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Supporters of Trump or Biden, Jews in the United States are united in one thing: fear of anti-Semitism

Most American Jews support Democrats, and are apprehensive of the rise of white racism.

On the other hand, supporters of the president fear anti-Semitism on the left, and the demand for Canadian passports is rising.

"If Trump loses and refuses to vacate the White House - we will not wait for the situation to deteriorate further."

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• United States

• Donald Trump

• Joe Biden

• American Jews

JTA, Uriel Heilman

Monday, 02 November 2020, 18:11 Updated: Tuesday, 03 November 2020, 16:52

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American Jews fear.

They are concerned about the corona virus that has already claimed about a quarter of a million American lives and is spreading more rapidly as winter approaches.

They are anxious about their uncertain economic future.

They fear the anti-Semitism and violence on the right, driven by white upper-class groups that are becoming more and more active and bearing funny names and holding on to a not-so-funny agenda at all, like the "Proud Boys," QAnon and the Buglo Boys.

Their security was undermined when several Black Lives Matter protests in the spring and summer were accompanied by occasional violence and the destruction of property against an anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli background.

They do not feel comfortable in the face of the rise of progressives of a certain kind in some places on the left, who want to turn support for Israel into a political and moral sin.

And most of all, they fear the collapse of American democracy.

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Increasing extremism on the right and left.

Israeli flag in demonstration against corona restrictions in New York, this month (Photo: Reuters)

For months, US President Donald Trump has undermined the legitimacy of the November 3 election, refusing to pledge power in an orderly fashion if he loses.

It is possible that a disruption of the election - or even a clear victory of one candidate or another - will lead to widespread civil unrest and political chaos.

The FBI called on Jewish institutions to strengthen security for fear of possible violence taking place around Election Day, regardless of the candidate's identity.

In the Jewish community, which is mostly democratic, polls show that Jewish voters prefer Joe Biden over Trump, who enjoys the support of 75% of respondents.

Most American Jews are very concerned about the possibility of a second term for Trump, and what the future of America will have - their home.

"This is a time of great anxiety in America in general, and it is not limited to Jews. There is a real fear that America is deteriorating. The corona virus has only emphasized this," said Jonathan Sarna, a historian of American Jewry at Brandeis University.

"If one understands that the deepest fear is that America's good days have passed and gone, then this anxiety is not momentary, especially for the Jews - who grew up on Holocaust stories. The question is: it might be worth exploring options outside the United States."

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Jews fear the collapse of American democracy.

Trump in Iowa (Photo: Reuters)

This is the first time that American Jews are talking seriously about obtaining a second "just in case" passport.

They are examining the possibility of immigrating to Canada, obtaining citizenship from a European country or immigrating to Israel.

This year saw a record number of American Jews begin the process of applying to immigrate to Israel through the Nefesh Benefesh organization, the agency that handles immigration from North America.

"A surprising number of Jews, if they are honest, say what was unthinkable ten years ago: what will happen if we have to leave the country?" Says Sarna.

"What is the backup plan?".

Liliana Schaefer, a 19-year-old Jew living in West Virginia, is already in the process of applying for German citizenship, through her father, who was born in Germany.

"I see it as anti-Semitism from the right and the left, and it scares me," Schaeffer said.

"If Trump loses and refuses to vacate the White House, I just want to have another passport. I do not want to wait for the situation to deteriorate further."

Heather Segal, a lawyer from Toronto who has been handling immigration applications for 25 years, says she has never encountered so much interest from Americans in migrating to Canada.

Most of its customers are American Jews.

"'I will not get stuck here. There will be a civil war,'" she said.

"'It will be the end of democracy. I am very worried about our future. I do not want to wait and see what happens. My parents left Poland in World War II. I never thought I would consider it. I am based in the United States. My family is here, my business is here. Never. I imagined I would want to do that. "

Segal added: "Neither one nor two people say this sentence. I hear it several times a day."

"The question is: maybe you should look at options outside of the United States."

Biden in Michigan (Photo: Reuters)

The last months of the epidemic, civil unrest and political struggles have increased the anxiety of American Jews, but this fear has been on the rise for years.

In a June 2019 survey conducted by the American Jewish Committee each year, 65% of respondents said they thought the situation of American Jews was less secure than last year, and 15% said the situation was safer.

This is an increase compared to 55% in 2018.

In previous years, when asked specifically about anti-Semitism, 41% said in 2017 that anti-Semitism is a serious problem in the United States, an increase from 21% in 2016, 21% in 2015 and 14% in 2013 (in 2014 no survey was conducted).

65% of Jews feel less secure.

Haredi demonstration in New York (Photo: Reuters)

Home anti-Semitism

For years, American Jews believed that anti-Semitism was something that was happening far away, in France, in England, on the Internet, in the Muslim world.

But it is increasingly difficult to ignore the signs that anti-Semitism has reached home as well: months of attacks on Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn in 2019. The Pittsburgh massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in October 2018 in which 11 people were killed in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.

The shooting at a Chabad house in Pavi, California in April 2019 in which a worshiper was killed. Attacks a week apart in December 2019 in Monsey, New York, and Jersey City, New Jersey, in which four people were killed.

"First, we must recognize the problem as it is: This is an epidemic.

We are no longer talking about isolated, occasional actions - even no less serious - but about a permanent phenomenon, "wrote Jewish Congresswoman Nita Louie, along with American Jewish Committee Chairman David Harris, in an opinion piece in the New York Times that month." Second, we must Recognize that there are a number of ideological sources that fuel these hate attacks.

They are not the result of a single political point of view. "

Today, antisemitic sentiment seems to be coming from all quarters: QAnon conspiracy theorists, who claim that devil-worshiping democracies run a secret global pedophilia network, also promote classical antisemitic imagery. Openly in Israel or refusing to condemn Zionism as racism.Black and well-known athletes who post antisemitic posts on social media.

The deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. A memorial to those who died in Pittsburgh, 2018 (Photo: Reuters)

Marjorie Taylor Green, a Republican candidate expected to be elected to the House of Representatives, posted photos with a former neo-Nazi leader, shared a video showing antisemitic allegations of "Zionist supremacy" trying to flood Europe with refugees, and promoted conspiracy theories accusing George Soros and his family Rothschild in an attempt to take over the world.

Also, in 2019, an all-time record number of antisemitic incidents was recorded, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

In 2019, there were more than 2,100 assaults, vandalism and harassment on antisemitic grounds, including five people killed.

In 2020, it seems that the closure imposed following the corona plague limited outdoor activity and therefore the number of antisemitic attacks decreased.

However, antisemitic rhetoric is flourishing on the Internet, and some conspiracy theorists accuse Jews of spreading the virus.

Given the large and disproportionate number of Corona patients in neighborhoods in New York where a large ultra-Orthodox population lives - and the vocal demonstrations of ultra-Orthodox in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn rejoiced against the restrictions on the plague - some New York Jews fear a possible antisemitic response against all Jews.

At the beginning of the demonstrations, synagogues were vandalized with antisemitic and anti-Israeli graffiti (Photo: AP)

Most antisemitic incidents appear to be unrelated to the virus.

As the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted following the killing of George Floyd spread in May across the United States, synagogues in Los Angeles, Wisconsin, Minneapolis and elsewhere were vandalized with antisemitic and anti-Israeli graffiti.

In late August, a Chabad house at the University of Delaware was set on fire. A few days earlier, a Chabad house in Portland, Oregon, had caught fire twice.

In October last year, a man who described himself as shaving his head admitted that he intended to blow up a synagogue in Colorado.

Synagogues in home countries now have a permanent security at the entrance.

This was a common practice in Europe for decades, but rare in the United States until a few years ago.

Part of the security funding for Jewish institutions comes from the United States government in the form of grants from the Department of Homeland Security.

The election

In the opinion of American Jews, however, there is now no more weighty factor than the upcoming election.

A lot is at stake.

Biden's Jewish supporters - about three-quarters of American Jews - share the concerns of American Democrats in general: They worry that Trump's second term will exacerbate polarization in American society, thwart effective action against the Corona virus, and continue to drain American institutions, disease centers and disease control centers. The country.

They also fear Trump's vague attitude toward supporters of white racial superiority.

In the first presidential confrontation, when Trump was asked by moderator Chris Wallace (also a Jew) to clearly condemn the "proud boys" - a group of violent and armed far-right people - Trump said: "The proud boys, stand aside and be prepared."

Movement members were quick to adopt this statement as a call to prepare for battle.

After a flurry of criticism, Trump later issued a more explicit condemnation of white supremacy.

This pattern is reminiscent of Trump's response to the August 2017 right - wing demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which the marchers carried torches and sang "Jews will not replace us!", And a far-right protester killed a counterattack in a car bomb attack.

Asked if he condemned the far-right members of the rally, Trump said "there were some very bad people in this group, but also very good people, on both sides."

He then issued a more harsh condemnation following pressure exerted on him.

His Jewish supporters fear Biden's victory.

Trump at Miami Election Rally (Photo: Reuters)

Trump's Jewish supporters - mostly ultra-Orthodox - fear Biden's victory: left-wing violence and unrest, the adoption of anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist progressive messages by the left-leaning political, cultural and corporate establishment, and a white house that will take a more hawkish approach toward Israel.

At the same time, there are many Republican Jews who share the concerns of Democratic Jews regarding right-wing anti-Semitism, and vote for Democratic Jews who are concerned about the anti-Israel attitude of the left.

"Have you seen protesters spray-painting graffiti on a synagogue in Kanusha 'liberate Palestine?'

Have you heard of the march in Washington, which chanted "Israel, we know you, the murdering children?" Wrote Barry Weiss, a former columnist New York Times and author of "How to fight anti-Semitism", recently published article in the magazine of the Jewish online Tablet.

"There is another danger , And she's from the left.

Unlike Trump, this danger has gained cultural dominance, captivating the hearts of our American elites and most powerful institutions.

If Biden wins, it is hard to imagine that this approach will encounter resistance.

I therefore want to make clear my intention: I am here to warn.

I'm here to say - do not be more shocked.

Stop saying, we do not believe.

It is time to face reality, if you want there to be any hope of correcting it. "

Ernie Singer, a seemingly undecided Jewish voter from New York, described his political dilemma as a choice between heart and mind.

"The question arises among voters who support the Republican platform but can not stand Trump, the man. He made it very difficult for us, because while we may like some of the things he did (tax cuts, Middle East / Israel policy, business attitude), we hate the way In which he articulates, acts as a bully, his outbursts of rage and his desire to win the sympathy of the extreme right (although he himself is not a blatant racist and certainly not antisemitic).

"Vote for Baiden," Singer wrote on Facebook. It is strong that his policy towards Israel frightens us.

Although Biden himself may not scare us, whoever influences him and who will inevitably take his place in four years (or before) scares us. "

Right and left, among American Jews, there is a growing sense that their sense of security in what was once considered the" Golden State "It is fading. Perhaps American democracy is not indisputable. Perhaps liberalism is not an impenetrable guarantee for the security of the Jews. Perhaps the disasters that befell the Jewish communities elsewhere in the world could occur here as well.

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