Wisconsin and national leaders react to Trump’s anti-Jewish attack on social media

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During the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), one of the holiest days of the year for the Jewish people, former President Donald Trump posted a statement to Truth Social that has been called “dangerous,” among a firestorm of criticism from the local and national Jewish Community.

“Just a quick reminder for liberal Jews who voted to destroy America & Israel because you believed false narratives! Let’s hope you learned from your mistake & make better choices moving forward! Happy New Year! Wake up Sheep. …” Trump wrote.

According to the Miryam Rosenzweig, Milwaukee Jewish Federation President and CEO, acts of Anti-Semitism are up 494% since 2015 in Wisconsin, and comments like this certainly don’t help.

“Comments like this are dangerous. While the Jewish community is gathering for one of the holiest days of the year, it is important to look at Trump’s statement in the context of the increased antisemitism and threats to Jewish community. Escalating violent rhetoric can lead to the escalation of violent acts,” Rosenzweig said Monday, during an interview with the Wisconsin Law Journal.

“As we enter this Jewish New Year, we call on all leaders local, and national to consider language being used can lead to danger.  It is important to denounce the normalization of hate statements,” Rosenzweig added.

Milwaukee Common Council Member Jonathan Brostoff said he “concurs” with Rosenzweig.

“We are entering a new year and the time for reflection and to consider how our words and actions effect the rest of the world and those around us. It sounds like Trump is going exactly in the opposite direction,” Brostoff said during an interview with the Wisconsin Law Journal Monday.

“This is completely unacceptable. I condemn it in the strongest way possible and hope that everyone in a position of power would do so as well,” Brostoff said.

“This is a year New Year with new hope. I really hope that we can get a handle on this before it gets a lot worse,” Brostoff added.

Anti Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt agreed with Rosenzweig and Brostoff.

“It is dangerous and wrong to suggest an entire segment of the Jewish population voted to destroy America and Israel,” Greenblatt said.

“Whether or not it’s intentional, President Trump is playing into conspiracy theories about dual loyalty here. Even worse, this is happening on one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah. Even as an organization that supported many of these policy decisions, ADL doesn’t believe that our community needs to be lectured about how to vote,” Greenblatt added.

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, the same white supremacist group who placed recruitment flyers at Marquette University back in 2019, was allegedly involved in defacing synagogues with Neo-Nazi symbols. An Oak Creek man was allegedly responsible for spray-painting anti-Semitic words and phrases, as well as a swastika on various parts of the synagogue building in Racine County, Wis. back in 2019.

Supplemental data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation released earlier this year shows that reported hate crime incidents across the nation in 2021 rose to 10,840 incidents, the highest level recorded in more than two decades.