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Friends,

Ehud Barak was Israel's Prime Minister and Defense Minister. He is the most decorated soldier in Israel's history. In his memoir, My Country, My Life: Fighting for Israel Searching for Peace, Barak wrote that when asked in 1998 how his life might have turned out if he had been born a Palestinian, he replied "At some stage, I would have entered into one of the terror organizations and fought from there."

Empathy means standing up for the principle that Black lives matter. What would you do if you were Black and saw the President of the United States and his party preaching "law and order" instead of protecting you from police brutality? What we saw in Kenosha last week should disgust all of us--an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot seven times in the back and a white kid armed with an assault rifle, Kyle Rittenhouse, was not stopped by the police and murdered two people.

Jewish and Black Americans overwhelmingly vote Democratic because our collective memories, if not our lived experiences, teach that we are safest when government fights oppression, not when government engages in oppression. Black speakers at the Republican Convention were there to assuage the guilt of white voters who want to tell themselves that voting for a racist party does not make them racists, not to persuade Black voters.

Trump's rhetoric--yet to be condemned by any Republican members of Congress--inspired murders in Pittsburgh, Poway, and New Zealand, so it should come as no surprise that Kyle Rittenhouse was in the front row at a Trump rally in January. Words matter, and Trump continues to support white nationalism and violence. He doesn't light the fire, but he supplies the matches.

Talk about Israel at the Republican Convention was aimed not at Jews, but at right-wing Evangelicals, but it was a salve for the small but vocal minority of Jews who identify more with Pharoah than the downtrodden denied justice in our society.

Just as we don't have to agree with every element of the Democratic Platform or every Democrat to vote Democratic (or for that matter the Republican Platform, if they had a platform), just as we ask others to support Israel even if they don't agree with everything Israel does, so too we stand up for Black lives regardless of whether some people in the Black Lives Matter movement agree with us on other issues.

You might not agree with all of the new Black Lives Matter legislative agenda, but it's not anti-Israel; it has nothing to do with Israel. It appears that the new Black Lives Matter platform will not mention Israel either. More than 600 Jewish organizations and synagogues have said unequivocally that Black lives matter, and that won't change regardless of whatever else the platform or individual marchers might say or do.

Hate took center stage at the Republican Convention. Ron Kampeas documented the mixed messages Republicans sent to the Jewish community.

Lest anyone be tempted to play the "both sides" game, Jennifer Rubin reminds us that "the presence of a few virulent anti-Israel left-wingers [in the Democratic Party] does not mean 'both sides' have a problem, especially when anti-Semites on the left hold no leadership role in the Democratic Party and are quickly condemned and repudiated. It means neither party is immune, but only one party is infested with conspiracy-mongering, white nationalism and anti-Semitism."

Kamala Harris pledged unconditional aid for Israel. Joe Biden previously said that conditioning aid to Israel would be “outrageous” and “a gigantic mistake.”

After noting last week that as vice president, Biden "helped ensure unwavering support for Israel’s security," including advocating for anti-missile systems and "the largest military aid package in U.S. history," Harris said that a Biden-Harris administration would “sustain our unbreakable commitment to Israel’s security, including the unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation pioneered during the Obama-Biden administration and the guarantee that Israel will always maintain its qualitative military [edge].” 

Trump continues to flail on Iran. The classic definition of chutzpah is the man who murders his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan. Trump's attempt to snapback sanctions under the Iran Deal even though the U.S. is no longer a participant in the deal--because Trump withdrew while Iran was in compliance--comes a close second. To no one's surprise, in another diplomatic defeat, Trump's bid to snapback sanctions was overwhelmingly rejected.

When Obama was president, the U.S. led the international coalition against Iran. Thanks to Trump's abdication of leadership, the Europeans averted a train wreck by brokering a deal between Iran and the IAEA. Whatever "pro-Israel" means, it does not mean the U.S. sitting on the sidelines while other countries work to stop a nuclear Iran.

National Security Action notes that Trump "has done nothing but bring the United States to the brink of conflict with Tehran on multiple occasions, one of which resulted in the traumatic brain injuries of more than 100 U.S. soldiers. Three years on, the promised 'better deal' with Iran is nowhere in sight, just as Tehran has accelerated its nuclear program, its proxies are emboldened, and America is isolated from our allies and partners."

The Israel-UAE agreement has yet to be finalized or signed. The UAE's decision to repeal the law banning products from Israel and economic contacts with Israelis is a positive development, but many important questions remain unanswered and, as Nimrod Novik explains, many risks have yet to be addressed.

If you want the facts on where the candidates and their parties stand on Israel and anti-Semitism, read the facts.

Last week's newsletter.

ICYMI. Trump illegally used Jerusalem as a backdrop for his reality show.

Video Clip of the Week. Kimberly Guilfoyle/Dwight Schrute RNC Speech.

Tweet of the Week. The Guilfoyle challenge.

Twitter Thread of the Week. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL).

Upcoming Events. Dana Gordon and I are hosting two great events:

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The Fine Print: This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. Unless stated otherwise, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of any candidates or organizations that I support or am associated with. I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more. Intelligent, well-informed people may disagree with me; read opposing views and decide for yourself. A link to an article doesn't mean that I agree with everything its author has ever said or that I even agree with everything in the article; it means that the article supports or elaborates on the point I was making. I take pride in accurately reporting the facts on which I base my opinions. Tell me if you spot any inaccuracies, typos, or other mistakes so that I can correct them in the next newsletter (and give you credit if you want it). Advertisements reflect the views of the advertisers, not necessarily of me, and advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements. I read, value, and encourage replies to my newsletters, but I don't always have time to acknowledge replies or to engage in one-on-one discussion. Don't expect a reply if your message is uncivil or if it's clear from your message that you haven't read the newsletter or clicked on the relevant links. © 2020 Steve Sheffey. All rights reserved.