Fellow Yidden,
I write to sound the alarm about what I see unfolding. I know this perspective may not be popular, and I respect other perspectives too, yet being open to reading other viewpoints is healthy, regardless of your own opinion.
America First is not in the interest of Orthodox Jews in America.
I did not vote for Trump this time around, despite having been an avid, even obsessed, Trump supporter back in 2016.
What changed? As a dedicated follower of right-wing media, I was convinced that Trump was playing 4-D chess after his election loss to Biden, certain he would pull it off with alternative electors, prove fraud, and win in the courts and state legislatures.
That never happened. For the first time, I began to doubt: Was I misled? Was there actually no fraud? Maybe, just maybe, the Biden campaign simply utilized existing COVID voting laws to its advantage.
I began to see Trump in a different light. Very different.
Fast forward several years, and I now realize that America First, combined with Trump’s ego-driven politics, is a dangerous choice for American Jews.
Thus far, I believe a solid case can be made that we are actually seeing this unfold in real time.
Trump’s erratic, unstable tariff policies have brought economic hardship to our community. Commodities have risen, materials have become more costly and harder to import, and government subsidies for industries like solar have transformed many previously comfortable families into strugglers.
His cuts to federal subsidies for state Medicaid marketplaces have gutted funding many Orthodox families relied on for tutoring and educational supports, compounding the already heavy burden of tuition. These funds were a boon for heimishe families, and their loss has cost thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket expenses.
The “big, beautiful bill” recently passed will go even further. Premiums are set to skyrocket due to new restrictions and bi-annual re-enrollment requirements, designed to push people off subsidized healthcare. Thousands of Jewish families earning middle-class incomes currently benefit from subsidized Obamacare premiums and now face uncertainty.
As for tax cuts, they largely extend Trump’s 2017 tax policies while granting billions in perks for the wealthy. Most heimishe families should not expect meaningful tax relief any time soon.
Regarding Israel and Iran, I believe Trump’s policy was deeply flawed. Despite what Israeli officials may say publicly, there was no reason to force a ceasefire on Israel, especially after Iran’s final missile attack that penetrated Israeli defenses. Israeli military sources indicated there were still many targets, and ending the operation prematurely did not sufficiently reestablish deterrence. Israel should have been allowed to finish its operation on its own terms.
The Fordow bombing, while certainly appreciated, likely became the leverage Trump used to force a ceasefire so he could be hailed as the “peacemaker-in-chief.” The Israeli military could have managed without external interference, leaving them beholden to no one. It was also frankly quite distasteful to see Trump taking so much credit for what was arguably an incredible strategic success for the Israelis. The Israelis made it possible for Trump to launch a few bunker busters, after having taken the risks to their own cities and clearing Iranian air defenses.
On securing the border, Trump’s efforts to control illegal entry were undeniably effective. However, mass deportations of people who have lived and worked here for years should give us pause as Jews. Only “America First” Americans cheer seeing families rounded up and deported. Yes, they are here illegally due to the folly of previous administrations, but perhaps a pathway to citizenship for the overwhelming majority of hard-working people would be a more just approach than mass deportations. The frum community, of all people, should be very sensitive to this reality. We know from our own history how dangerous it is when people are hunted down in the streets and sent away. This is not a theoretical concern. In 15 years, who’s to say that a president—unchecked due to the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Trump v. CASA—won’t decide that Jews are somehow a national security or public health risk? The precedent being set is very dangerous.
Rabboisai, “America First” is NOT the banner we should be carrying.
It represents an executive branch unchecked, smacking of authoritarianism. Many America First influencers are not our friends, and while some, like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, are open about their views, others are simply more discreet.
I would love to see our frum community take pride in trusting Hashem, not Trump, and in rejecting disastrous policies disguised as “America First.”
It is perhaps time for us to leave patriotic slogans aside and finally take our own interests into the equation of who we do or don’t support.
Signed,
Z. Weiss
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18 Responses
Never have I seen such a smug idiot before. He says:
“I would love to see our frum community take pride in trusting Hashem, not Trump, and in rejecting disastrous policies disguised as “America First.””
You mean trust in Hashem and vote for Harris (as opposed to Trump)?
I don’t know where to begin. The writer is wrong in so many ways.
But just on the bottom line: America First simply means what every country should naturally be doing. It’s what every family does and every individual. Only in today’s crazy generation it became a חידוש: Just prioritize the needs of your own, the people who live in your country. That’s all!
This has NOTHING to do with trust in Hashem. Hashem still wants you to do the right thing for yourself and the country you live in, as you trust in him.
You are wrong on too many points to elaborate. This is the country where you live, work, raise your children, and are free to practice Yiddishkeit without restrictions. Show a little hakaras hatov. Perhaps you should relocate to the State of Israel where you’d live in daily fear for your life, or do you think Hamas and the heiliger medina would show more compassion to you than President Trump?
Giving a pathway to cotizenship to ilegal immigrants is wrong. Its rewards people that not only broke the law but also skipped the line. There are thousands (maybe millions) that have followed the proper procesures and have been waiting for years.
All he is saying is vote dems because they give more money in programs.
Sorry, that’s not my viewpoint.
I don’t trust or like Trump, but the alternative was way worse.
Kako many of those who legally followed their pathways to citizenship are now being disappeared. It was different for my parents generation where all the steerage passengers were without papers and many walked across international boundaries to find their freedom. This is what happens when your kids aren’t taught American history or civics.
I have no idea what you are saying or proposing. You would rather have seen that anti-Semite, Jew hating liberal Kamala rein over this country?
Wow. While there certainly are concerns with how far the “America First” movement will go, and perhaps in some ways already has done, this is overall somewhat odd.
Until the President reentered office, and fixed the border mess, the borders were intentionally wide open, with disastrous consequences all around the country, as seen over the prior few years. No mention of that?
Regarding economic hardship, the inflation created prior to the President reentering office is still very challenging for frum families. No mention of that?
That bill includes a tax credit for private school tuition, which could certainly be helpful to frum people. No mention of that?
Finally, as MDShweks put it well, “America First simply means what every country should naturally be doing…Just prioritize the needs of your own [citizens].” I would agree with the writer, though, that, depending on how far that is taken, there is potential danger there R”L L”A.
I don’t see any frum Yidden rallying behind America First. I do see some who believe that out of all the political options in the US today, Trump and co are the best. I don’t see anything in this letter that makes the case they are incorrect.
The main issues this letter seems to have with Trump is all about less welfare. Of course it ignores the good things in Trump’s bill like the $1700 tax credit for tuition. etc.
As a Frum Yid all I can say to this Is
AMERICA FIRST! MAGA!
All these clowns out there still trying to connect Trump to antisemitism instead of saying thank you, are sick people who apparently don’t know what Hakaras Hatov is!
This post is written by a raging leftist. Oh No So sad deporting people that are here ILLEGALLY! There are tons of people who can’t come to this Great Country because these Illegals skipped the line only caring about themselves! (Bringing with them Drugs)
(Aren’t these people so kind and wonderful?)
Israel needed Trumps involvement or Iran would be really close to Nuclear!
Thank you Hashem for President Trump and all he has done for the American People and Jewish People in general!
“Kamala Harris’ handpicked running mate, Tim Walz hosted, on at least five occasions, a Muslim cleric who celebrated Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and promoted a film popular among Neo-Nazis that glorifies Adolf Hitler. The cleric and imam, Asad Zaman, and Tim Walz are no strangers.”
“I would love to see our frum community take pride in trusting Hashem, not Trump, and in rejecting disastrous policies disguised as “America First.””
Avada we have to trust in Hashem but we have to do Hishtadlus. We can’t blindly go down the wrong path and trust in Hashem that He will guide us down.
I heard b’sheim Rav Avigdor Miller Zatzal (this is not firsthand but secondhand) that we should always vote Republican as we are a moral peopel and that is where our views lie. If you don’t believe that, contrast Harris’s views and Trump’s views. (Not what Trump is doing today but his views in general)
Rabbi Weiss isn’t saying Democrats are better, Hes just saying know your cards, this isn’t exactly Perfect.
Extending the Presidential arm so far can cause SERIOUS trouble.
IF the President has the right to revoke citizenship even with a reason, that could send ICE into Jewish homes rounding people up Chalila … And to send them where??
I hope I’m wrong
This is the MSM voice contaminating the pages of a frum website. That’s embarrassing. We are all keenly aware of לב מלך ושרים ביד ה’. We are not ignorant. We see the writing on the wall from the Democrats, liberals, and socialists. They thwart all moral value, and bring the depths of tum’ah into the lifestyle of our environment. We are subject to a great many נסיונות. To vote into power immoral, ignorant losers who will use their power to force down our throats woke ideals is suicidal. There are some valid complaints about Trump. But he is far more of a savior to us than the ogre that you suggest. I remind you that Haman was hung by Achashveirosh, not by Mordechai. There are people that we need to put into power so that the right things happen.
Your implication that we might be better under Kamala and Walz is so offensive that I suggest you publicly ask mechila of the readership here. Two very unknowledgeable people with such bizarre values! And you would tolerate them?
Amil Zola: I believe you are missing a bunch of the context of the history and civics you tout. The social safety nets back then weren’t what they are today.
The economics of near open borders today are very different than 100 years ago.
At that point there was a need for manual labor to support industrialization, and there was no meaningful social support for immigrants (we’ve read and heard about struggles our parents and grandparents faced). This meant that immigration brought an immediate financial benefit with minimal cost to the country. And even then, there was a significant movement to curb immigration which led to the caps on the number of visas as well as the requirement to demonstrate financial independence or have a sponsor.
There also wasn’t really a great process in place to apply to enter the USA before leaving your country of origin ( although by the late 30s you needed to get a visa from the American embassy in your country before you left).
Today much (not most) of the manual labor that is needed is not really value add (think janitorial) and the globe has modernized to an extent that nearly everyone could or should have documentation.
There is a process to immigrate legally and I know people who are waiting for approval.
That being said, the immigration process is outdated and (until recently) incentivized illegal immigration.
As far as I understand, the current administration has at least pledged to change some of that and offered a pathway to a visa for those who self deport (although details on that seem sparse at the moment).
I don’t have a clear policy prescription for the immigration debate, but you comparison was an apples/oranges situation
@Amil Zola, first of all people who got into the u.s legally are not getting kicked out unless they overstay their visa, i have no clue where you got that false information from. Additionally, the other older genarations were able to claim asylum, that’s how they got in.
@raerae, First of all c weiss voted for kamala, the worst ever dem nominee, second of all, he is mainly revoking visas and the few cases he revokes citizenship is because they came here illegally in the beginning so to say that he could somehow take away Jewish peoples citizenship and deport them is completely stupid and false because if you are a LEGAL citizen and you got that citizenship LEGALLY then NOTHING will happen to you no matter your race gender religion, so when will people stop saying “if he’s doing it to illegal immigrants he could do it to anyone”. that’s simply not true he can’t do it to anyone.
It sounds like this Z Weiss was super sold on Trump, and then became disenchanted when Trump’s flaws were super apparent around Jan 6 and election fraud claims. And now is preaching that we shouln’t bow down to Trump.
I can’t speak for every Yid, but the yidden I know are people who KNOW Trump is a Menuval and a Ba’al Ta’aveh with many flaws. He’s also not a Navi who has the right view and policy on everything. We voted for him because he represents a movement that puts morals and sanity at the center. Sure, there are some right wing Antisemites that got momentum from the rise of Trump, and sure some of his policies and ideas aren’t good for the Yidden or the country. But in general, he’s the FAR better candidate than what the Left has to offer. “America First” is a slogan that I’m happy Trump is saying- it means focus on the country instead of Woke culture wars and billions pouring into other countries. It means better borders etc. And… a good, stable country is good for Yidden, and unstable country is bad for everyone- but even more so Yidden.
So No- a normal Yid isn’t buying into ‘Trumpology’ like Z Weiss apparently did the first time around. They’re just happy that Trump’s pushing a movement that in general is better for the country than the Dems agenda.