By Joel H. Cohen
NEW YORK — For months, President Trump has railed against what he alleges is “fake news.” Now, angered by criticism from synagogue pulpits of his immigration, climate and health care policies, he has a new target: rabbis and others he calls “fake Jews.”
“They should know tax cuts for the rich will create jobs. They should want coal to be great again. They should love my plans to keep America safe and to give all Americans unbelievable health insurance,” he tweeted. “But, instead of agreeing with me, these fake Jews would rather twist facts. Unbelievable.
“They even make up Biblical sayings to support their charges. One wacky woman rabbi said we should welcome strangers ‘because we were once slaves in Egypt.’ Ridiculous. Egypt isn’t even one of the countries covered by the travel ban.”
Confusing synagogue sanctuaries with sanctuary cities, the president originally included them among his grievances. When a reporter corrected him, he commented, “Big whoops.”
He also contended that several of the rabbis he criticized for criticizing him were spiritual leaders of “failing synagogues.” In fact, at least two of the shuls in question are experiencing the biggest growth in membership and attendance in their history.
To speculation that his remarks might be construed as anti-Semitic, President Trump said, “Nothing could be further from the truth. Believe me, I love Jews. My daughter, my son-in-law, and my grandkids are Jewish, and none of them opposes my policies. I have Jewish advisers – not that I follow their advice – and at least one speechwriter and a lawyer or two who are Jews. Tell me who loves Jews – real Jews — more.”
When asked at a press briefing whether the President was considering an executive order to deny synagogues tax exemption if an official makes political remarks from the pulpit, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “I haven’t had a chance to speak directly to the President about that.”
But, she added, “it’s definitely a violation of the principle of separation of church and state, a principle our president values more than anything.”
Clergy of other religions have spoken out against administration plans, including the proposed wall between the U.S. and Mexico, but the president has not singled them out, at least not yet.
As to “so-called rabbis, the pathetic-loser fake Jews who’ve been speaking out against me, I hope they have other jobs to fall back on. Believe me. They’re not going to have these jobs very long.”
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San Diego Jewish World assures readers who are new to freelance writer Joel Cohen’s “Just Kidding” columns that they are satirical and should not be taken seriously.