By Jay S. Jacobs

At the age of 14, my mother and her parents fled their home in Berlin, Germany,
made their way to England and left Europe on April 15, 1939, sailing to America and
freedom aboard the Queen Mary.

While not from an observant family, I grew up observing the High Holy Days such as
fasting for Yom Kippur to atone for my sins long before I fully understood why. My
mother’s experience fleeing persecution for her Jewish identity led her to keep our
heritage to ourselves. Whenever asked if she was Jewish, she would answer, “I’m an
American.”

I didn’t study the Torah, but I did learn from my mother much of what I believe is
consequential about being a Jew. My mother taught me the “Golden Rule: Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you.” She told me of the discrimination she
experienced wearing the required Jewish yellow star on her sleeve. She witnessed the
destruction on Kristallnacht, when Nazi marauders ransacked stores and homes owned
by Jews.

Years later my mother was clear about the Jewish credo “Never Again” when
she told me “and that applies not only for the Jews.” Quiet as I was about being a Jew,
I have always been proud of that heritage.

In recent years, the political landscape has been marked by deep divisions, but
few issues resonate more profoundly with American Jews than the specter of
antisemitism. As Jewish Americans head to the ballot box in just a few weeks, the
stakes are higher than just partisan politics. Donald Trump has casually aligned himself
with the most extreme, antisemitic groups and their tropes. Recently, he has said that if
he loses this election, it is the fault of the Jews. Nothing good can come out of a
statement like that.

Look, I don’t hate Donald Trump, nor do I wish him harm or ill. I even understand
why many Americans are drawn to him. For too many, “the American Dream” is just a
pipe dream, too many feel forgotten and left behind in a country that has promised
much but for them delivered far too little. So now they’re looking for something else –
anything else – and along comes Donald Trump, who says he speaks for them and will
fix their ills by blaming all their troubles on immigrants, upending a system that they no
longer value.

But what I don’t get is the support Trump receives from those in the Jewish
community. As we celebrated the Jewish New Year and then fasted to atone for our sins, I think serious reflection is called for by those planning to vote for Donald Trump. Jewish values—rooted in justice, compassion, and community—demand a rejection of hate in all its forms. To support someone who normalizes intolerance is to undermine the very principles we practice.

My mother fled a country in the late 1930s whose leader said that Jews were
“poisoning the blood” of Germany. He said that Jews were “not human” and that we
were “the root of all of — troubles.” Trump says that migrants are “poisoning the blood
of our country.” Sound familiar? Referring to immigrants, Trump stated at a rally in
Ohio: “I don’t know if you call them people…in some cases, they’re not people, in my
opinion.”

And that’s just one example. I remember asking my mother why the Jews
didn’t leave Germany right away and she told me that nobody believed that Hitler would
actually do what he said he would. This is not just inflammatory rhetoric; it is a troubling
echo of a dark history. We cannot afford to make the same mistake again.

While many friends point to Trump’s support for Israel as a reason for their
Jewish backing, this is an oversimplification. Democrats have always fully supported
Israel. Israel has fended off two massive missile attacks by Iran due to U.S. support
and has never been denied weapons to defend itself. The Biden-Harris administration
just secured $14 billion in military aid and committed over 43,000 U.S. troops and two
Aircraft Carrier battle groups to augment Israel’s defense.

It was Joe Biden who was the first president ever to fly into an active war zone when Air Force One flew him to Israel right after Oct. 7 to show American support. Claims that Democrats are not good enough on Israel defy the facts.

My mother was right. “Never Again” is not just about the Jews. We’re not a
selfish lot and the whole concept of “Tzedakah” speaks to that. We look out for others
as we wish they would have looked out for us. Now that we have marked this year’s Day of
Atonement, those who vote for Trump and ignore the clear words and signs of
something very ugly next year may have to atone by fasting for quite a few more days
than just one.

Jay S. Jacobs is the New York State and Nassau County Democratic Chair