Nobody is going to be pleased by this post. My guess is many will tell me it is a mistake to publish it. And, to tell you the truth, I don’t know where it is going to wind up, but here goes.

Trump, at the White House Hanukkah party, said he will always stand up for the Jewish people and that he loves Israel. Okay, he may be serious, he may just saying what he thinks is politically best, he may change his mind tomorow. But that isn’t my focus. My focus is the general reaction to that statement, as set out in comments to various conservative media outlets’ reporting of his remarks in various Facebook posts. I have scrolled through three of the lengthy lists of comments.

Relatively few of these comments are completely antisemitic or anti-Israel rants. There are some, but not a lot. There are about the same number that say “We love Jews and Israel.” What are most common are comments that discuss religion. “Jesus is King.” “We believe in Christ.” And so forth, in many forms.

To me, this shows a more subtle form of antisemitism. We really don’t like the Jews, they should convert, but we support Israel because it is a necessary part of God’s plan, leading to the Second Coming. What surprises me (and I know my sample is too small to even call it a sample) is the number of people who have what to me are very simplistic and literal views of Christian belief. The kind of simplicity that I would hesitate to put my name to on a public forum.

Okay, that is Part One. Part Two is the more controversial part of what I am going to say. Here goes: I really know a lot of Jews. Almost all of my relatives. The majority of my friends, I think from kindergarten to today. Members of synagogues I have belonged to, organizations I have worked with, and so forth. And here is what I am going to say about them: I really do like 95% of them, each of whom I would put in a “good person” category.

I also read books written by and about Jews, I see Jewish actors and performers, Jewish politicians, and so forth, and while I wouldn’t call 95% of them “good people”, I would probably put, say, 75% in that category. And I would bet that none of these people ever cause a breakout of antisemitism. I don’t think anyone looks at any of these people and says to themselves, “No wonder I hate Jews”.

But then I look at the 25% (my % is arbitrary and maybe way off) that I don’t like and regret (and sometimes can not believe) they are Jewish, as their values and mine are so different. People such as Netanyahu and so many members of his governing coalition in Israel for starters. So many high ranking religious leaders of some Orthodox communities are another group. People in Trump’s government (Steven Miller, Les Zeldin, Howard Lutnick, among others). Right wing billionaire donors to political causes for another. Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Even Nick Reiner. Right wing purveyors of false news. And more.

What really got to me the other day took plave at the same White House Hanukkah party.  Miriam Adelson, Israeli born American, widow of Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and  the most widely read newspaper in Israel, Israel HaYom, with a net worth of about $35 billion, announced that she was going to give Donald Trump $250 million to finance a run for a third term.

Now, she can do what she wants with her money, I guess. But what upsets me most about this and about what so many of the prominent members of the 25% who are not “good people” do, is that they do it wearing their Judaism so prominently, they do what they do because they say or maybe think it is “good for the Jews”, and therefore, in effect, they do it in my name.

I believe that what they do, because of their wealth and/or their prominence, overshadows the good deeds of 95% of my friends and relatives, and 75% or so of the other Jews of the world, and I would just like them to stop!