could not be clearer in summarizing Harris’s support for Israel: “Vice President Harris will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and she will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.”
Donald Trump, on the other hand, mocked Israel and praised terrorists after the horrific Oct. 7 attack, and he wants to transform U.S. foreign aid, including aid to Israel, into loans. And the “accomplishments” he achieved for Israel during his presidency? They are long on symbolism, short on substance, and did not make Israel safer or more secure. Israel’s security does not depend on where our embassy is or what we say about the Golan Heights. Moreover, Trump is notoriously unreliable and inconsistent in the “policy positions” he takes. Just consider what his own national security advisor, John Bolton, says about Trump’s support for Israel: “Trump’s support for Israel during his first term is not guaranteed in [a] second term, because Trump’s positions are made on the basis of what’s good for Trump, not on some coherent theory of national security.”
Kamala Harris shares our values and embraces policies that reflect those values. Donald Trump does not. The choice confronting us could not be more compelling. That’s why I’m working hard to put Harris in the White House, and that’s why I believe she’s the right choice for Jewish voters, and all Americans.
Michael Rosenzweig is a Jewish community activist and board member of Democratic Majority For Israel.