The presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, is nearing a decision on her vice-presidential running mate and will make the announcement within the next 72 hours. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has openly embraced his Jewish heritage, is a leading contender. While his potential nomination has brought pride to many American Jews, there is also a growing concern about the possibility of a rise in antisemitic attacks within the country.
If Harris were to defeat Trump, she would become the first female president in the 248-year history of the United States. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, would be the First Gentleman. With Shapiro as Vice President, it would be the most Jewish administration in U.S. history.
Shapiro has emerged as a prominent figure in the Democratic Party, garnering widespread support from key voter demographics in the crucial state of Pennsylvania, which is vital for both Harris and Republican Donald Trump. In the 2022 election, Shapiro defeated his Republican opponent, State Senator Doug Mastriano, who had propagated antisemitic rhetoric during his campaign, by a margin of 15%.
His victory marked the largest margin for a non-incumbent since 1946 and set a record for the most votes ever received in a Pennsylvania gubernatorial election. While American Jews admire Shapiro and support his decision to team up with Harris, there is also concern that he may be perceived as too Jewish by some non-Jewish Americans.
Shapiro openly and proudly identifies with his Jewish faith. He maintains a kosher kitchen in the governor’s mansion and holds Shabbat dinners with his family. In his 2022 campaign launch video, Shapiro showcased challahs made by his wife Lori, and he took his oath of office on a Bible saved from the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue attack in Pittsburgh.
For Passover, Shapiro shared a video of the preparations for his inaugural Seder at the official residence. Additionally, last December, he conducted a menorah lighting ceremony attended by four survivors of the October 7 attack.
A Harris-Shapiro ticket would offer a stark contrast to the Trump-Vance ticket. Senator JD Vance, who is recognized for advocating replacement theory, has lately supported Trump’s continuous claims of disloyalty among American Jews towards Israel, implying that their Democratic leanings reflect a contempt for their own faith. Vance has labeled such claims as “reasonable” in efforts to court Jewish voters. Moreover, Trump and Vance have been spreading the conspiracy theory that Jewish Billionaire George Soros is orchestrating the Democratic Party’s actions.
Some Jewish Democratic officials, while not endorsing any particular running mate, have voiced concerns over the potential selection of Shapiro. Their apprehensions are not related to his qualifications or whether he is the best candidate, but rather that a Harris-Shapiro victory could potentially lead to an increase in antisemitism.
The Harris administration could encounter trust challenges from the far right, who may believe that Jews have taken control of the country, and criticism from the far left, who may consider the ticket overly pro-Israel. If Harris were to choose Shapiro as a running mate, Shapiro would be the second Jewish person to be nominated for vice president by a major party in the history of the United States. The first was Senator Joe Lieberman, who was Al Gore’s running partner in the 2000 election.
Trump Doesn’t Understand That American Jews Can Love Israel But Not Netanyahu
Former President Trump may not be familiar with a particular aspect of electoral history, as since Israel’s establishment in 1948, only two Republicans have secured the majority of the Jewish vote in America: Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush. On average, American Jews have shown a preference for Democratic candidates, with 71% voting for Democrats and 26% for Republicans since 1968.
Poll after poll shows that a significant number of American Jews, as well as non-Jews, support Israel and its right to self-defense. However, there is a contingent of American Jews who are displeased with the hardline government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This sentiment was evident when some Jewish lawmakers boycotted the Prime Minister’s address to a joint session of Congress.
It would be inaccurate to say that Trump lacks support among American Jews, as he is quite popular within the Orthodox community and among Republican Jews. The issue, as indicated by the statistics mentioned earlier, is that most American Jews lean liberal and do not view Trump as an appealing candidate.
Trump’s Attack On Harris Husband Doug Emhoff Is A Mistake And Wrong
As Donald Trump seeks a strategy to counter his new 2024 opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, he falls back on familiar tactics. In a Monday interview on the conservative radio show “Sid & Friends In The Morning” on WABC, the former president repeated his past assertions that Jewish individuals who do not support him are disloyal, once again overlooking the distinction that one can love Israel but disagree with its government’s leadership.
There is scant evidence to suggest that Harris holds any deep-seated antisemitic views, particularly considering her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. Nonetheless, this apparent contradiction did not go unnoticed by host Sid Rosenberg, who used it as a chance to derogate Emhoff with the term “crappy Jew.”
“They tell me that Harris’ husband – Doug Emhoff – Mr. President, he’s Jewish,” Rosenberg said. “He’s Jewish like Bernie Sanders is Jewish, are you kidding me, he’s a crappy Jew. He’s a horrible Jew.” Trump responded in the affirmative, “Right, yes,” he can be heard saying as Rosenberg rants.
It’s not the first time in recent days that Trump has attempted to accuse Harris of being an enemy to Jewish people. During a Wednesday rally in North Carolina, Trump told the audience that Harris is “totally against the Jewish people”
“It amazes me how Jewish people will vote for the Democrats when they’re being treated so disrespectfully and badly,” he added. “It amazes me. It’s shocking. I don’t, I don’t get it. I don’t get it. “Throughout his campaign, Trump has consistently accused Jews who do not support him of disloyalty to himself, Israel, and their faith, employing antisemitic tropes to disparage Democratic Jews.
The attack on Emhoff, labeling him a bad Jew, and the criticism of Harris are far from accurate and can be easily refuted. Harris has faced criticism from the far-left faction of the Democrats for aligning too closely with President Biden. Meanwhile, attacks on her husband are unfounded, considering his esteemed status within the American Jewish community and his contributions to the Biden administration.
Emhoff, an attorney who met Harris on a blind date in 2013, was raised attending Temple Shalom, a Reform synagogue in Aberdeen Township, New Jersey, where he also celebrated his bar mitzvah. He often recounts wearing a three-piece brown velour suit to his bar mitzvah. In his early career as an attorney in California, Emhoff was associated with Bet Tzedek, a Jewish organization providing free legal services to those who could not afford a lawyer.
As the Second Gentleman, Emhoff has proudly embraced his Jewish heritage. In 2021, upon moving into the Vice President’s residence at the Naval Observatory in Northwest Washington, they attached a mezuzah to the doorpost of their new home. Additionally, the couple has hosted gatherings for Rosh Hashanah, a Passover Seder, and a Hanukkah celebration at their residence.
Emhoff has played a pivotal role in the Biden administration’s campaign against antisemitism, which included the introduction of a national strategy to address the issue the previous year. He presided over a roundtable with Jewish organizations in 2022 to address the increase in antisemitism, a trend that intensified following the commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, as reported by watchdogs. Additionally, in April, he co-chaired a meeting with Jewish leaders to deliberate on Biden’s backing of Israel during the conflict.
In 2023, Emhoff embarked on a five-day mission to Holocaust and Jewish heritage sites in Germany and Poland, accompanied by Deborah Lipstadt, the State Department’s antisemitism envoy. Their journey included a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, meetings with Holocaust survivors and Jewish leaders, and a tour of Emhoff’s ancestral village, Gorlice, in Poland. Emhoff described the dialogue with the survivors as an “incredibly emotional and intense conclusion to the trip.”
Last year, Ruth Cohen, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor from the Washington, D.C. area, was the guest of honor at Biden’s State of the Union address, hosted by Emhoff. This year, at the groundbreaking ceremony for Pittsburgh’s new Tree of Life synagogue, Emhoff gave a speech. The synagogue stands on the site of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
The Biden-Harris administration is notable for having a significant number of Jewish and Black high-ranking officials, marking a historic moment in U.S. diversity leadership. Emhoff, Shapiro, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker are among the many prominent Jewish Democrats supporting Harris on the campaign trail, in contrast to the Trump campaign, which reportedly lacks major Jewish surrogates.
Trump Remains The Favorite To Win But Harris Has Made It Almost A 50-50 Race
Ten days ago, Trump appeared to have a commanding lead over President Biden. However, the dynamics shifted when he chose not to pursue a second term and instead endorsed Vice President Harris. The enthusiasm Harris has generated among Democrats has drawn her level with Trump, energizing the base and setting records with $250 million in small donations within a week and rallying over one million volunteers for the campaign.
Harris aims to secure victory with the coalition of women, Blacks, Hispanics, and Jews, traditionally reliable voting blocs for Democrats. In 2016, Trump garnered 25 percent of the Jewish vote, which rose slightly to 26 percent in 2020. Among Black voters, Trump received 13 percent of the vote in 2016, which increased to 14 percent in 2020. Regarding female voters, Trump prevailed over Clinton with 54 percent of the vote, but in 2020, Biden captured 52 percent of the female vote.
This election is fundamental, where literally every vote counts. The battle between Harris and Trump hinges on ensuring that no supporter opts to stay home instead of voting. In the past ten days, there has been a significant increase in support for Harris from the Black community. As she leads the effort to protect women’s reproductive rights, her support among this demographic is solid and continues to expand.
The problem with Trump’s viewpoint is the presumption that American Jews place Israeli concerns over their daily challenges as Americans. While a candidate’s position on Israel matters, and some voters might consider it more than others, a key democratic principle is the ability to harbor affection for both one’s nation and Israel, yet still dissent on specific governmental policies.
It is that foundation of democracy that unites the U.S. and Israel in the ability to hold both countries dear. American Jews may question Israeli leaders, and Israeli citizens may question American leaders regarding policies, yet the love and bond between the two nations remain steadfast and indestructible, despite any political disagreements over policy.
Ultimately, Harris might choose Shapiro as her vice-presidential candidate, or she might not, but it is expected that she will secure the majority of the Jewish vote and likely increase support among Black voters and women. Trump is anticipated to receive robust backing from his white voter base, as well as from men of both white and black backgrounds, and from Jewish individuals who support his Israeli policy proposals. Regardless of the election outcome, it is hoped that he will make an effort to truly understand the American Jewish community, as this could significantly contribute to combating antisemitism.
