By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — Recently, the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) PAC launched a $1 million ad campaign aimed at mobilizing Jewish voters against Donald Trump, drawing controversial comparisons between his political approach and historical fascist movements.
Critics, including Sam Markstein, the Republican Jewish Coalition’s national political director, condemned the ad as “disgusting,” arguing that it exploits Holocaust references for political points. This reaction highlights the broader moral and factual concerns around comparing contemporary political figures to one of history’s most brutal dictators. Such comparisons trivialize the Holocaust, distort history, and can incite dangerous actions by framing political disputes as a fight against fascism.
Comparing Trump—or any modern figure—to Hitler ignores the unique atrocities committed by Hitler, who orchestrated the genocide of six million Jews and millions of other marginalized people. The Nazi regime’s campaign of systematic extermination is unprecedented and incomparable to any contemporary American political situation. Equating Trump’s actions with Hitler’s dilutes the severity of the Holocaust and risks turning its horrors into mere political rhetoric, disrespecting the memory of those who suffered under the Nazis.
Such a mindless trivialization fosters historical ignorance, as younger generations might misunderstand the brutality and meticulous cruelty that defined Hitler’s policies, reducing it to just another political label.
Further, this comparison distorts historical awareness, making it harder to identify real existential threats in the future. If every divisive figure becomes the “next Hitler,” the term loses its urgency. Hitler’s authoritarianism went beyond populist rhetoric; it involved a totalitarian state that eradicated individual freedoms, dismantled institutions, and systematically murdered millions. Even if Trump’s rhetoric evokes strong opinions, it does not equate to the absolute terror of Hitler’s regime.
In light of rising anti-Semitism globally, American Jews must recognize and prioritize these existential threats. Anti-Semitism serves as a stark reminder of who the real adversaries are and underscores the necessity of unity against those threatening Jewish communities worldwide. As history has shown, unchecked anti-Semitic ideologies can fuel significant harm, making solidarity and support for Israel’s right to defend itself not only a political priority but a means of protecting Jewish lives and ensuring survival in a world where threats persist from extremist factions. People often overlook that Trump has a Jewish daughter and son-in-law and several Jewish grandchildren. Additionally, not since President Carter’s Camp David Accords has a U.S. President succeeded in establishing such a lasting peace agreement as the Abraham Accords. Jews ought to give Trump credit for achieving such an important milestone as moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Many past presidents promised they would make such a move, but they never did.
Extreme comparisons also escalate political rhetoric to dangerous levels. When opposition leaders frame a political opponent as a “genocidal dictator,” it can incite some individuals to take extreme actions, possibly believing that violence is justified. History shows that exaggerated threats can lead to violence as people begin to see opposition as a life-or-death scenario. There have already been attempts to assassinate Trump, and inciting further violence is not conducive to democratic debate.
Hyperbolic comparisons also contribute to a “cry wolf” effect. When terms like “fascist” are thrown around in casual discourse, society becomes desensitized to actual threats, losing the capacity to recognize true authoritarianism. Using Hitler as a comparison for Trump ignores the real nature of Nazi terror, dismissing the Holocaust’s horrors as a mere point of political contention.
As a child of a Holocaust survivor, I cannot forget that the Holocaust is one of history’s most documented tragedies, and remembering it accurately is essential to honor its victims and learn from humanity’s darkest moments. By likening Trump to Hitler, society risks disrespecting Holocaust survivors and the generations still affected by the trauma. Such comparisons make a mockery of the pain endured by millions, reducing genuine suffering to a political device. The moral weight of the Holocaust and other genocides lies in their uniqueness and the extreme circumstances that led to them. Diluting this memory undermines the world’s commitment to “never again” allow such atrocities. A careful distinction between past and present horrors preserves the memory of those who suffered and prevents society from desensitizing to mass suffering.
Lastly, Trump’s actions do not meet the criteria for genocide or fascism. Trump governed under a democratic system, unlike the Nazi regime, which dismantled freedom and murdered millions. Disliking or fearing Trump’s policies is one matter; equating them with Hitler’s systematic genocide is both misleading and dangerous. Comparing Trump to Hitler weakens our ability to foster democratic discourse and maintain respect for the severity of history’s genuine threats to human rights and dignity.
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Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista.
EXCELLENT. VOTE FOR TRUMP.https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/398249 rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg
I agree with Baron. This discussion does need contextualization.
Contextualize this:
According to the pollsters 50% of voters favor each candidate.
After the votes are counted and a new president is decided will the loosing 50% agree that the winning 50% are not un-American?
Answer: Yes
As long as Trump is the winner.
I think this discussion also needs some contextualization. Kelley never called Trump Hitler only that Trump believed Hitler did some good things and that he wished he had generals like Hitler’s. His labeling Trump a fascist was preceded by a historically accurate definition of fascism, something Trump erroneously equates with communism and anarchism: ““Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy. So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America.” Similarly, General Milley charged Trump was being a “fascist to the core.” These are Trump’s generals. They haven’t endorsed Harris .
As far as Harris goes, she was asked in an interview to comment on Kelley’s remarks. She never called Trump Hitler but thought that he was a fascist and that his admiration of Hitler’s generals and some of things he did was disconcerting. https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-kamala-harris-call-donald-trump-hitler-1974174 Although Trump repeatedly claims and Samuel unfortunately echoes that such vilification of political enemies can justify political violence like the assassination attempt on Trump, Trump has consistently vilified his political enemies in far more vile terms than Harris and has proffered violent means of dealing with these “enemies from within” like locking Hillary Clinton up and executing Mark Milley. Given the constant retributionist vitriol and authoritarian goals he spews, it is a tribute to Harris that she has restrained herself until now to label him a fascist.
This is silliness to an absurd degree. No one is comparing Trump to the successful mass murder Hitler of 1943…
… but it is entirely apt to compare ol’ todays raving-rabid mass-hypnotist to the Hitler of 1933… when he could have been stopped, if enough people, including Jews, stood up and denounced and fought a monstrously evil liar.
Moreover, the nature and style of Trump’s vast lies are comparable in a multitude of chilling ways to those spewed by Nazis in that fateful year.
David Brin
Freud once wrote, “Analogies, it is true, decide nothing, but they can make one feel more at home.” I have wished in some of my past columns that there be a moratorium on the political analogies with Hitler and the Holocaust. Yet I can’t help but notice that Rabbi Samuel reserves his criticism for the Harris campaign but sanitizes Trump’s rhetoric as merely provoking “strong reactions.” A more balanced and persuasive article would have been to explicitly call him out for grossly ahistorical rhetoric too which in Trump’s case reveals his ignorance about what the epithets he tosses at his enemies actually mean. For example, ” ““The crazy lunatics that we have — the fascists, the Marxists, the communists, the people that we have that are actually running the country, those people are more dangerous — the enemy from within — than Russia and China and other people.” In other similar tirades he calls these enemies anarchists, radicals who abhorred centralized states that communism and fascism resulted in. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Can’t wait for Laurie Baron the brilliant professor emeritus of history at San Diego State University’s take on Rabbi Samuel’s positive comments on Trump.
Thank you, Rabbi, for clearly voicing what needs to be said. The extremists in the Democrat Party have resorted to desperation in their cruel effort to retain power.
V.P. Harris has doubled down and “made very clear” that she is incompetent and will be the worst, most divisive President in American history.
Trump is, “let me make this perfectly clear,” as Harris repeatedly phrases things, is the better choice for President.
She and her Democrat supporters, mindlessly parroting her Hitler label, are the problem.