Donald Trump Really Needed Yom Kippur

Yesterday was Yom Kippur, and as Jews over the world atoned for our individual and collective wrongdoings, the President of the United States waged his self-proclaimed “war from within.” Specifically, he announced his intention to further gut the federal workforce, threatening to fire federal workers during a government shutdown for the first time in American history, and eliminate what he erroneously identified as “Democrat Agencies.” In addition, he announced infrastructure spending cuts for 16 states, all of which supported Harris in the 2024 election. Unsurprisingly, the two largest cuts target New York City, which – despite being Donald Trump’s hometown – he continues to treat with vengeance.

Donald Trump’s biggest sin is that he continues to view the American people through a binary lens of allies or enemies, depending on political affiliation. Not only does Trump aim to punish half the country deemed “disloyal,” but he appears to enjoy doing it.

Donald Trump’s actions and inclinations epitomize what we Jews atoned for on Yom Kippur. During the confessional, or Viddui, prayer that we recite ten times, Jews identify and confess a multitude of transgressions, including those driven by deception, mockery, malicious intent, moral corruption, and evil inclination. As I reflected on the Viddui, I couldn’t help but think of our Commander-in-Chief, who earlier this week instructed the U.S. military to wage war against Americans. Concepts in the Viddui like “unwarranted hatred,” “talebearing,” “breach of trust,” “adding falsehood upon falsehood,” “giving harmful advice,” and “sinning deliberately” may describe some of us, but there’s only one person committing all these transgressions whose actions will impact nearly all of us, and he’s sitting in the White House.

While we may all sin individually, the Viddui prayer is in the first-person plural. On Yom Kippur, we confess collectively because our fates are inextricably linked. This is a concept Trump clearly doesn’t understand, as he continues to enact his revenge agenda on half the country, as if political loyalty to MAGA will inoculate the other half from the devastating consequences of punitive spending cuts and rising costs.

The vengeance that drives Trump’s agenda is not just cruel, but it’s also stupid politics, because he refuses to see that our economic well-being, security, and futures are ultimately tied. The economy doesn’t distinguish Americans as “red” or “blue.” We will all suffer under Trump’s policies of retribution, including those who supported him in the 2024 election.

Donald Trump recently had an opportunity for atonement while speaking at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, where Charlie’s widow, Erika Kirk, forgave his assassin. Demonstrating that he’s incapable of that degree of empathy, President Trump intentionally conveyed the opposite message. In his remarks, he admitted, “I hate my opponents and I don’t want the best for them.” Recognizing that his hatred and vengeance contradicted the spirit of the previous speech, he conceded, “I’m sorry, Erika,” and then proceeded with his spite.

This moment demonstrated that while Jews around the world reflected on our collective transgressions during Yom Kippur, Donald Trump has fundamentally different values. He is aware of his sins, appears to relish in them, and refuses to apologize for or stop the pain he is inflicting on so many Americans. To the contrary, he is seeking to expand and deepen the “war from within.”

Since we know Trump won’t recognize and atone for his wrongdoing or reverse course, we must take action. We have to elect those who share our values to fulfill the hope expressed in the Jewish prayer for the United States – to elect leaders “who exercise just and rightful authority…[and] administer all affairs of state fairly.” We deserve better than leadership that refuses to treat Americans equally, attacks our democracy, punishes “blue” states and cities, and castigates whole segments of the population for their perceived political beliefs.

Now, it’s time to commit to taking action to create change and bring this fight to the halls of Congress and the ballot box. Just as we use “we” in the Viddui, it is our collective action that will make a difference. This is why JDCA is organizing in support of candidates, elected officials, and policies aligned with our values. We hope you’ll join us by supporting JDCA today and writing to your members of Congress to end the government shutdown and ensure affordable healthcare for all Americans.

I hope you had a meaningful holiday. Here at JDCA, we’re aiming to make it a meaningful year by bringing about political change consistent with our values. Join us.

Shabbat Shalom,

Halie Soifer

CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America