Jewish delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago are excited to hear the speech from Vice President, Kamala Harris. Many donors of her campaign, such as American Jews are standing in favour of Harris and ready to vote for her. It is expected that about 70 to 80% of Jews cast votes for the Democratic candidate. But the situation is very tense nowadays.
The 2024 election campaign might be surprising for the Jewish voters. Back in 1964, when the same turning point happened in the South. Both Hamas and Iran strongly opposed the Jews. Also, they are facing continuous threats from Western groups. The International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice both are trying to legally punish the Israeli Jews. In this action, many European countries are also ready to cooperate, echoing past injustices. At the same time, the Biden administration strongly stands in favour of Israel and defends them against all physical threats. It has been as strong against ideological attacks. However, the United States did not perform any action against ICJ and ICC. It has imposed open-ended sanctions on Israeli Jews, which is now gaining attention.
At the Democratic National Convention and Harris rallies, people are chanting, “We are not going back,” but many Jews fear they might be returning to a difficult time in history. President Trump even said that any Jew voting for Kamala Harris “should have his head examined.”
For centuries, Jews faced different hurdles in the form of sanctions in Europe. Sanctions against Europe either in groups or individually always happened. This was the way of punishment for behaviours that were seen as wrong. Even if only a few Jews were targeted, like in 17th century France against “Jewish beggars,” it made all Jews feel unsafe.
The president of the United States signed an executive order on February 1, 2024. It was first thought to only sanction four Israeli criminals for violence against Palestinian Arabs.
But with the passage of time, it became clear that this order permitted the United States to sanction Israeli Jews more broadly. Its main purpose is to target all those groups raising money to defend those sanctioned and set the stage for possibly punishing Israeli Jews for actions seen as undermining the United States’ foreign policy. In this policy, the two-state solution is also included.
For many Democrats, the two-state solution is important. It is also crucial for Palestinians and Israelis regardless of their political views, no longer support it. They consider it as false and outdated data from the West. And many officials gave advice to move away from this old approach.
In Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market, people joke about Biden’s sanctions, but the issue is serious. Recently, there was an attempt to cut funds to parts of the Israeli army, starting with the Netzah Yehuda unit, due to a criminal incident in 2022. This unit made up of Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) soldiers, is actually a model for including religious soldiers who usually don’t serve in the military. Many see these actions as unfairly targeting religious groups, especially the Haredi and national religious communities in Israel. This has caused concern among these communities.
Nowadays the Jewish people are suffering with many complexities. One of the figures in Zionism, Theodor Herzl, told a story about a Jewish man. This was the one who felt powerless after many years, finally standing up to a European officer before ending his life. This was the proud moment after centuries of Jewish oppression.
Today, actions like the Biden administration’s sanctions and investigations into Israeli citizens’ private lives seem to undermine that sense of security. These actions make it feel like we are going backwards, threatening Jewish freedom and confidence.
When Trump criticized Jews who support Harris, it sparked a strong reaction. Jewish Democrats are determined not to return to a time of insecurity. While some question Harris’s choices, it’s clear she isn’t against Jews. The big question is how she will respond to these challenges and whether she will protect Jewish interests in the future.
