President Trump denounced anti-Semitism Tuesday after coming under pressure to address an uptick in incidents targeting Jewish institutions across the U.S.
“Anti-Semitism is horrible and it’s going to stop and it has to stop,” Trump told MSNBC during a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The president insisted he has spoken out against anti-Semitism “whenever I get a chance,” even though he has refused to confront the issue directly on multiple occasions.
The comments come one day after a wave of bomb threats caused 11 Jewish community centers to temporarily close. The terrorizing phone calls have targeted 54 community centers in 27 states this year alone. Federal investigators are looking into the source of the threats.
Vandals also toppled dozens of headstones on Monday at a historic Jewish cemetery in St. Louis.
Jewish groups have been frustrated by what they say is Trump’s lackluster response to the incidents.
During a joint news conference last Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump responded to a question about anti-Semitism by citing the size of his Electoral College victory and referencing his Jewish son-in-law, White House aide Jared Kushner, and his daughter Ivanka, who converted to Judaism when she married Kushner.
Trump said only that he would “stop long-simmering racism” but did not specifically refer to anti-Semitism.
Trump responded to a Jewish reporter the next day who asked him a question about the incidents by telling him to “sit down” and accusing the reporter of misleading him.
The president insisted he is “the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, the national director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, called Trump’s response “mind-boggling” and “shocking.”
“The issue of anti-Semitism is not a political one,” he wrote last week in The Washington Post. “But it is potentially lethal. With the president’s leadership, it can get better. With his neglect or instigation, it can get worse.”
Are you nuts? Probably reform? Number 1 you dont know that and secondly you think anti semites discriminate between reform and orthodox?! What a foolish comment..oh boy I’m sure you’ll be safe since you aren’t reform..anti semites love orthodox jews, it’s just the reform ones they cant stand.
“frankly these centers are probably reform , they need to do teshuvah” These are not words we should be reading on a Chabad website. Jewish is Jewish and we are not the ones to decide who deserves a bomb threat The school where i teach is on the JCC campus and we have had two bomb threats.. .
Seriously, Turx’ question was insulting. First of all, his intro sounded ridiculous, waving his hands around, reminding Trump he’s a zaidy – he was totally unprofessional. Secondly, Turx and Ami Magazine spent the entire election season and since Trump’s inauguration lampooning him for a fool – totally uncalled for and utterly disrespectful. Are readers aware that Ami Magazine never fails to present every angle to the so-called “palestinian-Israeli” conflict from the anti-Shleimus HaAretz perspective and refuses to publish any material from the Rebbe’s position? It’s terrific that the write about the other things the Rebbe did and continues to influence… Read more »
#7: All I’m saying is that you can’t and shouldn’t post articles that make it seem one way and not post articles when you don’t like what is happening (for instance, the fact that he refused to condemn anti-semitism TWICE last week). It’s disingenuous.
#8: In what way is he “coming down hard on the Iran deal?
Keep your campaign promise and move the embassy to Tel Aviv..not nice how he treated the Orthodox Jew reporter the other day. He was doing his job and didn’t deserve to be embarrassed like that. Please stop the anti Semitic hate now. This is getting out of control. B”H
better late than never.
I don’t like trump, I didn’t vote for him, but we need to support the good things he does, like this.
– standing up for Israel and Yidden
– appointing Friedman as Israel rep
– coming down hard on Iran deal
Just about everything else about him is terrible, and iyH there will be someone better to vote for soon
.
But in meantime we need to support the good things he does.
So in other words, you’re telling us, “Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?” We have here a video where Trump says something, and you’re claiming that it’s nothing but “alternate facts.”
What could some reasons be that Mr Trump does not direct the issue with more cogently?
know very well what’s going on, a this point, he’s trying to bring the nation together, it’s isn’t wise for him to point out this and frankly these centers are probably reform , they need to do teshuvahn trust in hashem, hashem knows what he’s doing
It’s a shame he couldn’t say this when Jake Turx asked him a perfectly innocent question about this topic during the press conference last week instead of berating him. The next 4 years can’t come soon enough.
Please explain why you post articles that lead people to believe that trump cares so much about Jewish issues. He doesn’t! He had ample opportunity, twice, to speak out against anti-Semitism last week and both times he avoided the question like the plague. This is incredibly dishonest on your part.
Ok – Jonathan, its enough already your giving “COVER” to all the anti -Trump demonstrators who also happen to be very much anti-Israel demonstrators and PLO affiliated. You fund-raise on fear and keep the kettle boiling and fund-raise some more. Perhaps if you would be more circumspect in criticizing openly – consistently without any balance at all– the current Administration in D.C. — anti Antisemitism would be less and not more. You represent all the liberal haters of conservatism including – those that speak on conservative –read Torah values, and keep fundraising even more from those who live their Judaism… Read more »
Is good to see the media & the ADL “concerned” about Anti Semitism again. But why was the ADL & the media SILENT when Obama made a deal to help Iran destroy Israel?