Bad blood

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Esther Solomon

When Donald Trump praised infamous Nazi sympathizer and crude anti-Semite Henry Ford’s ‘good bloodlines’ last week, he resuscitated - after a gap of perhaps only weeks – the perennial question about how he relates to Jews and how that should affect the vote in November 2020. Mona Charen asks: If Trump loves Jews so much, why does he keep celebrating America's biggest anti-Semites?Jonathan Tobin responds: Short of dropping a bomb on Israel, Trump’s pro-Israel Jewish vote is so rock-solid that any dog-whistling has no effect.   And what about Israel’s fervent evangelical allies? The GOD-TV controversy, a cable channel in Hebrew aimed at converting Jews, has caused a wobble in Orthodox and right-wing Jewish enthusiasm. Is missionizing a fair price for their pro-Israel support? The evangelical Michael Brown asks why Jews in Israel welcome Christian Zionist love, money and political influence – but call their proselytism poisonous. For Avi Bell, targeting Jews for conversion isn’t evangelical friendship at all, but a barely disguised hatred for Judaism.   With annexation on the horizon, Muhammad Shehada rues the complete lack of a Palestinian strategy to confront it, while for Keith Kahn-Harris, annexation means the extinguishing of hope for liberal Zionists in the Diaspora – and for fractious big tent organizations like AIPAC. Eric Yoffie derides Netanyahu’s decision to engage evangelicals, rather than U.S. Jews, in his annexation strategy. George Zeidan declares that a Biden administration would freeze the Democratic party’s pro-Palestinian pivot – so better to vote Trump.   And if you missed them, both Daniel B. Shapiro and David Rothkopf had fierce op-eds on what Mike Pompeo’s lightning mid-pandemic trip to Israel was all about.   Lastly, Toby Greene explores why the Netanyahus, father and son, are embracing the far right’s vision of a ‘Christian Europe,’ and Tobias Grunberg describes what it’s like to a German Jew, caricatured, exploited, courted and vilified by both hard left and far right.

If Donald Trump Loves Jews So Much, Why Does He Keep Celebrating America's Biggest anti-Semites? Mona Charen | 25.05.2020

Pro-Israel Jews Will Still Vote Trump. Even When He Promotes anti-Semites and Holocaust Deniers Jonathan S. Tobin | 25.05.2020

Evangelicals Trying to Convert Jews: A Fair Price for Christian Support for Israel? Jonathan S. Tobin | 11.05.2020

Jews Welcome Evangelical Love, Money and Influence for Israel. But Call Our Christianity 'Poison'? Michael L. Brown | 17.05.2020

God TV Evangelicals: Please Stop Pitching Your Hatred of Judaism as 'Love' Avi Bell | 19.05.2020

From Abbas to Hamas, Palestinian Leaders Have No Strategy Against Annexation Muhammad Shehada | 20.05.2020

Annexation Means AIPAC Can Pack Up and Go Home Keith Kahn-Harris | 21.05.2020

Netanyahu Can't Sell the Idiocy of Annexation to U.S. Jews, So He Went to the Evangelicals Eric H. Yoffie | 24.05.2020

Care About Palestinians? Don't Vote for Joe Biden. Vote for Donald Trump George Zeidan | 24.05.2020

Why the Netanyahus Are Embracing 'Christian Europe' Toby Greene | 13.05.2020

I'm a German Jew, and I'd Love to Be Normal Tobias Ginsburg | 19.05.2020

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