Saturday, September 16, 2017
Elder of Ziyon
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
AND SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT JARED KUSHNER
ON A CALL TO JEWISH LEADERS
Via Teleconference
MR. KUSHNER: Welcome, everybody, and thank you for joining us here today. This is the most special time of the year for the Jewish people. This Wednesday evening begins Rosh Hashanah, the first of 10 days of repentance, that concludes with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Since January 20, I have had the great honor of serving in President Trump's administration. Anyone that knows the President understands that he takes great pride in having a Jewish daughter and Jewish grandchildren. His love and respect for the Jewish people extends way beyond his family, and into the heart of Jewish American communities.
Under the President’s leadership, America's relationship with the State of Israel has never been stronger, and our country’s commitment to Israel’s security has never been greater.
It is my great honor to introduce the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, and thank you for joining this call.
To the many leaders, Rabbis, and Jewish friends who are on the line, I am delighted to speak with you and to wish you Shana Tova, a sweet New Year.
I send the Jewish community my warmest wishes as we approach the High Holy Days.
The Jewish tradition of making time and taking time each year to rededicate your lives to the sacred values you hold dear not only improves yourselves but strengthens our nation and inspires us all.
As we mark the beginning of the year 5,778 in the Jewish calendar, I want to express my deep admiration for the Jewish people. Throughout the centuries, the Jewish people have endured unthinkable persecution.
I know with us today on the call are several Holocaust survivors. We are honored beyond words by your presence. You have borne witness to evil beyond human comprehension, and your perseverance is a lasting inspiration to us all. By telling your stories, you help us to confront evil in our world and we are forever grateful.
I am proud to stand with the Jewish people and with our cherished friend and ally, the State of Israel. The Jewish State is a symbol of resilience in the face of oppression -- it has persevered in the face of hostility, championed democracy in the face of violence, and succeeded in the face of very, very tall odds. The United States will always support Israel not only because of the vital security partnership between our two nations, but because of the shared values between our two peoples. And I can tell you on a personal basis, and I just left Israel recently, I love Israel.
That is why my administration has successfully pressured the United Nations to withdraw the unfair and biased report against Israel -- that was a horrible thing that they did -- and to instead focus on real threats to our security, such as Iran, Hezbollah, and ISIS.
This next New Year also offers a new opportunity to seek peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, and I am very hopeful that we will see significant progress before the end of the year. Ambassador David Friedman, Jared, Jason, and the rest of my team are working very hard to achieve a peace agreement. I think it’s something that actually could happen.
I am grateful for the history, culture, and values the Jewish people have given to civilization. We forcefully condemn those who seek to incite anti-Semitism, or to spread any form of slander and hate -- and I will ensure we protect Jewish communities, and all communities, that face threats to their safety.
I want to thank each of you for the ways in which you contribute to our nation. America is stronger because of the many Jewish Americans who bring such life, hope, and resilience to our nation.
Melania and I wish everyone a sweet, healthy, and peaceful New Year. Thank you very much.
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It is a reasonable message. Even though it is obviously scripted (as were all of previous presidents' messages on similar topics) it directly goes after the stupid idea that Trump is an antisemite or supports antisemitism. There are plenty of things to complain about with the current president, but the Trump Derangement Syndrome has eclipsed that of Bush in the sheer amount of lies about him that the media says every day.
Of course, moving the embassy to Jerusalem would mean a lot more than statements.
Nevertheless, liberal Jewish leaders - many of whom said they would boycott the call - are upset that the ones who attended didn't get a chance to ask questions and that this call was much shorter than previous ones.
Comparing Trump to other presidents should be considered obviously absurd nowadays. He campaigned on being different. He thrives on it. He should be judged by what he says and does, period. If you want to compare him to an Obama who spent 45 minutes talking to the rabbis on the annual call, then you must also mention that Obama deliberately elevated J-Street specifically to split the Jewish community on Israel. He actively tried, and to an extent succeeded, in damaging the relationship between Israel and American Jews, and the rabbis who are grumbling now are the same type of rabbis who support that exact split.
