‘Very fine people’: Trump and the Jews, an oral history – U.S. News

Donald Trump’s term in the White House was a time of great turmoil for America – as well as for its millions of Jews. The American Jewish community was courted by Trump with pro-Israel moves since his presidential campaign, but was also repulsed by his cultivating of white supremacist allies.

These four years have seen unprecedented gains for the Israeli government under the Trump administration – as well as unprecedented acts of violence against Jewish communities. The United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and neo-Nazis marched in the streets of Charlottesville. Trump’s administration brokered historic agreements between Israel and Arab states, and the worst antisemitic attack on U.S. soil took place in Pittsburgh.

Haaretz has asked figures from across the Jewish community to reflect on this period and what it meant to them. They represent a spectrum of religious denominations, political affiliations and community roles. They include rabbis, a mayor, an author, activists, leaders of major Jewish organizations and a Trump administration official; Democrats and Republicans; Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews.

This is their retelling of the United States under Trump.