After four years out of power, Donald J. Trump has returned to the White House. However, American Jewry, which overwhelmingly supported his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, is deeply divided over his election. Many have voiced concerns about potential rollbacks on civil rights and other liberal priorities.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union (OU), spoke with Ynet about his hopes for how the new Trump administration will address issues critical to Jewish American communities, particularly the fight against rising antisemitism.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer
(Video: Lior Sharon)
We're over two weeks past the dramatic elections in the U.S. How does the Jewish community react to the upcoming change in administration?
"The Jewish community is not monolithic; it doesn’t have one voice. However, there is a significant level of appreciation and anticipation for a bit of a shift in addressing major issues facing the Jewish community, specifically support of Israel and the fight against antisemitism."
Looking at the past four years with the Democrats in power, do you think there will be a dramatic change in the approach to Israel?
"Looking at the past year specifically, there will be a significant change. The current administration has been very supportive of Israel, there's no question about it, and to use terms like antisemitic about the administration is patently false. It has been supportive; however, it has used an approach that many times seems to be a little bit careful, slow, de-escalation efforts, which to some degree, some would say tied the hands of Israel being able to make a decisive response, and we’ve seen that both in terms of the Israel situation and the fight against antisemitism.
"The administration has certainly been fighting antisemitism and crafted the first cross-government, cross-societal strategy against antisemitism. We ourselves have worked hand in hand with many in the administration who have been working day and night about the issues of antisemitism. But we've been working within a certain box, and the progress has been very slow. We and the community anticipate and look forward to something that will be a bit more decisive, a little bit out of the box, and being able to deal with both of these challenges, to allow Israel sure footing and to allow the American-Jewis community to create security."
We tend to think that the Jews will vote for the pro-Israeli candidate and here in Israel, Trump was perceived as more pro-Israeli, but Harris got the majority of the Jewish vote. How do you explain that?
"There are many issues which many in the Jewish community consider when voting for a candidate. It is important to note that old habits die hard. There has been documented, very clear, and significant shift in terms of an elevation of support for the Republican candidates, specifically for Donald Trump, in this election across the board.
"The Orthodox Union, the organization which I have the privilege to serve, has been involved significantly in get-out-the-vote efforts. We are bipartisan and nonpartisan. It is critical to maintain Israel's support and support for the Jewish people on a bipartisan basis, but the work we have done significantly in get-out-the-vote efforts aims to enhance the voice of the Jewish community. We saw in polling, which we did in Pennsylvania, for example, that it was close, with support for Trump and support for Harris both in the 40s in terms of percentage, 40%. Higher for Harris than for Trump but closer than ever. As you know, the Jewish community is varied, and not for everybody are the issues of Israel and the Jewish people the first item on their list when choosing a candidate. But, the strong positions taken, which have been borne out by the early choices and selections of the Trump administration, influenced the community greatly."
What do you think of Trump's new appointments very pro-Israel cabinet?
"The appointments around Israel have been very, very pro-Israel, very strong, very firm, and signaled the kind of shift which many of the community anticipated and which was the reason. And that many of the community made that choice at the ballot box."
You've mentioned antisemitism in the past year with the war going on here, we have witnessed growing antisemitic events in the US. Are you concerned about the rise of antisemitism in the United States?
"We are very concerned. We have been preoccupied with this, along with many partners in the Jewish community. It's important to note that for most Jews in the United States, life goes on, and we're able to continue to do the things that we need to do. However, as we know, and as Jews with a keen sense of history, we know how things start and, heaven forbid, how they can develop. This is something that has to be addressed decisively now, early, before it grows into something, heaven forbid, very difficult to control and begins to reflect the kinds of things that we are seeing in Europe.
"We are very hopeful that the Trump administration, the Republican administration, will do things that are more decisive. There is a simple illustration of this: I think everyone across the Jewish world and Israel saw the hearings that took place in Congress last year under the leadership of Virginia Fox, a wonderful representative from North Carolina from the Republican Party. Her hearings, and many others that took place in the House under Republican leadership, focused on antisemitism. The Democratic Senate held no hearings on the issue.
"Again, we see that while both parties are concerned, there is a more aggressive approach in trying to address this issue quickly. We anticipate that even in the first few days of the Trump administration, there will be executive orders that will bring immediate consequences to universities allowing antisemitic behaviors that create a hostile environment, clearly in violation of federal laws."
Why is it important for you to be here in Israel these days?
"It's important for us to be in Israel all the time. It's important for us to be strong and connected. The Jewish community in America sees itself as a fundamental partner. Every Jew everywhere in the world has their hearts and eyes set on Israel, but specifically, the treasured partnership, the very important partnership in support of the American government for Israel, is critical. As the American Jewish community, we stand on the front lines, together with other partners who care about Israel, in order to strengthen that relationship, specifically and especially at this time of war.
"At this time, when every single day, just this morning, we heard of two additional fatalities of precious IDF soldiers who have fallen. We sit on the other side of the ocean, and we're not on the front lines. Our lives have not been turned upside down the way the lives of Israeli Jews have, and we are committed not to just sit around but to do everything we can to be supportive and connected. We're grateful for the opportunity to be here and try to do something toward that end."
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