Top Jewish Groups Condemn Trump Over Comments Targeting Minority Congresswomen
by Algemeiner Staff
Several prominent US Jewish groups have issued condemnations of President Donald Trump over his call on Sunday for four minority Democratic congresswomen to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
Despite the widespread criticism he has faced, the past two days have seen Trump only reiterate and expand upon that sentiment, which appears to be directed at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
In one tweet, the president accused the targets of his ire of being antisemitic and hating Israel with a “true and unbridled passion.”
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt stated on Monday, “As Jews, we are all too familiar with this kind of divisive prejudice. While ADL has publicly disagreed with these congresswomen on some issues, the president is echoing the racist talking points of white nationalists and cynically using the Jewish people and the State of Israel as a shield to double down on his remarks.”
“Politicizing the widespread, bipartisan support for Israel and throwing around accusations of antisemitism is damaging to the security of Israel and the Jewish community,” Greenblatt added. “He should lead by example, stop politicizing these issues and stop smearing members of Congress.”
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) tweeted, “Our nation was built by people who hailed from every corner of the globe and we are enriched by our diversity to this day. Surely we can have policy debates in this country without resorting to potshots at our opponents’ identities or origins.”
Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) Executive Director Halie Soifer said, “President Trump’s appalling diatribe this weekend was a blatant display of racism. His subsequent justification of his hateful rhetoric is a transparent attempt to politicize and use Israel as a diversion, which we strongly reject.”
“Trump has once again exposed himself as America’s ‘Racist in Chief,’ and Republicans’ silence and outright embrace of his views demonstrates their complicity in his hateful agenda,” Soifer continued. “We urge the GOP to reject Trump’s racism, hatred and bigotry as unacceptable, irrespective of the policy positions of those who are under attack.”
Meanwhile, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) seemed to back the president, retweeting a comment made by Senator Lindsey Graham — a Trump ally — in which the South Carolina Republican accused “AOC and this crowd” of being a “bunch of communists” who were “anti-Semitic” and “anti-America.”
“He isn’t wrong,” the RJC quipped.