Eight years of Obama’s presidency have succeeded in dividing the American public. American Jews, perhaps more than any other ethnic/religious group, have had a number their most cherished beliefs shaken as a result of an administration they helped elect pandering to Islamist, anti-Israel interests. Despite all of Obama’s shortcomings, American Jews will once again vote Democrat in ’16. As a free, self-thinking Jew, I refuse to follow the sheeple.

Donald Trump’s “divisive rhetoric” has added fuel to the divide in the Jewish community which finds itself fragmented according to religious affiliation. While in the last two cycles Orthodox Jews have switched allegiance and come out in favorite of the GOP, the Jewish population at large overwhelmingly supported Obama with up to 70% of American Jews casting their ballot for the Democrats in 2012.

The GOP released a revamped statement on its policy towards Israel this week. It calls for: 1) The US government to show unwavering support for Israel and move the American embassy to Jerusalem, a move that would solidify Jerusalem’s status as capital of the Jewish state. 2) Rejection of the BDS movement and 3) Cessation of funding for the PA, a move that would bring into question the Palestinians’ bid for a two-state solution and recognition of the PA as a legitimate governing body.

The Democrats will not follow suit for the simple reason that they have vested interest in the anti-Israel lobby.  In an article from February 17^th, 2015, the Wall Street Journal exposed the Clinton’s family involvement with the underbelly of the Islamist world. According to the report, the United Arab Emirates, one of the biggest sponsors of international terror, donated between $1 and $5 million in 2014 alone. Saudi Arabia, implicated by major political and media outlets in aiding the 9/11 bombers, has given between $10 and $25 million since the inception of the organization and Qatar, the #1 sponsor of Hamas, has doled out between $1 and $5 million. To add to the torrent of deception and corruption according to the AP and Business Insider, The Clinton Foundation, has diverted millions in funding into Hillary’s presidential campaign.  Donations by the Israel Lobby pale in comparison.

All one has to do to decipher where the Democrats’ political loyalties lie is follow the money. For all his supposed shortcomings, Trump is largely dependent on his personal assets for campaign funding. Even if a portion of donations are going towards the election effort as some claim, the real estate mogul is by and large funding his own election bid.

As an Israeli Jew who grew up in America, I’ve always valued free choice and the human spirit. I believe that unlike of some of my fellow Jews, I am – and have always been – a free individual. Freedom to me is not necessarily restricted to living in a democratic society, but being able to reason for oneself without the constraints of prejudices we’re developed based on our national experience in the diaspora.

That’s why I believe that while Obama was the “anti-Israel president” (and Hillary has a history of making bedfellows with virulent anti-Semites like Sid Blumenthal, lashing out against Netanyahu, and calling for a multi-billion-person ‘Pledge for Palestine’s campaign), Donald Trump might just be president we’ve been waiting for.

 

Many in the Jewish community have turned to Trump because they fear Hillary and believe he’s the lesser of two evils. I don’t see it that way. In my opinion, Trump is a very good candidate for American Jews and Israel, while Hillary has proven over and over she’s a disaster waiting to happen. Trump  may just be the solution when it comes to repairing US-Israel relations sorely damaged under Obama’s regime. Here are the top reasons (besides the above mentioned GOP platform on Israel and Hillary’s shortcomings) I will be voting Republican in 2016:

1. Trump is very smart and apparently has a high-quality group of advisers around him. He ran a brilliant primary campaign distancing himself from the competition by a wide margin. A virtual unknown to politics prior to the primary, he made statements that sounded inflammatory and racist to some. Americans aren’t stupid though. They realize who has their best interests at heart and who’s setting them up for another four years of backwards progress.
2. He’s mostly sponsoring his own campaign. According to many media sources and Trump himself, the billionaire is sponsoring a large portion of his campaign spending – significantly more than any other candidate. This makes adds legitimacy to his argument that unlike of Hillary he’s not beholden to special interest groups. This is very important considering the fact that he’s running against someone who personifies corruption.
3. He places America’s interests first. A vast majority have picked up on the fact that Trump places America’s interests above other considerations and simply doesn’t care what his detractors think. He’s on a mission to “Make America Great Again.” How can I be so sure? Because he’s said things that have made him extremely unpopular with large segments of the American public and risked losing valuable votes by standing his ground.
4. He is more Jewish than Bernie. While Bernie Sanders is halachically Jewish, Trump is both morally and politically closer to the Jewish people than the socialist elitist Bernie. Not only do you have to factor in the fact that his daughter, Ivanka, underwent an Orthodox conversion before marrying her Jewish husband and that Trump’s grandson Theodore James Kushner was born Jewish, but the former “Apprentice” host supports a number of economic provisions like tax cuts that would benefit business small business, and has made overtures to Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu that seem to indicate that his outlook on the Arab-Israeli conflict is far from partial as claimed by the likes of Ha’aretz and prominent left-leaning news outlets.
5. He’s a creative thinker not afraid of controversy. While plans to deport illegals, temporarily ban immigration from Muslim countries and build a separation wall with Mexico may not be plausible and/or constitutional, these are all things that would undoubtedly be good for the average American. The fact that he’s thinking outside of the box and not afraid to make his opinions known speak to his political brilliance and intellectual integrity. These are qualities instrumental to being a successful leader.

 

Being free individuals with the ability to think for ourselves is a choice we all make. We may be influenced by our upbringing and education, but as humans endowed with free will, we’re the ones who make the choice between succumbing to the defeatist influence of mainstream media, and being a free, independent nation who places our trust in God and those who truly support us – not just pay lip service about how “Israel has the right to defend herself.”

That is why I will be voting for Donald Trump come November.