Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue

We believe in the Jewish commandment of “tzedek, tzedek, tirdof — justice, justice you shall pursue” and applaud the Manhattan District Attorney’s office for pursuing justice for Donald Trump.  No one is above the law – including former presidents – and Trump must be held accountable for his crimes.

Just as he did throughout his presidency, Trump continues to fan the dangerous flames of bigotry and hate. Anticipating his indictment, he invoked classic antisemitic and racist tropes, as well as Holocaust distortion, calling Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg a ‘Soros backed animal’ and comparing prosecutors to the ‘Gestapo.’ We unequivocally reject the former president invoking dangerous and antisemitic conspiracy theories, which directly undermine the security of Jewish Americans. As we have seen, they also embolden other Republicans – including Florida Governor DeSantis – to echo these same antisemitic dog whistles.

Donald Trump and the extremist Republican movement he leads threaten our democracy, community, freedoms, and values, and we look forward to seeing him brought to justice.

ISRAELI JUDICIAL REFORM

This week was an important moment for Israel’s democracy with the postponement of the government’s proposed judicial overhaul. We continue to stand with the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have taken to the streets in support of Israel’s democracy. We also stand with Democrats, including President Biden, who have been unwavering in their support of Israel and the shared values on which the U.S.-Israel relationship is based, including democracy.

As President Biden said this week:

“Like many strong supporters of Israel, I’m very concerned, and I’m concerned that they get this straight. They cannot continue down this road… Hopefully the Prime Minister will act in a way that he can try to work out some genuine compromise…They know my position. They know the American Jewish position.”

For weeks, JDCA has called for the Israeli government to work with the opposition to achieve consensus on judicial reform. We continue to support President Herzog’s calls for a compromise agreement between the government and the opposition. The proposed judicial overhaul seriously threatens Israel’s democratic institutions, and the Prime Minister’s temporary postponement of the legislative process does not mean this threat has ended.

As the political home of Jewish Democrats, JDCA has been a leading voice in speaking out in support of Israel’s democracy. Read our quotes this week regarding recent events in Israel featured in Reuters, Vox, Le Monde, The Forward, and The Jerusalem Post, and check out our full press release.

PHONE BANK INTO WISCONSIN

Next Tuesday, April 4, is Election Day in Wisconsin, when voters will choose the next justice on their Supreme Court. The GOP has been stacking courts for decades. Now, Democrats in Wisconsin are fighting back. Join us and phone bank in support of Judge Janet Protasiewicz, who shares the values of Jewish voters. Our efforts in the next few days will make a massive impact on Wisconsin’s future.

MEET THE MEMBER: SEN. BEN CARDIN

For this week’s installment of our Meet the Members series, we are featuring Senator Ben Cardin (MD). Senator Cardin has long been a close friend of JDCA and a defender of our community in Congress. Take a look at what Sen. Cardin shared with us on what makes him a proud Jewish Dem and watch his video message:

Shabbat Shalom,

Hon. Ron Klein
Board Chair, Jewish Democratic Council of America

Halie Soifer
CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America