Watch now | Avri Gilad, a leading TV personality, hosts a show called "Mashav." We share part of a recent panel discussion on whether Israel has obligations to Diaspora Jewry.
Daniel, I am surprised to hear you say Biden is the first "Zionist" president. And I am also surprised that you are surprised that much of American Jewry is leaning away from Biden. (Our choices suck as Trump is a sociopath but he promises to do something about the anti-semitic actions on our campuses.
Biden has done very little about the increased anti-semitism in the US. Yes, sometimes he will slam anti-semitism but in the same breath he talks about not being "anti-Islam." Well, right now, the problem is anti-semitism not anti-islam. Biden is running in two different elections. One is President of the US and the other is President of Michigan where the vast majority of arabs reside in the US.
I hate Trump. I have never voted Republican (and that is in over 40 years of voting) but right now I am leaning toward Trump because he has said, under his presidency, if these arabs/anti-semitites do what under his presidency on campuses, he will deport them. I like that. Trump also moved the embassy to Jerusalem. No other president was brave enough to do that.
So unless Biden steps down, and a better candidate comes forward, for the first time, I will hold my nose and vote Trump.
Why don't you admit that trump says many things but doesn't follow through. He also said that he would build infrastructure & a better health care system, but did neither. He has also said nasty things about American Jews & called Hamas "smart", which Biden never did. When will you realize that trump is a pathological liar as well as a bully, a crook, a rapist? He would sell Israel down the river in a heartbeat if it fed his demented goals. The whole MAGAt cult is like that. If you don't recognize that, you have your head in the sound.
“Trump also moved the embassy to Jerusalem. No other president was brave enough to do that.”
Exactly!
And still he’s the one they claim is anti-Israel/anti-Jews/a Nazi/a fascist all the time, still can’t square the circle on that one and I’ve stopped trying. I’ve concluded that either people a) don’t know the difference b) know it but doesn’t like the truth so they conveniently ignore it (consciously or unconsciously) or c) they are ignoramuses and nincompoops. Or maybe all three. Either way the reason doesn’t matter any more, the only thing that matters to me now is that every time I see or hear someone using the Nazi/Fascist and Zionism card I call them out to let them explain the context in which they use the word and why (that goes to “Holocaust” too btw).
The ones who don't square the circle are the ones who are in denial. trump is a narcissist, and a demented one as well, who falls asleep at his own trial, and makes speeches that people call word salads. He makes anti-Jewish statements. I've SEEN them; he says that Jews who don't vote for him are disloyal! The only reason he moved the embassy is to gain votes of christians who are waiting for Armageddon so that jesus will return & everyone will become christian or go to Hell. Is this the vision that feeds your soul? trump is not a nazi; he is too opportunistic & ignorant to have any ideology at all but he read Mein Kamp and admires the nazis and all dictators. Is this whom you think the US and Israel should trust? He will do whatever is necessary to advanced himself & feed his bloated ego. Anyone who doesn't recognize that is more than foolish. It means acceptance of the end of the US as we know it and the consequences to the rest of the world & Israel too. Let Israel do one thing this evil man doesn't like and he will punish Israel any way he can. He is vindictive & full of hate,
Please do not vote for a convicted felon. Trump is not the kind of leader we need for the times we are in. Can you seriously believe he will be a leader for the world stage when is primary goal is to revenge against the Democrats? He is courting an illiberal Christian Democracy after Hungary's Orban. Do you want to live in a country that denies reproductive rights for women, and the LGBTQ community? You need look no further than the leadership he has chosen to advise him. He is a bully and a thug. He will only do what is good for him. He will also court Putin and thus pose a threat to Europe. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem was symbolic. Every American President for decades has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. But they knew better that to stab it in the eyes of Palestinians before a negotiated settlement would beget more violence and resentment. I am not thrilled with Biden either. He should never ever cease from blaming Hamas for the war. He needs to have have Israel's back period. Nontheless, we can't have a maniac like Trump in office.
Biden has been a Zionist for many years. He feels Israel in his 'kishkes.' He's not another Obama (who BTW gave more to Israel during his presidency than anyone).
Trump will throw Jews under the bus when it suits his needs, just like those college students.
trump has already thrown under the bus anyone and everyone who disagrees with him, and he incites violence to those he hates, which is just about everyone.
Only a flack for the Democratic Party would say that. Trump is a malignant narcissist. And that malignant narcissist was responsible for moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the Abraham accords, killing Soleimani and submitting a plan for Israeli annexation of large swaths of Judea and Samaria. Obama’s contribution was a significant military aid package, after which he betrayed Israel at the UN Security Council, voting to call the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem “Occupied”. You should be ashamed of yourself. I’m voting for the malignant narcissist.
You write that you like order rather than chaos. Trump is chaos personified, with more people moving in & out of his corrupt cabinet than any other president in history. You want a president who supports our friends, not our enemies. What is Putin and Russia if not enemies? He is against NATO. Crime is DOWN not UP. You are drinking at the well of Fox Not News, and don't seem to be aware that the US has the most robust economy of any western nation. You don't deny his malignant narcissism, some of which I listed. You don't give evidence for your beliefs. I stated that more than once he promised infrastructure & a better health care system, neither of which he created. Biden has lowered drug prices, created infrastructure in many states, bridges, railroad expansion. He strengthened the Clean Water Act, works to use renewable energy, and never demonizes anyone as trump does all the time, with slurs and threats. Trump is an ugly, evil, divisive man who is MORE hated than Biden. Half the US has embraced fascism with his MAGAt support. He slurs women and wants to destroy their autonomy. He appointed a Supreme Court so corrupt it borders on criminality. Shame on you for planning to vote for him. If he steals this election, as he tried in 2020 and succeeded in 2016, even though he lost the popular vote to Hilary by millions, say good-bye to the US as we know it, as this vile, ugly man will destroy it. This hatred of Jews was stirred up by trump - the proof? It was never like this until this garbage man appeared on the scene.
Only a fool would dispute the malignant narcissism of trump. He has made loud, public statements that he is the best president the country every had, that only he can fix problems, that he is the most popular politician in the country when he is actually one of the most hated. Anyone living in the US who listens to the news or reads knows that he has made these remarks. He did NOT submit a plan to annex large swaths of Judea & Samaria. He mused to his advisors that they should invade Mexico to wipe out the drug dealers but they dissuaded him. The man is an idiot, a serial liar, a crook and a rapist. He tried to bring down the govt., causing violence resulting in deaths. YOU should be ashamed of yourself because you are deliberately, willfully ignoring the depth of his malignant hatred of all who disagree with him and his malignant love of violence towards those he perceives as his enemy. The MAGAts are a complete threat to the decent values of the US and, as a side comment, devalue women and wish to destroy their autonomy. Half the US is drowning in fascism and it's coming from the vile MAGAts who blindly worship their cult leader, trump. Sadly, it seems that you are one of them.
Last word from me: Trump is like my wife’s hummus. To make her hummus smooth, she used to peel each garbanzo bean individually. Very time consuming. But she found out that if she puts the beans in a skillet and sprinkles baking soda on them, and then puts them in a colander and washes them with water, the baking soda washes away and the beans are separated from the skins. When she sets the plate on the table, I have a delicious meal before me with absolutely no taste of the baking soda.
I didn’t vote for Trump in 2016. In 2020 I voted for him because I preferred chaos to tyranny, even if it’s the soft tyranny of the Democratic Party. What Trump says - and I presume what he says reflects what he thinks - is awful, unpresidential, unworthy of the office. But when, metaphorically, I sit down to eat, I have on my plate the conditions for prosperity, prosperity itself, a foreign policy that supports our friends and opposes our foes and policies that respect the working class and traditional religious observance. His awfulness, his vengeful spirit, his crudeness, are like the baking soda on my wife’s hummus: they disappear at the point of contact. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks said, “Law is the architecture of behavior.” Under Biden there is no law. Not at the border, not on the streets, not at college campuses. He rules against the will of the people. No one wants an open border. No one wants criminals unpunished. No one wants men in girl’s and women’s physical spaces. And no Jew should want a president bound and determined to leave Hamas in power and enable Iran. When Trump was president, just before Covid, the Black unemployment rate was the lowest in history, and the Hispanic unemployment rate was tied for the lowest, and the world was a more peaceful place because Trump was unpredictable rather than weak.
I wish I had another choice besides Biden and Trump. I wish there were a centrist candidate who could unite left and right, who could uplift the people and bring us all together. But we’ve got what we’ve got. It’s an easy choice.
Biden a Zionist? He’s an opportunist! Don’t you remember Begin’s now famous reply to him after Biden threatened to withhold aide to Israel? And Biden isn’t President! He’s unquestionably mentally diminished. This is a regency being run by Obama’s people. There’s no other way to understand continued US support for and deference to Iran, and a Herculean effort to keep Hamas from being destroyed. I just don’t understand how Gordis can say what he said about America and American Jewry and then follow it up with “Biden is a Zionist”. I’m can’t even offer an explanation.
You are totally ignorant of the facts, or else, like the MAGAts, refuse to recognize them. Biden IS the president. Anyone listening to the State of the Union speech or his off the cuff remarks can attest to the sharpness of what he says. You're out of your head to claim that this is as "regency run by Obama's people". You offer not ONE shred of evidence to support this idiotic claim. What deference to Iran? Biden helped Israel attack Iran's missiles or do you deny that, even though it was printed in Israeli news? You are a perfect example of the evil MAGAt cult, lying, making up idiotic slurs, and totally ignoring the demented remarks that trump makes at his disgusting rallys, where he attacks EVERYONE with ugly slurs and urges violence against them.
I realize that this column leans left, but I am surprised at the extent of the Trump derangement syndrome. All of the far fetched characterizations of Trump in these comments lead me to wonder if the commenters have advanced dementia. We have extensive evidence of what Trump would do as president, because he was president for four years. No presidential term has been so beneficial for Israel as has Trump's. Did you all forget about moving the Embassy, the Abraham Accords, the destruction of the Islamic State? Try following the evidence rather than the hysterical accusations of unconvicted-felon Democrats.
This is a very interesting dialogue and Daniel, what I found most interesting was your initial statement that you really didn’t think aliyah was going to be something that would be occurring for the Jews in the American diaspora. I’d like to know more about why you think that’s true and what you think might happen should the situation in America become more negative after the election. In the last taped quote, you mentioned the Jews in America were giving up their liberalism and would need to find something else in Judaism or Zionism that would ultimately connect them to Israel. Can you clarify what you meant by that last statement and what you see as the outcome for the Jews in America that are giving up on the religious components of Judaism and instead might connect to Israel in another way . How do you see that connection evolving?
Not only were the comments insightful, this was the first Israeli news program I recall seeing where the host actually listened to the guests and let them speak at length without interrupting. Thank you for sharing.
Watch what happens in the next election when lots more Jews vote for Trump, to send a message to Shumer and those like him, such as Blinken. A subject still way way too taboo for it to have been raised in that broadcast that many American Jews have: why make Aliyah when so many Israelis have chosen to live in America?
As an American-born Jew (in 1940), and one grateful for the safety and acceptance offered to Jews, even if not complete, I can say that it has been a lot easier to live in America than in Europe (no words) or in Israel. It is not surprising that some Israelis have preferred a safer and easier life in America even as a not-entirely loved minority. But I see plenty of reasons to stay in Israel or even make Aliyah. As a Jew, Israel is your country; your place there is not open to question (except by external enemies). The army is there to protect you, even if protection cannot always be perfect. You are in charge and responsible, as you can never be where you are as a small minority. And, I am sorry to say, the safety and acceptance of Jews in America is shrinking rapidly.
Daniel, I am surprised to hear you say Biden is the first "Zionist" president. And I am also surprised that you are surprised that much of American Jewry is leaning away from Biden. (Our choices suck as Trump is a sociopath but he promises to do something about the anti-semitic actions on our campuses.
Biden has done very little about the increased anti-semitism in the US. Yes, sometimes he will slam anti-semitism but in the same breath he talks about not being "anti-Islam." Well, right now, the problem is anti-semitism not anti-islam. Biden is running in two different elections. One is President of the US and the other is President of Michigan where the vast majority of arabs reside in the US.
I hate Trump. I have never voted Republican (and that is in over 40 years of voting) but right now I am leaning toward Trump because he has said, under his presidency, if these arabs/anti-semitites do what under his presidency on campuses, he will deport them. I like that. Trump also moved the embassy to Jerusalem. No other president was brave enough to do that.
So unless Biden steps down, and a better candidate comes forward, for the first time, I will hold my nose and vote Trump.
Why don't you admit that trump says many things but doesn't follow through. He also said that he would build infrastructure & a better health care system, but did neither. He has also said nasty things about American Jews & called Hamas "smart", which Biden never did. When will you realize that trump is a pathological liar as well as a bully, a crook, a rapist? He would sell Israel down the river in a heartbeat if it fed his demented goals. The whole MAGAt cult is like that. If you don't recognize that, you have your head in the sound.
“Trump also moved the embassy to Jerusalem. No other president was brave enough to do that.”
Exactly!
And still he’s the one they claim is anti-Israel/anti-Jews/a Nazi/a fascist all the time, still can’t square the circle on that one and I’ve stopped trying. I’ve concluded that either people a) don’t know the difference b) know it but doesn’t like the truth so they conveniently ignore it (consciously or unconsciously) or c) they are ignoramuses and nincompoops. Or maybe all three. Either way the reason doesn’t matter any more, the only thing that matters to me now is that every time I see or hear someone using the Nazi/Fascist and Zionism card I call them out to let them explain the context in which they use the word and why (that goes to “Holocaust” too btw).
The ones who don't square the circle are the ones who are in denial. trump is a narcissist, and a demented one as well, who falls asleep at his own trial, and makes speeches that people call word salads. He makes anti-Jewish statements. I've SEEN them; he says that Jews who don't vote for him are disloyal! The only reason he moved the embassy is to gain votes of christians who are waiting for Armageddon so that jesus will return & everyone will become christian or go to Hell. Is this the vision that feeds your soul? trump is not a nazi; he is too opportunistic & ignorant to have any ideology at all but he read Mein Kamp and admires the nazis and all dictators. Is this whom you think the US and Israel should trust? He will do whatever is necessary to advanced himself & feed his bloated ego. Anyone who doesn't recognize that is more than foolish. It means acceptance of the end of the US as we know it and the consequences to the rest of the world & Israel too. Let Israel do one thing this evil man doesn't like and he will punish Israel any way he can. He is vindictive & full of hate,
Exactly!!!!
Please do not vote for a convicted felon. Trump is not the kind of leader we need for the times we are in. Can you seriously believe he will be a leader for the world stage when is primary goal is to revenge against the Democrats? He is courting an illiberal Christian Democracy after Hungary's Orban. Do you want to live in a country that denies reproductive rights for women, and the LGBTQ community? You need look no further than the leadership he has chosen to advise him. He is a bully and a thug. He will only do what is good for him. He will also court Putin and thus pose a threat to Europe. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem was symbolic. Every American President for decades has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. But they knew better that to stab it in the eyes of Palestinians before a negotiated settlement would beget more violence and resentment. I am not thrilled with Biden either. He should never ever cease from blaming Hamas for the war. He needs to have have Israel's back period. Nontheless, we can't have a maniac like Trump in office.
Daniel😳,Biden,Obama’s shadow,Iran ,you really call him a Zionist.?Time to give it up.You’re not running for office
Biden has been a Zionist for many years. He feels Israel in his 'kishkes.' He's not another Obama (who BTW gave more to Israel during his presidency than anyone).
Trump will throw Jews under the bus when it suits his needs, just like those college students.
trump has already thrown under the bus anyone and everyone who disagrees with him, and he incites violence to those he hates, which is just about everyone.
Only a flack for the Democratic Party would say that. Trump is a malignant narcissist. And that malignant narcissist was responsible for moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the Abraham accords, killing Soleimani and submitting a plan for Israeli annexation of large swaths of Judea and Samaria. Obama’s contribution was a significant military aid package, after which he betrayed Israel at the UN Security Council, voting to call the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem “Occupied”. You should be ashamed of yourself. I’m voting for the malignant narcissist.
You write that you like order rather than chaos. Trump is chaos personified, with more people moving in & out of his corrupt cabinet than any other president in history. You want a president who supports our friends, not our enemies. What is Putin and Russia if not enemies? He is against NATO. Crime is DOWN not UP. You are drinking at the well of Fox Not News, and don't seem to be aware that the US has the most robust economy of any western nation. You don't deny his malignant narcissism, some of which I listed. You don't give evidence for your beliefs. I stated that more than once he promised infrastructure & a better health care system, neither of which he created. Biden has lowered drug prices, created infrastructure in many states, bridges, railroad expansion. He strengthened the Clean Water Act, works to use renewable energy, and never demonizes anyone as trump does all the time, with slurs and threats. Trump is an ugly, evil, divisive man who is MORE hated than Biden. Half the US has embraced fascism with his MAGAt support. He slurs women and wants to destroy their autonomy. He appointed a Supreme Court so corrupt it borders on criminality. Shame on you for planning to vote for him. If he steals this election, as he tried in 2020 and succeeded in 2016, even though he lost the popular vote to Hilary by millions, say good-bye to the US as we know it, as this vile, ugly man will destroy it. This hatred of Jews was stirred up by trump - the proof? It was never like this until this garbage man appeared on the scene.
Only a fool would dispute the malignant narcissism of trump. He has made loud, public statements that he is the best president the country every had, that only he can fix problems, that he is the most popular politician in the country when he is actually one of the most hated. Anyone living in the US who listens to the news or reads knows that he has made these remarks. He did NOT submit a plan to annex large swaths of Judea & Samaria. He mused to his advisors that they should invade Mexico to wipe out the drug dealers but they dissuaded him. The man is an idiot, a serial liar, a crook and a rapist. He tried to bring down the govt., causing violence resulting in deaths. YOU should be ashamed of yourself because you are deliberately, willfully ignoring the depth of his malignant hatred of all who disagree with him and his malignant love of violence towards those he perceives as his enemy. The MAGAts are a complete threat to the decent values of the US and, as a side comment, devalue women and wish to destroy their autonomy. Half the US is drowning in fascism and it's coming from the vile MAGAts who blindly worship their cult leader, trump. Sadly, it seems that you are one of them.
Last word from me: Trump is like my wife’s hummus. To make her hummus smooth, she used to peel each garbanzo bean individually. Very time consuming. But she found out that if she puts the beans in a skillet and sprinkles baking soda on them, and then puts them in a colander and washes them with water, the baking soda washes away and the beans are separated from the skins. When she sets the plate on the table, I have a delicious meal before me with absolutely no taste of the baking soda.
I didn’t vote for Trump in 2016. In 2020 I voted for him because I preferred chaos to tyranny, even if it’s the soft tyranny of the Democratic Party. What Trump says - and I presume what he says reflects what he thinks - is awful, unpresidential, unworthy of the office. But when, metaphorically, I sit down to eat, I have on my plate the conditions for prosperity, prosperity itself, a foreign policy that supports our friends and opposes our foes and policies that respect the working class and traditional religious observance. His awfulness, his vengeful spirit, his crudeness, are like the baking soda on my wife’s hummus: they disappear at the point of contact. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks said, “Law is the architecture of behavior.” Under Biden there is no law. Not at the border, not on the streets, not at college campuses. He rules against the will of the people. No one wants an open border. No one wants criminals unpunished. No one wants men in girl’s and women’s physical spaces. And no Jew should want a president bound and determined to leave Hamas in power and enable Iran. When Trump was president, just before Covid, the Black unemployment rate was the lowest in history, and the Hispanic unemployment rate was tied for the lowest, and the world was a more peaceful place because Trump was unpredictable rather than weak.
I wish I had another choice besides Biden and Trump. I wish there were a centrist candidate who could unite left and right, who could uplift the people and bring us all together. But we’ve got what we’ve got. It’s an easy choice.
Biden a Zionist? He’s an opportunist! Don’t you remember Begin’s now famous reply to him after Biden threatened to withhold aide to Israel? And Biden isn’t President! He’s unquestionably mentally diminished. This is a regency being run by Obama’s people. There’s no other way to understand continued US support for and deference to Iran, and a Herculean effort to keep Hamas from being destroyed. I just don’t understand how Gordis can say what he said about America and American Jewry and then follow it up with “Biden is a Zionist”. I’m can’t even offer an explanation.
You are totally ignorant of the facts, or else, like the MAGAts, refuse to recognize them. Biden IS the president. Anyone listening to the State of the Union speech or his off the cuff remarks can attest to the sharpness of what he says. You're out of your head to claim that this is as "regency run by Obama's people". You offer not ONE shred of evidence to support this idiotic claim. What deference to Iran? Biden helped Israel attack Iran's missiles or do you deny that, even though it was printed in Israeli news? You are a perfect example of the evil MAGAt cult, lying, making up idiotic slurs, and totally ignoring the demented remarks that trump makes at his disgusting rallys, where he attacks EVERYONE with ugly slurs and urges violence against them.
I realize that this column leans left, but I am surprised at the extent of the Trump derangement syndrome. All of the far fetched characterizations of Trump in these comments lead me to wonder if the commenters have advanced dementia. We have extensive evidence of what Trump would do as president, because he was president for four years. No presidential term has been so beneficial for Israel as has Trump's. Did you all forget about moving the Embassy, the Abraham Accords, the destruction of the Islamic State? Try following the evidence rather than the hysterical accusations of unconvicted-felon Democrats.
This is a very interesting dialogue and Daniel, what I found most interesting was your initial statement that you really didn’t think aliyah was going to be something that would be occurring for the Jews in the American diaspora. I’d like to know more about why you think that’s true and what you think might happen should the situation in America become more negative after the election. In the last taped quote, you mentioned the Jews in America were giving up their liberalism and would need to find something else in Judaism or Zionism that would ultimately connect them to Israel. Can you clarify what you meant by that last statement and what you see as the outcome for the Jews in America that are giving up on the religious components of Judaism and instead might connect to Israel in another way . How do you see that connection evolving?
אמן
(Response to the prayer, not the commentaries. May they soon come home and may there be peace, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Am Israel Chai!)
Not only were the comments insightful, this was the first Israeli news program I recall seeing where the host actually listened to the guests and let them speak at length without interrupting. Thank you for sharing.
Great job, Daniel. And your Hebrew accent is pretty good :)
Watch what happens in the next election when lots more Jews vote for Trump, to send a message to Shumer and those like him, such as Blinken. A subject still way way too taboo for it to have been raised in that broadcast that many American Jews have: why make Aliyah when so many Israelis have chosen to live in America?
As an American-born Jew (in 1940), and one grateful for the safety and acceptance offered to Jews, even if not complete, I can say that it has been a lot easier to live in America than in Europe (no words) or in Israel. It is not surprising that some Israelis have preferred a safer and easier life in America even as a not-entirely loved minority. But I see plenty of reasons to stay in Israel or even make Aliyah. As a Jew, Israel is your country; your place there is not open to question (except by external enemies). The army is there to protect you, even if protection cannot always be perfect. You are in charge and responsible, as you can never be where you are as a small minority. And, I am sorry to say, the safety and acceptance of Jews in America is shrinking rapidly.