Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

On Election Day back in 1940, in front of PS 97 in Brooklyn, I carried a poster for FDR. I was 7 years old and a fervent Jewish-Umbilical-Cord-Democrat. How could I not be? My parents, uncles, cousins and friends knew nothing else but Roosevelt, Socialism and The Party. As I matured I got the message that our Supreme Leader whose picture adorned our living room wall was a Jew hater. From then on it was the candidate and not The Party that got my vote and support. And my major considerations when casting my vote became Israel and the survival of world Jewry. We Jews had been suckered enough by political blindness. Never again for me!

For that reason, this year’s election is a major one for Jews. Donald Trump has no political background in dealing with foreign affairs. He’s been a successful businessman all his life. But he has spoken out before and during his campaign in support of Israel. In an interview with CBN he stated, referring to the Iran nuclear deal: “It’s one of the worst deals I’ve ever seen under any circumstances. I think it’s a tremendous liability to Israel.” He has sworn to follow Congress’ lead to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He has vowed: “If Israel were attacked, 100 percent I’d come to their defense, 100 percent!” And he gets it and is vocal about the savagery of the Palestinians: “Every single day you have rampant incitement and children being taught to hate the Jews. It has to stop! Their heroes are the people who kill the Jews.”

His words and actions in being one of the largest non-Jewish dollar contributors to Israeli causes speak volumes. His daughter, Ivanka, who converted to Orthodox Judaism before her marriage to her Jewish husband, introduced her dad to an Algemeiner dinner honoring him, thusly: “He has used his voice often and loudly in support of Israel, in support of developments within Israel, in support of security for Israel and in support of the idea of Israeli democracy.”

Trump has had no official, governmental relationship with Israel, but his history as an American businessman speaking out and acting for Israel’s support is rock solid.

Now let us focus on Hillary and her Democrat Party. For the sake of brevity I’ll just list her overt and obvious hostile actions and behavior toward Israel:

• In 1982, as chair of the New World Foundation, she contributed $15,000 to Yasser Arafat and his terrorist group, the  PLO.

• In 1991, as first lady, she was the first politician to advocate for a Palestinian state.

• In 1999, in Ramallah, she kissed and hugged Suha Arafat, displaying her support after hearing the terrorist’s wife claim that Israel murdered Palestinian women and children by poisoning their water supply.

• After the last war against Israel by Hamas, Clinton, as secretary of state, oversaw our government’s NGO’s handing over $900 million to the terrorists who run and control Gaza “for rebuilding.”

• Can we forget Hillary’s 43-minute phone call tongue lashing of Netanyahu over Israel’s building construction on what she considers “Arab land”? And after that scene, her proud claim that, “I was often the designated yeller!”

• Hillary’s recent e-mail scandals have revealed a constant stream of “hate Israel” messages from the likes of her anti-Israel advisers such as George Soros, Sid and Max Blumenthal, Thomas Pickering, all urging her continued harsh anti-Israel stance.

• Let’s also consider her top aide, Huma Abedin, who together with her whole family are devout Muslim Brotherhood operatives.

Google the above to discover the likes of those on whom she relies for counsel.

Florida and its 600,000 plus Jews are likely to be key in the election of our next president. If Israel and the future of American Jewry are of concern to you, please consider not voting for The (usual) Party and Hillary but for Republican candidates together with Donald Trump, who will extend his support for Israel from the White House.

Bergstein is a retired NYC school principal and an outspoken advocate for Jewish/Israel causes.