[ ]J Street[ ]
Friends,

The storm clouds gathering over American democracy grow darker and more
ominous by the day. Core freedoms, rights and institutions that have given
Jewish Americans – and so many others – opportunity and security are under
threat.

Right before our eyes, Donald Trump and his Administration are conducting
an all-out assault on the norms of our democracy and against the very
existence of critical institutions, programs and services across all
sectors of our society.

Among the more visible targets of the Trump assault are institutions of
higher education, immigrants and the rule of law - all seen through the
MAGA lens as threats to the way of life they hope to force our country
back to.

For the Jewish people, education is a core value and the ladder our
parents and grandparents climbed to opportunity and success. We identify
deeply with the immigrant experience, as nearly every Jewish family in
America can tell a story of arrival with nothing and advancement through
education. From our own people’s experience, we understand the vital
importance of legal protections of minority rights.

At the same time, our community is deeply frightened by the real and
troubling rise in antisemitism. We are united in believing this scourge
needs to be addressed head-on and reversed through meaningful action.

That is why it is so painful to see the very real fears of Jewish
Americans about rising antisemitism being abused by the Trump
Administration to advance a nefarious agenda that undercuts key pillars of
the Jewish experience – from civil rights to immigration and higher
education.

Recent days have seen several particularly troubling developments:
announcements of plans to lay off nearly half of the Department of
Education’s workforce, to slash funding to dozens of colleges and the
arrest and threatened deportation – without due process – of a student
protest leader at Columbia University. These steps are - the
Administration has made clear - only the tip of the iceberg.

It is incumbent on Jewish Americans and the organizations and leaders who
represent us to be at the forefront of vocal resistance to the Trump
Administration’s attempts to use the fight against antisemitism as cover
for a brutal attack on fundamental pillars of our great country and for
putting us on the road to authoritarian rule.

Hedging our bets or remaining silent to curry favor with this regime for
short-term gains – as some Jewish organizations may be choosing to do – is
unacceptable. Any advantages gained in the short term will be overshadowed
by the damage done to American democracy and the danger that lies ahead in
such a society for Jews and other vulnerable communities.

To those waiting for the definitive moment to sound the alarm over the
threat to our democracy, now is the time. The decline into
authoritarianism is a slippery slope – a journey on which the president
has now embarked.

It is doubly concerning to see this Administration - which is hiring and
coddling certifiable antisemites – cynically exploiting the threat of
antisemitism for its own political ends.

If the Trump Administration were really taking the concerns of the Jewish
community seriously, it would implement and build upon the National
Strategy to Counter Antisemitism that President Biden released in 2023
with input from over 1,000 Jewish stakeholders.

If the President really cared about rising antisemitism, he would admonish
those who [ [link removed] ]peddle conspiracy theories on pro-Trump platforms instead of
hiring them at DOGE, the Pentagon, and other agencies – and stop parroting
those bigoted theories himself.

If he cared about enforcing the laws, he would invest in the Department of
Education’s Office of Civil Rights instead of suspending thousands of
cases that include antisemitic incidents. And he wouldn’t misappropriate
Jewish culture or the Hebrew language for cheap political stunts.

No, the Trump Administration has made its political priorities abundantly
clear, and everything else – from Jewish safety to our democratic norms
and institutions – is taking a back seat.

So we, the American Jewish community, must call out this upside-down world
in which we find ourselves. A world in which the antisemitism of Christian
Zionists is overlooked because of their support of Israel. A world in
which the racism and bigotry of white nationalists and antisemites are
excused when they support the politics of a far-right Israeli government.
A world in which, under the guise of fighting antisemitism, the Trump
Administration is pursuing policies that will make Jews less safe.

So J Street says to our fellow Jewish organizations: as we unite to battle
against antisemitism, let’s also stand together for American democracy.
Let’s stand up for higher education. Let’s stand for the rule of law and
constitutional protections for speech and due process. And let’s make it
crystal clear that there must be no place for antisemites and racists in
any United States Administration.

Thank you, sincerely, for reading.

Jeremy Ben-Ami
President, J Street

[ [link removed] ]PS. To support J Street as we stand strong in our opposition to Trump’s
insidious agenda, you can click this link to make a contribution.


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J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy
Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the
Jewish people. Working in American politics and the Jewish community, we
advocate policies that advance shared US and Israeli interests as well as Jewish
and democratic values, leading to a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



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