Leading up to the 2020 election, surveys revealed that then-President Trump had the support of an astronomical 89 percent of the US Orthodox Jewish community. Indications are that Biden-Harris policies and current events have only increased the percentage of Orthodox voters who will support him this November.
One could be forgiven for believing that the current conflict in the Middle East has turned pro-Israel Americans into one-issue voters. Orthodox Jewish support for President Trump, however, has much deeper roots, and this has profound ramifications for future candidates and the fight to restore American values.
President Trump and others frequently attribute his wild popularity in the Orthodox Jewish community to his policies regarding the State of Israel — moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, pulling out of the suicidal nuclear deal with Iran, supporting the Israeli war on terror/right to total self-defense, the Abraham Accords, and more. It is undoubtedly true that, like many others in the Jewish community, Orthodox recognize and are immensely grateful for all of these.
Other significant factors, however, are possibly being overlooked. If one would ask the average Orthodox Jew why he supports President Trump, while his answer would certainly include Trump's support for the State of Israel, it would extend much further. Most Orthodox would give similar answers to mainstream Republicans: they seek an America that has safe streets, a secure Southern border, a robust economy, strong international standing, and, of course, an America that is based on what are commonly referred to as traditional faith and family values.
The Orthodox Jewish community is among the most politically conservative groups in the US. Although one would expect that any sane person would support the rule of law, economic prosperity, high moral standards, and all that has historically been part of the formula for achieving “the American Dream,” for the Orthodox, even these policies only capture part of the picture. The truth is still much deeper than that.
The Torah-Biblical values are the lifeblood of Orthodox Jewry. Belief in God, in law, in what are known as family values, in respect, in responsibility and accountability, in personal freedom, and in justice and its strong enforcement are at the core and soul of the Orthodox community.
When a politician declares support for the LGBTQ lobby, for defunding the police, for abortion on demand, for taxation and regulations that impede religious and personal freedoms and hinder the livelihoods of the masses, and so forth — the Orthodox Jew cannot stomach it. Such concepts offend every fiber of his being and violate his most sacred convictions and values.
By contrast, when politicians advocate family values, safety and security, personal accountability, respect for the rule of law, and deference to traditional faith, the Orthodox community responds and casts its votes favorably.
While solid backing of the State of Israel, as well as unyielding denunciation of antisemitism, are crucial to the Orthodox Jewish public, conservative family and political values are also key to Orthodox Jewish support. In an ever-polarized political and social environment, in which the Democratic party is increasingly viewed as embracing anti-family values, softness on crime, and policies that appear to clash with traditional ideas of personal responsibility and accountability, Orthodox Jewish support for Republicans increases by the day. This is precisely why Trump, for all his behaviors that are at variance with traditional Jewish ideals, is phenomenally popular among Orthodox Jews.
A few Democrat-aligned commenters have assailed the solid Orthodox gravitation to Trump as inconsistent with the hallmarks of good character that the Torah extols and expects. How they ask, can upstanding, conspicuously religious Jews support someone who is identified by many as having substantial character flaws and is the defendant in numerous lawsuits?
This complaint is false and disingenuous. Most voters choose the candidate whose political positions best represent their own and whom they feel can best execute effective policy. Character is usually secondary; we have entirely different expectations of political office candidates than our clergy and spiritual leadership. And let’s be honest: Trump faces serious competition from Democratic opponents in the “ethical lapse” department, so we should not pretend that either side has a lock on the moral turpitude vote.
When I arrived home from the Saturday evening synagogue service seven weeks ago, my daughters immediately told me the news of how an assassin attempted to end the life of President Trump a few hours earlier and how Trump survived what would have otherwise been sure death. I discussed the circumstances of the shooting with my wife and children, and we all immediately concluded that Trump’s survival was an act of hashgacha pratis – Hebrew for “special divine intervention.” It was clear that had Trump not turned his head to a very peculiar angle at that specific moment, he would not have survived.
Shortly after that, Trump recounted the events in detail and pointed to the exceptional circumstances that caused the bullet to miss its mark by mere millimeters. Declaring this as a miracle, he said, “God was with me; it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.” For myself, my family, and our community, what we heard was another example of Trump speaking our language.
Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer is chairman of the Rabbinic Circle of the Coalition for Jewish Values.