As President and founder of the 7-year old, 500+ member
Memphis Jewish Republican Coalition, I feel it is important to respond to the
opinion piece in the CA dated 12/13/19 written by both Dr. Marjorie Hass of
Rhodes and Rabbi Micah Greenstein of Temple Israel. Why respond? Their article,
in my opinion, does not accurately analyze the wording of POTUS Trump’s
Executive Order (EO) regarding anti-Semitism, nor does it put it into context
of why it is necessary - and also why other countries have implemented the same
basic laws against anti-Semitism. Micah and Ms. Hass claim this EO assigns an
Israeli “nationality” or “race” to American Jews, which could be construed as
making American Jews “less than American” – and then equates it to the official
state policy of Nazi Germany. The Executive order says no such thing.
POTUS Trump’s EO specifically mentions that Title VI law is
flawed because while it DOES serve to protect against discrimination based on
race, color or national origin, it provides NO PROTECTIION to those who are
discriminated against because of their religion. There is a long history of
Jewish (and Christian) students being harassed and discriminated against by
both school faculties, school administrations, as well as hostile elements of
various student bodies. Why? Because Jewish students want to express their
Judaism and Pro-Israel sentiment freely on campuses. The long list of abuse
that Jewish students have had to take from Pro-Muslim, BDS Groups, far
right-wing and far left-wing anti-Semites is well documented and there is no
shortage of YouTube video to prove it.
College Deans like Ms. Hass may not like the EO because it
complicates their jobs by adding a layer of supervision – and financial
penalties if they are not in compliance. The Department of Education has just
release a preliminary study that indicates that American Universities have
failed to report over $1.3 BILLION in funding originating from China, Russia,
Qatar and Saudi Arabia and a more extensive study is now being conducted. It is
suspected that some of that funding is being used to fund anti-Jewish scholars,
support anti-Israel/anti-Jewish groups on campus, and possibly radicalize
students while they are in college.
There is no ambiguity in this EO, and attempts to mislead
the general public with outrageous interpretations, misstatements and wild
conclusions – all of which reflect poorly on POTUS Trump are more about
politics than reason. He is simply trying to protect American Jewish students
under the name of religion instead of just “race, color and national origin”.
The fact that POTUS Trump went out of his way to define anti-Semitism using the
definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance should indicate
that the majority of the broad American Jewish Community accepts his definition
- and it has nothing to do with nationality.
Europe and Germany deal with anti-Semitism under the
umbrella of “hate crimes”, and is revising the laws to reflect the anti-Israel,
anti-Jewish bias of the huge wave of illegal Muslim immigrants, some of which
have committed the majority of barbaric terrorist acts against Jewish targets
and institutions on the European mainland in recent years.
Unfortunately, America is divided among party lines, and the
Jewish community, much like the Christian community - is equally as divided as
the rest of the country. It is estimated that in 2016 between 35-40% of
American Jews voted for President Trump, which is close to the national average
of 50/50.
Shep Fargotstein is a
3rd generation Memphian, is the head of Shepard Wealth Management of
Raymond James, and is President and Founder of the Memphis Jewish Republican
Coalition (MJRC). Anyone can join the MJRC via FaceBook.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-combating-anti-semitism/
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