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August 25, 2024
Key Takeaways:
- It's been 324 days since October 7, 2023, when, on Simchat Torah, Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel and murdered 1,200 people (including 44 Americans). More Jews were murdered on that day than on any day since the Holocaust. Hamas wounded 3,300 and took 240 hostage during a day of brutal savagery and unspeakable, undeniable sexual violence; about 109 hostages, many dead, some raped and possibly pregnant, remain captive in Gaza today.
- The 109 remaining hostages comprise five religions and 25 nationalities, including eight Americans, five probably alive: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Keith Siegal, Omer Neutra, Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Itay Chen, Judi Weinstein Haggai, and Gad Haggai. A ceasefire conditioned on the release all hostages must remain a top priority.
- The Democratic convention showcased the strength of the Democratic Party's commitment to Israel and to Jewish Americans.
- The Democratic Party adopted the strongest and most detailed platform on Israel ever adopted by any American political party.
- The Democratic base enthusiastically welcomed Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, and other hostage families were embraced by convention-goers at events held during the convention.
- In her acceptance speech, Kamala Harris reiterated her commitment to Israel and to bringing home the hostages.
- Jewish Americans are welcome in the Democratic Party. Perhaps there are so few Jews in the Republican Party because its leader, Donald Trump, is an antisemite and because the Republican Party is infected with antisemitism and Christian nationalism.
- The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) was the focal point of Jewish political activity at the convention and cemented its place as the home of Jewish Democrats.
Read to the end for corrections, what you may have missed last week, fun stuff, and upcoming events.
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Hi Steve,
If anyone had any doubts that the Democratic Party is pro-Israel and remains the natural political home of Jewish Americans, those doubts were put to rest last week. The Democratic convention showcased the strength of the Democratic Party's commitment to Israel and to Jewish Americans--unfiltered and in real-time. This is what we saw:
On Monday, the Democrats adopted the strongest and most detailed pro-Israel platform ever adopted by any American political party. It was adopted without any controversy following its approval by the Democratic National Committee on July 16 by a vote of 139-2. Compare it to the Republican platform on Israel and you'll see why so few Jewish Americans will vote Republican in November.
We hear a lot about the Democratic "base." Last week, we saw them up close and personal at the convention. The United Center was packed every night with crowds that matched Michael Jordan-era Bulls fans in their intensity and desire to win.
The Democratic base gave Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a long standing ovation when they came to the podium. If you've been to any political convention, you know that everyone talks, laughs, gets food, and is otherwise distracted during much of the convention. Not when the Polins were speaking.
The only interruptions were spontaneous chants of "bring them home." As the Polins told Hersh's story, I heard the people around me--many not Jewish--gasping and crying. This was not my first convention, but those nine minutes were the most powerful nine minutes of any convention I've attended.
Read the transcript for the substance of their remarks and watch the video to see the emotion, both theirs and the crowd's. No one should have been surprised by the powerful support that the Polins received--the Democratic mainstream, not the Democratic fringe, was in the building.
On the last night of the convention, the entire country saw Kamala Harris reiterate her strong support for Israel. She said, "With respect to the war in Gaza. President Biden and I are working around the clock. Because now is the time to get a hostage deal and ceasefire done.
"Let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself. Because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that the terrorist organization Hamas caused on October 7th. Including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival.
"At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.
"President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity. Security. Freedom. And self-determination."
If you missed it take two minutes to watch it. This is what it means to be pro-Israel in 2024. There is no contradiction between supporting Israel's security and Palestinians' dignity. A Jewish, democratic State of Israel depends on progress toward a two-state solution. And yes, she was applauded for supporting Israel.
More than a minyan's worth of Jewish Americans spoke and were warmly and enthusiastically received by the Democratic base at the convention. In addition to the Polins, Jewish speakers included Rabbi Sharon Brous (opening invocation), Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt (closing benediction), Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY), Senator Bernie Sanders (VT), Senate candidate and current Representative Elissa Slotkin (MI), Governors JB Pritzker (IL), Josh Shapiro (PA), and Jared Polis (CO), Representatives Jamie Raskin (MD) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL), former Representative Gabby Giffords (AZ), and Randi Weingarten.
None of this--the Democratic platform, the welcome and respect given the Polins, the abundance of Jewish speakers, and most of all, Harris's speech--surprised anyone who's been paying attention and listening for the past few months. Harris said nothing she hasn't said before. But this time, the entire country heard her, unfiltered through right-wing media and Republican talking points. Now it's on us to remind our friends that the reality-based world is a world worth living in.
In fairness to the Republicans, their convention featured no Jewish governors because there aren't any Jewish Republican governors. They had no Jewish senators because there are no Jewish Republican senators. And alas, of the 28 Jewish House members, only two are Republicans.
Maybe Jews don't feel welcome in the Republican Party because its thrice-nominated for president leader, Donald Trump, has a long record of antisemitism and accusing Jews of disloyalty. Trump repeatedly invokes Hitler and the Nazis and called for the "creation of a unified reich" on May 21, 2024. Trump dined with Kanye West and white nationalist/Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. Trump said that there were "very fine people on both sides" of the 2017 Charlottesville march that featured white supremacists carrying tiki torches chanting "Jews will not replace us."
No less an authority than JD Vance once called Trump "America's Hitler." Trump lashes out at the vast majority of Jewish Americans and defended antisemite Kanye West, saying that Ye is a "really nice guy" with a "good heart."
Most recently (as of this writing) Trump called Governor Josh Shapiro as the "highly overrated Jewish Governor." If you don't think that's antisemitic, try substituting another ethnicity for "Jewish" and see how it sounds (when Shapiro was considered for the vice president slot, Trump's allies launched a whisper campaign against him). Watch Josh Shapiro's response.
JDCA CEO Halie Soifer was asked during the convention whether she thought Trump was an antisemite.
Or maybe Jews don't feel welcome in the Republican Party because the Speaker of the House elected by House Republicans, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), displays a Christian nationalist flag outside his office. But Jews know they have a home in the Democratic Party, where they are not simply tolerated but welcomed.
Outside the convention, far fewer demonstrators than expected showed up and were largely ignored. It was an apt metaphor: They were literally outside the big Democratic tent. They were not welcomed and were not given the stage at any point during the convention.
I wore my yellow hostage ribbon and metal "bring them home necklace" every day. The only reaction I got was positive. I even got some new subscribers to this newsletter because people noticed what I was wearing, including a couple at the corner of Clark & Addison waiting alongside me for a rideshare.
Hostage families met with and were welcomed by convention attendees every day, and the convention featured many well-attended Jewish-oriented events, most notably those hosted by the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), which cemented its place as the political home of Jewish Democrats. The last of its 12 convention events featured the only scheduled appearance other than at the convention itself by Doug Emhoff.
Corrections. I'm entitled to my own opinions but not to my own facts, so I appreciate it when readers bring errors to my attention. No one pointed out any substantive errors in the regular newsletter I sent on Sunday or the special newsletter I sent on Monday about the Democratic and Republican platforms.
In Case You Missed It:
- There is no daylight between Harris and Biden on policy regarding Israel and antisemitism, which is clear if you know what Harris has said and done. These are the key resources to read and share:
- JDCA Key Facts on Harris, Walz, Trump, Vance, and Project 2025.
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The Harris campaign appointed foreign policy expert Ilan Goldenberg as its Jewish liaison. You can read more about him here, and if you do, the only question you’ll have is whether Goldenberg is over-qualified for the role of Jewish liaison, which is not a policy-making position. But since Harris and Walz are too well-known, the GOP is attempting to slander and smear lesser-known campaign staff. Hence this thread from Michael Koplow, the Chief Policy Officer of Israel Policy Forum, this from Nadav Eyal, this from one of Israel’s most noted journalists, Barak Ravid, this from David Makovsky, this from Nimrod Novik, a retired Israeli security expert, and this from Halie Soifer.
Tweets of the Week. Jacob Kornbluh with the best buttons and the best sign at the convention.
Video Clip of the Week. This is how you respond to idiots.
Upcoming Event. Join Politics with Dana and Steve, Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania, and other Jewish Battleground Coalition groups for Project 2025: Everything You Need to Know, on Tuesday, August 27, at 7:00 pm ET on Zoom. It's free but RSVP is required.
For those new to this newsletter. This is the newsletter even Republicans have to read and the original home of the viral and beloved 2022 and 2023 Top Ten Signs You're At a Republican Seder. If someone forwarded this to you, why not subscribe and get it in your inbox every Sunday? Just click here--it's free.
I periodically update my posts on why Democrats are better than Republicans on Israel and antisemitism and on the IHRA definition of antisemitism. My definition of "pro-Israel" is here (it's a work in progress, as am I).
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