…do not unto others. That is all of the law. The rest is commentary.” (Hillel, First Century Jewish Sage)

The quotation that begins in the title represents, for me, a foundational principle of what it means to be Jewish. Justice, respect for “the Other,” compassion and understanding. That’s what makes Judaism so embracing and meaningful. I would hope, for most of the five million or so American Jews, it is as well. But, the evidence is increasingly contradictory. Some personal perspective:

My earliest years were spent residing in a diverse public housing project in Brooklyn, New York. Irish, Italians, African-Americans and Jews lived relatively comfortably together as friends, celebrating each others’ holidays and sharing social events. We were certainly different in many ways, but always respectful of each other. At the age of nine, our family moved to a more ethnically/religiously  Jewish neighborhood in Queens, New York. Thankfully, the social norms learned in Brooklyn, stayed with me.

Attending public schools and then Queens College (a part of the City University of New York), I experienced an exciting educational environment during a time of social turbulence, when the Vietnam and Civil Rights eras were at their height, especially on the nation’s campuses.

Prior to my senior year of college, I travelled to Israel to study.  For me, before witnessing the country first-hand, Israel was a place modeled on Leon Uris’s famous novel, Exodus. Preparing to study at Hebrew University in Jerusalem required becoming more proficient in Hebrew. In order to do that prior to the start of formal classes, (and solely because of dorm space restrictions), meant living in East Jerusalem, primarily amongst the Palestinian community. Over time, from my new Arab and Israeli friends I learned a great deal about Middle Eastern culture, politics and history. Also, I did my best to understand the basic tenets of Islam, particularly within the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

I repeatedly returned to Israel and other countries in the region as both a Ph.D. student at UCLA and an academic fascinated by the Middle East. Once I received my Doctorate,  career interests demanded maintaining close ties with Jews and Muslims. So, along with teaching at a number of colleges and universities, I was employed in a political/administrative/educational  role with a number of Jewish socio-political institutions, including the American Jewish Committee and as Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council for 26 years, beginning in 1990. OK. Enough background. Time for Donald Trump and his administration.

Donald Trump’s relationship with the American Jewish community and Israel seems to have been strongly dictated by business and familial connections. Yes, his daughter Ivanka is married to an Orthodox Jew; as a New York businessman Trump attended countless Jewish institutional events and marched in New York’s annual Israel parade. He has had numerous Jewish employees and colleagues. Other than also  developing business ties to various Arab and Israeli investors before formally running for President, that’s about it. What are the current problems and dilemmas? The rest of the story will follow in my next post.