Now Is the Time For All Jewish Dems And GOPers To Fight For the Souls of Their Parties
#1331 July 19, 2026
A Jerusalem Post editorial this week warned Israelis of deteriorating support for Israel in both US political parties. That warning is even starker for us American Jews. Our task is not to switch parties but to stay in them and champion our people’s homeland case.
Now Is the Time For All Jewish Dems And GOPers To Fight For the Souls of Their Parties
The Warning Signs From Both Parties
Fellow grassroots U.S. Jews of both political parties, I agree with the subhead of Jerusalem Post’s editorial Friday (7/17/26):
“Warning signs from both Democrats and Republicans suggest the Israel-U.S. relationship has entered a deep and dangerous crisis.”
And I don’t disagree with the editorial’s main headline itself:
“The Warning Signs for Israel in Washington Can No Longer Be Ignored – Editorial” [emphasis added]
But I think those warning signs glare even more starkly for us, American Jews who vote for our nation’s policy makers in Washington.
That JPost editorial warns
“Two events overnight Wednesday emerging from the US Capitol, one a vote and the other an interview, exemplified the rockslide – turning into an avalanche – of anti-Israel sentiment that has taken hold in the hallowed halls of decision-makers.
“The degree to which both the Republican and Democratic parties are sharpening their claws against Israel and hyper-focusing on it to the exclusion of critical issues indicates that the long-standing US-Israel bond is in a real crisis.” [emphasis added]
That vote saw nearly half the Democrats in the House vote for an amendment to cut off military aid to Israel, widely defeated 314 to 104, because all Republicans but one voted against it. But “lest we breathe a sigh of relief” over that, the JPost warned, the Vice President of the United States on that same night, Wednesday this week, “demonstrated that Israel has just as much to worry about from the Right in the US.” JPost: “In an interview with highly popular America First podcaster Joe Rogan, who has labeled Israel’s war efforts in Gaza as ‘genocide,’ Vance suggested that shadowy Israeli ‘influence campaigns’ exist in the US.”
How We Should Respond
I was present that night some years ago in New York when ZOA of all American Jewish organizations presented an award to liberal Professor Alan Dershowitz, who told that ZOA Gala’s 1200 attendees how critically important it is that American governmental support for our Jewish people’s homeland of Israel be bipartisan. I’d steeled myself during the cocktail hour for the evening’s speeches, but I was by then sober enough to agree with that.
But today, says all-knowing Google AI:
“Alan Dershowitz is a registered Republican. After being a registered Democrat for 67 years, he renounced the party in 2024 to become an Independent before officially registering as a Republican. He cited the Democratic Party’s stance and hostility toward Israel as the primary reason for his party switch.” [emphasis added a little]
And now we have The Hill headlining this Wednesday (7/15/26):
“Fetterman warns he would leave Democratic Party if it turns its back on Israel”
I disagree. Walking away from your party concedes the disputed field to your adversaries, in this case the one-step and two-step plotters of “from the River to the Sea.” Stay in your party and champion the homeland case of our people.
The point we must press in both parties’ policy-making entities is that, as Speaker Johnson put it when President Trump unfortunately said “Israel will not annex the West Bank,” simply and straight-forwardly “Judea and Samaria belong to Israel,” as does undivided historic Jerusalem. The celebrated “two-state solution,” as one Israeli newspaper recently put it, is by us “unthinkable.”
Affirmatively state that the land of Israel, Palestine west of the Jordan, with historic Jerusalem and Judea-Samaria as its core, is
*** historically (three millennia continuous presence)
*** legally (UN-endorsed League of Nations Palestine Mandate)
*** equitably (Palestinian Arabs are the main population of eastern Palestine, judenrein Jordan, sitting on three-quarters of Mandated Palestine)
*** indispensably (Ingathering of two-millennia persecuted exiles)
our Jewish people’s homeland, period.
The long-superseded 1949 ceasefire lines were ceasefire lines, not natural boundaries (see this week’s Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs study reported in its July15 article “The PA’s Massive Army Threatens Millions of Israelis Within Just 22 Kilometers”).
Restoring the long-superseded 1949 ceasefire lines would render our people’s Jewish national home into a militarily indefensible Jewishly meaningless Jewish national ghetto. In both US political parties, we Jewish members thereof have to make our people’s homeland case.
From Dan Bacine:
Suppose I agree that Judea and Samaria (and, of course, the eastern part of Jerusalem) belong to the State of Israel. How do you expect that result would be achieved? Maybe the status quo? Eventually the world will forget the Palestinian Arabs who are living there. Or maybe simply announce that Judea and Samaria are autonomous regions where locals, Arabs and Jews, can vote on purely local government issues. Or maybe treat Judea and Samaria like Russia’s “annexation” of Crimea. Come up with a plan that won’t result in the United States breaking off diplomatic relations.
ME: Thank you, Dan, for these thoughts. I don’t agree that historic Jerusalem and Judea-Samaria belonging to the State of Israel is a non-existing status that “would need to be achieved.” This is an existing FACT in the Palestine Mandate that authorized trustee Britain to exclude from its Jewish national home only the part of Palestine EAST of the River, and by history (continuous presence, renewed Jewish Jerusalem majority since 1800’s) and equity (Pal Arab majority in 3/4 of Mandate Jordan).
This is not me making stuff up. Trump’s first term Israel-agreed-to peace plan, sidelined by the Abraham Accords, provided for areas of Palestinian Arab autonomy in Judea-Samaria, under Israeli sovereignty in part of Judea-Samaria, in addition to their eastern Palestine majority in Jordan (let it become “Democratic & Arab”). Amb. Friedman in “One Jewish State” expanded sovereignty to the entirety of Judea-Samaria. Palestinian Arabs, who’ve never ruled Palestine ever, aren’t entitled to two Palestine states, one east and one west of the River. (And there are no natural boundaries west of the River, just long superseded Israel-invader Jordan ceasefire lines defined as not being borders.)
Dan:
Jerry, you’re making s–t up. Only in your mind (and that of your right wing nuts) is there no controversy about who has sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Your view risks that a new president opposes what Netanyahu and the Israel government does and acts on his (or her) opposition risking Israel’s existence. I’m asking you to be forward looking and tell me how you think this plays out. Maybe Netanyahu won’t win or be able to form a government. What then?
Me:
Have you read Trump’s first term U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman’s two books – Sledgehammer and then One Jewish State? He’s one of America’s most successful attorneys, having negotiated multiple multi-million dollar deals including before his appointment for Trump. What I support is his plan in his second book, which is a modified version of what President Trump in his first term called his “Deal of the Century.” I don’t regard either Friedman or Trump, or its other Trump first-term framers my fellow “right wing nuts.” But if they are, then I’m in good company because then it’s them and not me who are making s–t up.
But it’s not “making s–t up to believe that Israel – not Jordan or Palestinian Arabs – which has the strongest claim to Judea-Samaria [btw, thank you for calling them that – the UN itself used it in 1947]. As Speaker Johnson succinctly put it, “Judea and Samaria belong to Israel.”
An Israel newspaper a few months ago rightly called “the two-state solution” unequivocally “unthinkable” to Israelis. Everybody who does not mean us well is gung-ho for it.
When I was about to send out this week’s #1331, I saw an email by my friend Myron Sugarman about the same Jerusalem Post editorial I quoted extensively, from which I argued that Jewish voters in both parties need to stay in their parties and make the case to them of our Jewish people’s homeland of Israel. Myron’s take is that continuing Jew hate here is inevitable and that “the only solution for Jews who are determined to live in America is be prepared to shoot it out if it gets violent enough,” but then consider not staying in America now that we have our own land of Israel. I emailed Myron we each addressed this Jerusalem Post editorial from different perspectives and that if he wanted to comment on my view I’d post it. Here’s his cogent reply:
Jerry,
I don’t see we have any hope of reversing the Jew hatred that is growing, it’s not shrinking, it’s growing, there’s really nothing that we can do about changing it, the only solution for Jews, who are determined to live in America, is be prepared to shoot it out if it gets violent enough, on the other hand, why stay in America when we finally have our own State of Israel, of course it has different problems but at least it’s our Jewish Nation, we don’t have to deal with rising Jew hatred from the people of the same nation, but more important than moving to Israel to escape Jew hatred in America is the positive effect of living in Israel and living the Zionist Dream
At this moment in history, we are in the early stages of the Anti-Jewish takeover of America, so some people will say, what’s the big deal with a little anti Semitism, the value of real estate keeps going up, the Stock Market is doing great, people with money are making more money, most of the Jews appear to be the people with money, so we are supposedly living the good times.
I wrote what I wrote today about the vote in the Congress, the amendment to cease selling weapons to Israel and the increasing numbers of members of the Democratic Party, who voted in favor of the amendment or whatever they called it, my question is what can we do about it? Our Pesach Haggadah, written more than 2,000 years ago, promised us there would arise in each generation those who are determined to kill us, whoever 2,000 years ago that made that prediction and go it included into the Pesach Haggadah certainly must have had some serious inside information,
Obama opened the gates for immigration of Muslims, they are a people who have large families, G-d only knows how many more Muslims came into America during Biden Open Door Policy and how many Muslims are now in America, I was in prison and saw the factory of converts taking place daily, both converts to Islam and converts to Nation of Islam
My own reaction to the article telling us that the Democrats are voting to end selling arms and weapons to Israel is what can we do about stopping the rising tide of Jew hatred both Jew hatred of our State of Israel and Jew hatred of our being Jews in America? I think that the only answer is for Jews to be “Chazak v’Ematz” Be Strong and Be Courageous, let’s not react to the rising tide of Jew hatred with Trembling Knees, let’s see how to inject Jews with the courage shown by Menachem Begin when years ago he was threatened by the then Senator Joe Biden, who told Prime Minister Menachem Begin if Israel continues building homes for Jews on Jewish Land in the Jewish Nation, he, Senator Joe Biden would make certain that Israel would never get weapons and arms,
Who knows that encounter better than you and me?
Shabbat Shalom
Your loyal friend and fellow warrior in this great epic battle for the Soul of the Jewish People,
Myron Sugerman
ME (Jerry): On July 18 I received this comment on the website by Hal Tarr to my weekly email last May (#1324), in which I’d lamented that a big percentage of young U.S. Jews favor replacing our Jewish homeland of Israel with a “binational” Arab/Jewish state. Mr. Tarr’s comment is appropriately posted there, but because of its intrinsic importance and relevance to the topic of this week’s #1331 – our need to stay in our wavering political parties and make the case to them that our Jewish people’s homeland is OURS – I’m also posting it here. Click or paste these two links in your browser. I urge you to watch “Silent Exodus.” It is inconceivable to me that any Jew who views this documentary on Arab land Jews, whose descendants today form Israel’s largest population-origin stream, would replace our Jewish refugee-welcoming people’s homeland with a “binational” state.
HAL TARR:
Those who want a binational state should learn from the experiences of Jews who lived in Arab majority countries and were expelled. See description of Free Library 2025 event I hosted about Rabbi Gabbai’s experience in Egypt https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/150493 and Pierre Rehov’s film Silent Exodus, which can be seen for free on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFyDU62W4Rk&t=17s
Brief Emailed Comments”
Bob Slater: “Very scary times”
Cornel Spiegler: Thanks, Jerry for another Outstanding article!
Rainer from Germany:
Admiration again and again for your unabated work towards a valuable cause.
I just read an article in JP (sadly only in English…) which somehow coincides with your points in your recent circular:
https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-902808
Obviously J.D. Vance has increasingly come under noxious influences – maybe Tucker Carlson is one of them. I got, btw, my first doubts about Tucker Carson, who has evidently lost it (question: to whom?!), when he was ardently fighting against Fetterman during the election in favor of a Dr. Oz. I am glad Fetterman made it; since then T.C. has only continued down the drain. Astounding.
You are the American and I am only an interested onlooker but I doubt that in this very specific case a Sen. Fetterman could do much good remaining in a Democratic party of today. I think he has done his share in promoting good old classical Democrats’ values anywhere where they listened to him. And that were many media outlets recently. Famous as he is he could i.m.h.o. do very good for the US a n d for Israel in the GOP. Even as a solid right winger I could imagine to vote for him for his genuine standing – instead of other politician sleaze in whichever party.
Forgive me my cheeky onlooker’s deliberations from far away. Shabbat shalom.
ME: I agree that Fetterman has been a strong voice for Israel in the Democrats. With the Senate on a knife edge, I couldn’t vote for him as a Dem, but I think I’m relieved from not having to not do that by his unpopularity in the Party making his renomination less than unlikely. He’d be welcome in the GOP, but the longer he can stay in the Dems and stand up for Israel the better.
By Rainer: 👍 Thumbs up! R.
ALAN MOLOD: I hope our American Jewish brethren understand that Israel hatred is attached at the hip to Jew hatred. If Israel hatred prospers, Jew hatred in the USA, England, France and elsewhere will also prosper. If we care about the welfare of our children and grandchildren we damn sure better care about, and fight for, the welfare of Israel. Alan Molod
ME (Jerry): Alan, I agree. And those American Jews who support ripping historic Jerusalem and Judea-Samaria from our people’s homeland [“two-states along the 1967 lines with mutually-agreed swaps” – originally a Palestinian Arab contention, now with all who don’t mean us well gung-ho for it] contribute to the clamor against both Israel and us.