Two issues ago, Zachary Ottenstein chose to broadcast his affliction with Trump Derangement Syndrome by imagining that a second Trump presidency would somehow usher in a Nazi-style future for America (“No Choice But to Speak Out,” September 19, 2024). This letter was so lacking in evidence, or even coherence, that it did not merit a response. And yet, this past week’s issue printed a letter by Robert Grauman, who found Mr. Ottenstein’s words to be “extremely refreshing” (“Dangerous Rhetoric,” October 10, 2024). Yikes. Mr. Grauman, among his fellow brainwashed brethren, traffics in conspiracies amplifying fears that Mr. Trump’s colorful rhetoric could activate right-wing extremists to target Jews with violence. To stoke these fears, Mr. Grauman uses words such as “might,” “remotely possible” and “could.”
I would like to remind Mr. Grauman, and any who find his words refreshing, that political violence and antisemitic attacks are nearly 100% the purview of the left. Have you forgotten that Donald Trump was nearly assassinated twice? Have you forgotten about the anti-Israel campus protests that sprang up at nearly every top university in the aftermath of October 7? Have you forgotten about the George Floyd riots in the summer of 2020, resulting in at least 20 deaths and upwards of $2 billion in property damage? Have you forgotten that your beloved Kamala Harris supported bailing the violent rioters out of jail? Have you forgotten that during this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Jewish organizations had to meet in secret because of the very real danger of antisemitic attacks?
“But wait, Noah,” you’ll say. “Aren’t you forgetting about January 6?” No, I have not forgotten. I have not forgotten that of the 53,000 people who attended President Trump’s speech that day, only 2,500 of them entered the Capitol, and only 323 people are believed to have committed violent acts. This represents a mere 0.61% of the rally goers. Furthermore, these individuals are likely among the most well-armed people in the country, and yet they left their guns outside.
Now, reasonable Republicans understand that it is impossible to take over a country by trespassing and rearranging furniture. We disavow the violent activity of an extreme fringe of our party: violence, I remind you, that President Trump did not invite or condone.
The difference is that a tiny cadre of individuals, representing a fraction of a fraction of Republicans, instigated a gunless riot, while the 2020 riots and pop-up autonomous zones were instigated by thousands of people who represent the base of the Democrat party. They were supported and applauded by your candidate.
I also take great issue with Mr. Ottenstein’s and Mr. Grauman’s confusion regarding how frum Jews could favor a morally and ethically bankrupt individual such as Trump. This statement encapsulates a primary worldview of the left; they look to their elected officials to be moral exemplars and paragons of virtue. If this is, indeed, your worldview, might I humbly claim that you are “America-ing” wrong and “Jew-ing” wrong.
Republicans understand that the executive branch is supposed to keep us safe from foreign enemies, enforce the laws of the United States, and not much else. For our moral and ethical guidance, we choose to look elsewhere. We Jews have the wonderful morot in our local schools who teach our children; we have the outstanding rebbeim who lead our shuls, and we have our friends and families in our communities.
If you want your president to be your Mamala, that is your business, but please don’t try to use personal morality and ethics to cudgel us into voting a certain way. It seems you don’t understand Republicans at all.
