In the depths of America’s Civil War, the run-up to Hanukkah was tense for the United States’ tiny Jewish community.
Amounting to only half of one percent of the nation’s population, many American Jews at that time were recent immigrants who arrived penniless from Central Europe. Shop-keeping and trading were popular jobs for these new American Jews. Though their community was tiny, as Civil War raged Jews were routinely accused of being traitors and war profiteers, and were demonized in the press and official correspondence.
Antipathy to Jews spanned both sides in the Civil War. In the South, Jews were often regarded as outsiders. In the North, the presence of several high-ranking Jews in the Confederate Army gave fuel to the pernicious falsehood that Jews were somehow behind the South’s decision to secede from the Union and had caused the war. Historian James M. McPherson notes that during the Civil War, “harassed Union officers had come to use the word ‘Jew’ the same way many southerners used ‘Yankee’ – as a shorthand way of describing anyone they considered shrewd, acquisitive, aggressive, and possibly dishonest.” (from Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Oxford University Press: 1988)
Many of these lies about Jews generally centered on the slander that Jews were war profiteers. When the Civil War began, the price of Southern-grown cotton skyrocketed from 10 cents a pound in December 1860 to 68 cents a pound two years later. Even in the midst of war, the North and South continued to depend on each other economically. Northern textile mills relied on Southern cotton; even the Union Army used Southern-grown cotton for its uniforms and tents. To facilitate trade, President Lincoln authorized the distribution of carefully regulated, licensed trading permits allowing cotton to be exported to the North.
Permits were overseen by senior Union Army officials. One of those in charge of distributing them was General Ulysses S. Grant, who governed the District of Tennessee, including areas of nearby Mississippi and Kentucky. Unlike Lincoln, Grant despised issuing trading permits, wondering aloud to aides how the Union Army was supposed to win a war against the Confederacy if they continued to trade with them. In addition to those who legally traded cotton, a robust black-market cotton trade sprang up; many people wrongly assumed that black marketeers were Jews, smearing Jews as profiteers and motivated purely by greed.
Historian Jonathan Sarna describes the simmering tension: “In short order, public corruption rose, mutual trust declined, and recriminations abounded. As is so often the case in such circumstances, suspicion fell particularly upon the Jews, long stereotyped in Christian culture as being financially unscrupulous. Jews became the focus for much of the hatred and mistrust that the war unleashed...” (from When General Grant Expelled the Jews. Nextbook: 2012)
Gen. Grant seemed to be obsessed with Jews, falsely viewing them as somehow being behind the entire black-market cotton trade. Historian Ron Chernow notes that Grant’s imagination was increasingly “endowing (Jews) with almost diabolical powers” and that Gen. Grant ranted about Jews’ supposedly all-reaching influence, writing that Jews “come in with their Carpet sacks in spite of all that can be done to prevent it. The Jews seem to be a privileged class that can travel anywhere…” and spread throughout the country (Quoted in Grant. Penguin Press: 2017). Of over two hundred merchants who were given permits to export cotton to the North, only four were Jewish. Yet this small number didn’t prevent Gen. Grant and others from wrongly seeing Jews as uniquely successful in trade and hating them for it.
Gen. Ulysses Grant
In early December 1862, just weeks before the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, Gen. Grant’s anti-Jewish loathing boiled over. His own father, Jesse Grant, applied for permission to import cotton to the North. Gen. Grant had a strained relationship with his father and now his father was asking to use his son’s influence to prosper in the cotton trade Gen. Grant so despised. Even worse, Jesse Grant was working in partnership with a Jewish family of clothing manufacturers in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was too much for the General; he decided to take a radical step.
General Order No. 11, issued on the first day of Hanukkah, December 17 1862, was brief and chilling:
“The Jews, as a class violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department and also department orders, are hereby expelled from the department within twenty-four hours from the receipt of this order. Post commanders will see that all of this class of people be furnished passes and required to leave, and any one returning after such notification will be arrested and held in confinement until and opportunity occurs of sending them out as prisoners…”
Every Jew in Gen. Grant’s sizeable district was to be expelled within a day. Those returning faced arrest. Instead of targeting Jewish businessmen (which would have been unfair in any case) all Jews – women, children, those not working in trade – were included.
Luckily for many of the Jews in this large area, fighting disrupted telegraph lines and it was hard to get out word of the new law. Nevertheless, Gen. Grant’s order did make it to some districts. Shockingly, locals seemed more than happy to comply and turn on the Jews in their midst.
A Jew identified only as Mr. Silverman, originally from Chicago, was travelling to Holly Springs, Mississippi over Hanukkah, when he heard the order he could no longer remain in the territory. Local reports noted that Mr. Silverman made his way to a telegraph office to contact Gen. Grant and clarify this bizarre request. He was arrested for this so-called “crime”.
In the eastern part of Gen. Grant’s territory, a young Jewish newlywed couple was detained while they travelled through. According to the New York based newspaper Jewish Record, the couple was arrested, had their money and personal possessions robbed, their horse and buggy confiscated, and their luggage burned. It seems there was a scuffle or fight, because the couple became drenched. Despite the winter weather, they were brought to jail, forbidden from changing out of wet clothes, and verbally abused. When they appealed to Brigadier General James Tuttle, commander of the Union garrison in Cairo Illinois, he declined to help, declaring, “You are Jews, and...neither a benefit to the Union or Confederacy.”
Anti-Jewish violence broke out in a number of towns across the region, reaching a crescendo in the town of Paducah, Kentucky.
Jews first moved to Paducah in the 1840s; by that infamous Hanukkah of 1862 the small community had put down roots. The Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities notes that by 1859, eleven Paducah businesses had Jewish owners; half a dozen Jewish-owned clothing stores dotted the town. In 1859, twenty local Jews founded the Chevra Yeshurun Jewish burial society and purchased land for a Jewish cemetery.
When news of General Order No. 11 came, local authorities quickly turned on the Jews in their midst. The B’nai B’rith Missouri Lodge described what happened next: all Jews were given the order “to leave the city of Paducah, Kentucky within twenty-four hours after receiving this order”. Women and children were forced out, too, and in one case a baby was nearly lost in the confusion. Two elderly Jewish women were too ill to leave their homes; kind-hearted local neighbors volunteered to care for them while their relatives were forced to leave.
The petition to Pres. Lincoln from the B’nai B’rith Missouri Lodge
Forced out of their homes, Paducah’s Jews appealed to President Lincoln. Cesar Kaskel, a Jewish immigrant from Prussia who’d moved to Paducah years before, travelled to Washington DC to speak with the president himself. At each stop along the way, he appealed to local journalists “to lend the powerful aid of the press to the suffering cause of outraged humanity (and) to blot out as quick as possible this stain on our national honor” (quoted in Lincoln and the Jews: A History by Jonathan D. Sarna and Benjamin Shapell. St. Martin’s Press: 2015).
When he finally arrived in Washington DC, Cesar Kaskel met Cincinnati’s Congressman, John Addison Gurley, and enlisted his help. Together, the two men went to speak with Pres. Lincoln, who told them he’d had no idea of Gen. Grant’s order expelling the Jews. Lincoln was Biblically literate and spoke to Cesar Kaskel using the metaphor of the ancient Jews being driven from the Land of Israel, asking him: “And so the children of Israel were driven from the happy land of Canaan?” Kaskel replied in a similar tone: “Yes, and that is why we have come unto Father Abraham’s bosom, asking protection.”
Lincoln replied, “And this protection they shall have”.
Historians debate whether or not this conversation really took place using this exalted tone, but Pres. Lincoln did immediately instruct Henry Halleck, the General in Chief of the Union Army, to revoke the decree, which he did on January 6, 1863.
Most of Paducah’s Jews returned, but the pernicious effects of General Order No. 11 lingered for years. The singling out of American Jews “as a class” for special treatment make many feel unwelcome and raised fears that the violence so many had fled in Europe had followed them to their new homes in the United States. Though Ulysses Grant came to regret his order expelling the Jews, the infamous order, coming during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, remained a reminder that even in America, Jews could never feel truly at home.
Each year, Jews around the world sing the song Maoz Tzur after lighting the Hanukkah candles. The words in its final verse – “there is no end to days of evil” – never seemed more true to American Jews than in the winter of 1862, when Jews “as a class” – men, women and children – were denied security and torn from their homes.
(32) Raymond, December 31, 2019 3:28 AM
A Nation that Dwells Alone
What a stark reminder that ultimately, we Jews are on our own. As good of a friend that America has been to us Jews, its record is nevertheless far from perfect. Ulysses S Grant's antisemitism is plainly disgusting. The silver lining in this dark cloud from 19th century America, is that at least President Lincoln was a deeply principled friend of our people. It helps reinforce him being for many decades now, my favorite non-Jew of all time.
(31) James Bedu Kodjo Eric Graham, December 30, 2019 10:49 PM
Why the Jewish People unease in Ghana and Abroad.
The hatred of the Jewish People has Continued across History in every Nation. Across the Globe,I am Truly Horrified to hear of this Situation and Crisis. From the 18th Century to the Modern Holocaust from the 1940s,the Manner in which our People were treated leaves much to be desired indeed, Despite that Persecution we have survived many a instances and manner of Oppression.
(30) Mary Nolan, December 27, 2019 9:26 PM
Just unilaterally wrong that this occurred
To start, I am of Irish dissent mostly. In the Boston area. To go back to the 1800s though, many Irish were neighbors with their fellow Jewish immigrants. The Irish suffered a lot (no Irish need apply here and the slander of “Mick”, for example), however, no immigrant ‘class’ (IMHO, we do not have classes in this country for crying out loud) suffered nearly to the extent of the Jewish immigrants. Why they were singled out is beyond my imagination. I thank the Lord for President Lincoln and his right thinking.
(29) Terence H Maness, December 27, 2019 8:35 PM
But wait...there's more.
From Haaretz---
"Four years later, in 1869, Grant became the 18th president of the United States, and turned from an anti-Semite to one of the most pro-Jewish presidents ever. He was the first president to inaugurate a new synagogue, he appointed the largest number of Jews in governmental positions and fought against the deportations of Jews in Russia by the Czar — only seven years after issuing General Order No. 11."
War stinks. And Civil War stinks the most. Grant made a terrible decision.
And then he got his mind right.
Now you know the rest of the story.
Raymond, December 31, 2019 3:36 AM
Paul Harvey
Excellent point, and one that helps me put my mind at ease. I love America, so any time I come across examples of American antisemitism, it is deeply disturbing to me. And yet, as you have shown, people who make mistakes can be redeemed by improving their behavior. Paul Harvey...Good Day!
Meir Frank, January 6, 2020 6:18 AM
It was the 6th and I Synagogue
You beat me to it. It was the 6th and I Synagogue (NW, a little north of Pennsylvania between the Capitol and White House) and he spoke its inauguration and said very nice things. Much later it became a church and now it's back to being a synagogue.
(28) Errol Korn, December 27, 2019 8:09 PM
Article should have been couched in the context of Grant's whole political life. He was not an anti-Semite and proved it later in his political life.
Here is a HistoryCom article on this:
https://www.history.com/news/ulysses-grant-expulsion-jews-civil-war?fbclid=IwAR2Xwi4xf4-uRMr4qgvdti7HBRxm3BqYQ5rdkdGyeCzmlumzD4PEI4Nq-6U
Quote from above article: "The discriminatory order was quickly squelched, but the general never forgot it. In fact, he spent a lifetime trying to atone for it. When he was running for president in 1868, he confessed that the order “was issued and sent without any reflection and without thinking.” In office, he named more Jews to public office than ever before, and promoted the human rights of Jewish people abroad, protesting pogroms in Romania and sending a Jewish diplomat to object."
(27) Ruth Broch, December 27, 2019 7:51 AM
Same Situation
And now fast forward to today: same situation. It was, is and will always be the same situation. There is no true home for any Jew in any country other than our only Homeland, Israel. Come home while you still have your lives. It couldn't happen in cultured Germany, but it did. It can't happen in America - but it is - and you all see it!! In the future, don't say that you didn't know!!
(26) Stephen Hughes, December 27, 2019 12:34 AM
Grant - you left out a hell of a lot
Grant's record with respect to Jews likewise requires revision. Practically, probably fewer than 100 Jews were seriously affected by General Order 11. During his Presidential administration, American Jews moved from outsider to insider status, and from weakness to strength. After having abruptly expelled Jews in 1862, Grant as president significantly empowered them-insisting, over the objections of those who propounded narrower visions of America, that the country could embrace people of different races, religions, and creeds. General Orders No. 11 led to unexpected aftermaths-the transformation of Grant made history on June 9, 1876 when he became the first American president to attend the dedication of a synagogue. Timed to coincide with the celebration of 100 years of American independence, the president's appearance at Washington's Adas Israel synagogue was particularly laden with symbolism, in effect announcing that Judaism was a co-equal religion in the United States. The president also handed in a pledge card promising the congregation ten dollars (approximately $200 today), earning him the community's sincere thanks for his "munificence and liberality." The man who had once expelled "Jews as a class" from his war zone had personally honored Jews in Washington, DC for upholding and renewing their faith. One of Grant's first acts as president was the appointment of Simon Wolf, a leading Jewish attorney and B'nai B'rith leader, to the position of Recorder of Deeds. Soon Wolf became the president's primary advisor on Jewish affairs. Thanks to him, the president made numerous other Jewish appointments-more, probably, than all previous presidents combined. Grant also responded quickly when reports reached him of persecutions against Jews in Europe. He spoke out forcefully against an order expelling 2,000 Jews from border areas of Russia and, following the persecution of Jews in Romania in 1870, he appointed a Jew as America's consul to that country.
(25) Robert Margulies, December 26, 2019 10:22 PM
history redux
And still, the mass of American Jewry forgets - worse ignores - history. Some were evil, some were ignorant but the common ground was hatred of Jews. In Paducah as reprised in Germany: "...it can't happen here...". But it can and it will. There is a fringe on the Right, but a majority on the Left that hates Jews. It was Roosevelt in WW 2, Johnson, Carter, Clinton who were anxious to take the money, but never help. The Banker Class, many Jewish keep feeding the Left. Einstein reputedly said that crazy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. The mass of illiberal Reform and Conservative Jews are fulfilling the prophecy.
(24) Shlomo, December 26, 2019 4:47 PM
Amazing Little Known History
Shocking retelling. We had no idea. May HaShem continue to protect us. This Hanukah we are paying special attention to Psalms 113-118 and ask everyone to read them now, at this trying moment.
(23) Anonymous, December 26, 2019 3:04 PM
Gods punishment of anti-semitism is sure!
Anti-Semitism is on the rise like in pre-WWII. God’s protection on His people may seem to tarry, but believe me when He moves it will be swift and sure.
Anonymous, December 26, 2019 10:30 PM
Ha Shem will help those who help themselves.
Miracles occurred when the Israelites fought, not when they quivered.
From Moses to Joshua to The Maccabees to the Irgun...
Defenselessness is foolhardy.
Arm up. Train. Be prepared .
(22) Tuvia, December 26, 2019 12:41 PM
The Times They Are Not Changing
Is this really a surprise?
The was even a blood libel in 1928 Massena, NY
Nothing has changed.
(21) Rachel Sagar, December 26, 2019 8:06 AM
Wrong sort of Jew
You call any Jew who doesn't share your political opinions, a 'self-hating Jew'. It's meaningless. I could just as easily call YOU 'self-hating'. Bernie Sanders doesn't hate himself. It's you that hates him. 'Self hating Jew' is just as anti-Semitic a term as 'the wrong sort of Jew'. Jews have a wide range of political views - get over it. Are you going to call the Orthodox 'Self-hating Jews' because they believe only in a spiritual Zion?
Anonymous, December 31, 2019 3:51 AM
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders is indeed a self-hating Jew, as he is always at the forefront of coming out against Israel, plus he embraces antisemites such as Ocasio-Cortez. I am not sure what is meant by Orthodox Jews embracing only spiritual Zion, whatever that means. What I can say is that Orthodox Jews living in prosperous America emigrate to Israel all the time, fully participating in Israeli life.
(20) Anonymous, December 25, 2019 9:32 PM
Grant is a known anti Semite;why is anyone surprised
Not only did he hate Jews but he is the president who made Christmas a legal holiday which is a source of discomfort for those of us who do not celebrate and do not wish to be wished a merry Christmas by those who say but it is a legal holiday. What is the problem? All in all he was not a good man and definitely not a good president.
Anonymous, December 31, 2019 3:56 AM
Offended by Christmas
On my list of priorities as to what is important among the public issues of our day, America celebrating Christmas as a national holiday is about 1,000,000th on my list. No, correct that: It is not on my list at all. Why shouldn't a country such as America that was founded largely by Christians, and continues to be made up overwhelmingly of Christians, not celebrate their most cherished religious holiday? Is there a problem with its beautifully uplifting music, its almost magical lights, its warm, kind feelings, and its pro-family general atmosphere? I have to tell you, that I happen to live in a neighborhood that is apparently so Radically to the Left, that I did not see even one Christmas decoration on anybody's home here, and I found that to be very sad.
(19) Laura Seasongood, December 25, 2019 5:44 PM
Connection to Cincinnati
Parts of my extended family moved to Cincinnati in the mid-1800’s. I had a cousin who is said to have fought on the Union side in the Civil War and of high rank. I’m surprised I didn’t know this information. It puts in context the desire my family had to be part of the reform movement and their desire for assimilation. What a disgusting part of our American history.
(18) vera schiff Suite 507, 5 Kenneth Avenue, Toronto. On,M2N 6M7Canada as above, December 25, 2019 12:46 PM
Hitler's Inferno
excellent reminder that there is no safe place for a Jew on this earth. With that thought in mind we should work on our unity and strength.
Laurie, December 25, 2019 3:46 PM
Vera ,We are safest in eretz Israel and yes we need to be one in HaShem
Praise God that we have Israel today. Hopefully we will all make Aliyah
(17) al krantz, December 25, 2019 8:09 AM
Uniting all Americans
This very insightful historical essay on U.S. Grant and anti-semitism in America seems to be supportive in revealing where some of these attitudes may have came from, and in reinforcing the idea that Lincoln was trying his best to stop divisive prejudices and unite our country. The takeaway in a modern context is that we Americans must concentrate on what unites us as a people, what we have in common, and forge past divisive issues such as racism, (and anti-semitism.)
(16) Michael Lee Chernick, December 25, 2019 7:25 AM
Sad, but inspiring to keep faith and ethics through God’s continual tests.
Especially grateful to you for the bibliographic notes for further research.
(15) art, December 24, 2019 11:36 PM
fascinating
history repeats itself..
(14) Barbara Johbson, December 24, 2019 11:31 PM
I never knew this before reading your article. Thank you for providing this information. I pray that all Jewish Americans read this shameful piece of American History.
(13) Gilda Rothenberg, December 24, 2019 10:47 PM
Unbelieveable
Thanks, NEVER knew
(12) Theodore Gutwein, December 24, 2019 9:52 PM
Horrifying
Horrifying! I had no idea that there was ever an expulsion of Jews in the United States of America after the Revolutionary War.
(11) Mitchell Rapoport, December 24, 2019 8:55 PM
The rest of the story
The order was immediately rescinded, and President Grant regretted the impetuous action for the rest of his life. He was an extraordinary general and President, as Ron Chernow’s superb biography makes clear.
(10) Anonymous, December 24, 2019 7:31 PM
Grant repented
From. "My Jewish Learning": After the war, Grant transcended his anti-Semitic reputation. He explained his actions by saying that he had signed the order, which had been prepared by a subordinate, without reading it. Grant carried the Jewish vote in the Presidential election of 1868 and named several Jews to high office.
(9) Robert Walton, December 24, 2019 4:27 PM
Perhaps a movement to tear-down statues of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant is in order. Given the light of day, his track record is no more "American" or honorable than those of the many confederate heroes that have been torn from their places of honor. America must choose its heroes more carefully or forgive their faults more generously. The Confederacy's heroes were also Americans!
Kingsdaughter613, December 24, 2019 4:39 PM
Because that would also ignore his later actions? He later became a tremendous friend to our people. He repented if his actions and we believe in repentance. We shouldn’t forget the harm he did us, but we also shouldn’t forget the good.
Confederate statues are another story. Those men were traitors to the Union. By their own choice they ceased to be members of the United States. I fail to see why this nation should honor those who sought to destroy it.
Chasya Bernstein, December 25, 2019 12:46 AM
friend of the Jews as President
As President, Grant refused to accede to demands that kosher shechitah be banned, and appointed a number of Jewish colleagues to high office. He even offered Seligman a cabinet post, which was declined -supposedly due to its lower income as compared to Seligman's profitable business.
In his memoirs, Grant claims he did not read the order carefully and did not realize that Jews 'as a class' were being banned from the territory. Be that as it may, his later actions - which held no benefit for himself politically - showed him not to be a Jew-hater. Perhaps he just gave in to the 'normal' prejudices of the time in his exasperation over the War - not an excuse , but examine his actions when he had time to consider them more carefully, and see how he reacted.
(8) Gloria Lucioni, December 24, 2019 4:24 PM
Strikingly ironic
How ironic that the Union was fighting to end slavery and yet that General Grant discriminated against Jewish entrepreneurs and civilians. I was never taught this in US History or Civil War history classes. Thanks for sharing and hopefully America , after WWII , has changed.
(7) Isadore, December 24, 2019 4:23 PM
Regretted his order?
How do we know that General Grant eventually regretted his order to expel the Jews?
Anonymous, December 24, 2019 4:40 PM
Because of his later actions regarding our people.
(6) Arkay, December 24, 2019 3:54 PM
Convoluted positions of Jews in the Diaspora
Although never being fully accepted by the Diaspora in America, Jews have greatly contributed. Although being Democrats for generations, it was the Dems who were the "racists," pro-slavery political group and Lincoln was a Republican, Torah knowledgeable, similar to Evangelicals today. Although subjected to vicious Jew hatred in the U.S., Jews from Europe remained and thrived. Why Jews remained aligned with the Dems is convoluted. Both the North and the South were willing to purge Jews from their midst. I would suspect that jealousy for this "group" of outsiders coupled with age-old Jew hatred and stereotypical lies kept the Jews from never being accepted as "true Americans." Conversely, assimilation caused Jew hatred to rise and jealousy to increase. The position of the Jew in the Diaspora is a convoluted and disjointed reality that has not changed. Nor will it ever change. Jews have a precarious position no matter where they go in the Diaspora. Making Aliyah is a good start for finally feeling like they're "home."
(5) Robert Cullick, December 24, 2019 3:43 PM
Fascinating story
This will be very helpful in teaching my students about the love/hate affair America has with its Jews.
(4) Barry L Wolfe, December 24, 2019 3:40 PM
From our Bible lessons:
As a young boy my father taught me to “never blame the children for the acts of their parent.” Throughout Jewish history Jews have experienced similar acts...and much worse. We have continued to move on and have contributed greatly in every society we have lived. This Chanukah period is no different. I’m grateful to have been born in America, a Christian nation built on a Judeo-Christian foundation...where our right as individuals emanates from G-d.
(3) Anonymous, December 24, 2019 3:12 PM
Author omitted Grant's repentance
It is sad that the author chose to leave out Grant's journey to repentance. From his Wikipedia biography:
"In his book When General Grant Expelled the Jews (2012) historian Jonathan Sarna argues that as president Grant became one of the greatest friends of Jews in American history. When he was president, he appointed more Jews to office than any previous president. He condemned atrocities against Jews in Europe, putting human rights on the American diplomatic agenda.
In 1874, President Grant attended a dedication of the Adas Israel Congregation in Washington with all the members of his Cabinet. This was the first time an American President attended a synagogue service. Many historians have taken his action as part of his continuing effort to reconcile with the Jewish community."
(2) Greg, December 24, 2019 3:00 PM
Praise God for Pres. Lincoln
Judeo-Christianity at work. The Founders of America always knew that the unique and special jurisprudence brought down through the Chosen Jewish People was the only moral code sufficient to found a free and civil nation. English Common Law and Montesquieu's Legal Theory (from which we get our "triune" branches of government, i.e., balance of power)--both exclusively rooted in Biblical Law, were the most quoted documents by the Founders.
Co-Author of our Founding Declaration and Second President, John Adams, wrote about the Jews: "... They are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this Earth. The Romans and their Empire were but a Bauble in comparison of the Jews. They have given religion to three quarters of the Globe and have influenced the affairs of Mankind more, and more happily, than any other Nation ancient or modern.”
So what a tragic event that General Grant would be swayed by such evil anti-Semitic notions. May God preserve the blessed Jewish People and may God glorify Himself in the American Nation where His People can find peace, salvation, and rest.
(1) Audrey Glen, December 24, 2019 2:53 PM
And now Dem party turned into anti Semites
Look what has happened - Dem party that they say 70% of Jews belong to turned into the party of Thaib and Omar who are openly anti Semitic and Sanders who is a self hated Jew -and Jews can do nothing about it! When they are silent, they agree with ani Semites! This is such a shame!
On the contrary, Trump, who they say is "racist" , proved to be good for Jews!
Shlomo, December 26, 2019 5:10 PM
Integrity First
You will never convince me that a man like Trump, who so sorely lacks personal integrity, should be in any kind of leadership position. Ever.
Robert Margulies, December 26, 2019 10:25 PM
to Shlomo
I would not care to share dinner with Mr Trump, But at least so far, I will accept his accomplishments. Civility does not always equal honor.
Raymond, January 5, 2020 3:23 AM
Racist Donald
Those suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome call our President a racist because they realize on some level that they cannot deny his magnificent accomplishments as our President. And so they resort to using the Race Card. It is particularly shameful when American Jews engage in such character assassination, given what a fantastic friend that our President is to our Jewish people.