Jewish Dems Denounce Trump’s Putin Pandering
Friends,
It is the middle of summer, but there has been no lull in the news cycle, and many of the developments are not good. Following Monday’s meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin in Helsinki, the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) spoke out strongly against President Trump’s abhorrent behavior. Later in the week, we hosted a conference call with Laura Rosenberger, a national security expert who reflected on the grave consequences of Trump’s foreign policy and provided insight on Trump’s worldview. We also called on Congress to defend our election infrastructure from ongoing security threats. Finally, we are deeply concerned about troubling developments in Israel. Read on and learn more…
Jewish Dems Condemn Trump’s Embrace of Putin, Demand Accountability for Russia
Earlier this week, JDCA’s Executive Director Halie Soifer issued a statement after the Helsinki summit between Presidents Trump and Putin. An excerpt is as follows:
“It is the duty of the President of the United States to uphold the oath of office to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, and to defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. President Trump abdicated these responsibilities with his reckless embrace of Russia, an adversary that has actively undermined America’s democratic institutions and sought to sow discord in the United States…
“President Trump’s actions in Helsinki were a betrayal of American values and interests, and an international disgrace. Since entering office, the president has isolated America from our allies and weakened our standing in the world. Jewish Democrats are outraged about this increasingly dangerous situation and demand that President Trump and Republicans in Congress fully acknowledge Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, hold Russia responsible for its crimes, and take concrete action to defend our democracy against this ongoing threat.”
Jewish Dems Host Foreign Policy Expert Laura Rosenberger in Speaker Series
This week, JDCA held a briefing call with Laura Rosenberger, Hillary Clinton’s former foreign policy advisor who now serves as Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund. Laura shared her insight on Trump’s foreign policy, its implications for our national security, and Trump’s worldview. Laura reflected on the Helsinki meeting and NATO Summit, and spoke about the consequences of weakening U.S. alliances, including diminishing our ability to defend against malign actors, such as Iran. Laura also talked about the importance of strengthening our cyber defenses to our election infrastructure given ongoing threats.
JDCA Calls on Congress to Strengthen Election Security
Thursday, House Republicans blocked a bill that would have provided funding to protect our election systems from foreign interference. This is an abrogation of the U.S. government’s duty to protect our democratic institutions from ongoing threats, and we call on Congress to pass meaningful measures to help states improve election security in advance of the midterms. Follow JDCA on Facebook and Twitter.
Violence on the Israel-Gaza Border
JDCA is deeply concerned about ongoing clashes between Israel and Hamas, including an attack on Friday from Gaza that tragically resulted in the death of an Israeli soldier. JDCA strongly supports Israel’s right to self-defense, and is closely monitoring the security situation on the Gaza border.
Israel’s Nation-State Law
Also this week, the Knesset passed by a narrow majority legislation defining the nation-state of Israel that fails to mention equality or minority rights, downgrades the status of Arabic as an official language, and — in the view of many in the American Jewish community — turns away from Israel’s founding tenets of pluralism and equality. In response, JDCA issued a statement of concern.
NJ Taking Note of JDCA Endorsement
This week, JDCA’s endorsement of New Jersey incumbent Rep. Josh Gottheimer was featured as the lead story in the New Jersey Jewish Standard. In the article, Rep. Gottheimer expresses that he’s grateful for the support: “I am thrilled to have it,” he said [about JDCA’s endorsement]. He finds himself in “good company,” he added.
“[JDCA] supports Jewish values, and people who support those values,” Mr. Gottheimer said. “They support people who support Israel and Jewish values. I asked them what Jewish values mean, and they said being open-minded, looking out for others, and tikkun olam. We talked about the obligation to help others. We talked about tzedakah, and the principles behind it.”
JDCA Jewish Vote Midterm Volunteers
Sign up today to serve as a JDCA volunteer in the midterms, and we will follow up to talk to you about your interests, location, and ability to help in various races this fall. You do not have to live in a target state or district to volunteer with JDCA. Learn more and fill out our form here, and we look forward to being in touch.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ron Klein
Chair, Jewish Democratic Council of America