That argument, that the failings of Trumps’ character outweigh the good he is doing, is one also often heard in the Jewish community ‐ by people who love and support Israel, yet loathe the president.
In their eyes, the undeniable good that Trump has done for Israel is far outweighed by what they see as the nastiness of the man.
"To the many Evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve," Galli wrote.
"Vote Democrat. Serve Moloch and Abortion on demand til and after birth!"
Those US Jews who detest the president could have just as easily written that sentence to their co-religionists who support the president, changing just a few words: "To the many Israel supporters who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve."
In the 2016 elections, 81% of Americans who identify as Evangelicals ‐ a number believed to be just under a quarter of the US population ‐ voted for Trump. By contrast, 71% of American Jews voted for
Crooked HillaryClinton
...former first lady, former secretary of state, former presidential candidate, Conqueror of Benghazi, Heroine of Tuzla, formerly described by her supporters as the smartest woman in the world,usually described by the rest of us as The Thing That Wouldn't Go Away...
Those numbers reinforce the idea that the two communities are monolithic, and lead to statements such as, "all Jews hate Trump, and all Evangelicals love him."
| That would be Mark Galli, who wrote what he subsequently admitted was an overwrought editorial in his final days at the magazine to thumb his nose at his remaining readers and the Trump-supporting magazine founder. |
And why does that editorial matter for Israel? Because Evangelical support has turned into a bedrock of support for Israel in the US ‐ and on certain issues and at certain times, that support is even stronger than among the Jews.
King Herod rebuilt the Temple--but he wasn't the most beloved figure of antiquity. He was the one who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents. Scholars nowadays don't believe this event actually occurred. He is known as Herod the Great for rebuilding the Temple, but he was also a tyrant who sided with Romans. They broke up the Kingdom of Israel after he pegged out.
The war against the Jews was conducted by Vespasian and his son Titus, who sacked Jerusalem in the blow-off of the Jewish War. Titus was referred to locally as "Titus the Wicked," and of having sex with a hooker on a Torah roll while the Temple was being dismantled. That was the AD 70 version of hiring hookers to make pee pee on the bed Obama slept in.
Vespasian was the victor in the Year of the Four Emperors. He was grouchy and grumpy, yet he tolerated behavior from the current crop of Roman wits that should have gotten them a punch in the snoot, if not a quick trip to the Imperial executioner. Instead, he regulated the activity of philosophers (equivalent back then to colleges and madrassahs) and only had one of them executed. He did send a messenger to one guy, whom he'd exiled and wouldn't keep his mouth shut, to tell him not to worry, he wasn't worth bumping off.
Vespasian cleaned up the mess in Rome left by Nero and exacerbated by Galba, Vitellius, and Otho. He stabilized the economy and seems to have ruled mildly. Titus succeeded him, and he was described (by Suetonius) as "The Darling of the Human Race."
"He took away nothing from any citizen. He respected others' property, if anyone ever did; in fact, he would not accept even proper and customary presents. And yet he was second to none of his predecessors in munificence."
Transport the same three men to the present age. Who y'gonna support? The guy who built the Temple, but then saw it destroyed? Or the guys who destroyed the Temple out of duty, dispersed a rebellious people, and ruled well as Emperor? I'm not suggesting an answer, just asking the question. The two Flavians seem preferable to me, over the Oriental potentate, but you have to make up your own mind.
