Thread: Anti-Defamation League defends Trump against anti-Semitism charge

December 03, 2015, 07:01 pm

Anti-Defamation League defends Trump against anti-Semitism charge

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Thursday defended Donald Trump after the GOP front-runner's freewheeling speech before a group of Jewish Republicans drew criticism.

"After having carefully reviewed the speech, we do not believe that it was Donald Trump’s intention to evoke anti-Semitic stereotypes," Jonathan Greenblatt, the league's CEO, said in a statement.
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Greenblatt said that Trump "has made similar comments about spending his own money on the campaign, and not asking for money from donors, to many other groups."

Trump, a billionaire real estate tycoon, garnered attention on Thursday for his remarks in a speech before the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), an audience addressed by several other candidates.

The celebrity businessman appeared to touch on several Jewish stereotypes in his speech, including about being a good negotiator and having a tough business personality.

“I’m a negotiator like you folks, we’re negotiators,” Trump said to laughs at the gathering before launching into a criticism of the Obama administration's nuclear pact with Iran.

“Is there anyone in this room who doesn’t negotiate deals?,” Trump asked later. “This room negotiates a lot. This room perhaps more than any room I’ve ever spoken to.”

Trump also repeatedly told the audience that he did not want their money.

The ADL pushed back on pundits criticizing Trump's remarks, saying that "context is everything."

"Mr. Trump’s presentation was completely supportive of Israel and the Jewish community, even if one might disagree with him on some of the other issues he raised," Greenblatt said Thursday.

"In this case he is speaking to a group of Jewish Republicans, a significant portion of whom are business people," he continued.

The group said that while it does not believe Trump "intended his comments regarding negotiations and money to relate specifically to their Jewishness," the group called on the candidate "to clarify that this was not his intention, and that he rejects the traditional stereotypes about Jews and money."

The group has repeatedly slammed some of Trump's previous remarks, including his "factually challenged" claim of hearing scores of American Muslims chanting after 9/11 and his "hate speech and stereotyping" when remarking on criminals and rapists coming into the U.S. from Mexico.

Democrats pointed to Trump's remarks before the Jewish audience on negotiating deals, as well as remarks from several other GOP candidates, to declare that "these Republican Apprentices are not ready for prime time."

Democratic National Committee spokesman TJ Helmstetter knocked "the Republican candidates’ tone-deaf and offensive remarks," adding in a statement, "it’s no wonder that Jewish voters identify as Democrats by a two-to-one margin."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefi...eech-to-jewish

Nice article by Anti-Defamation League. Thank you!!

Donald Trump is under fire again - this time from the Israeli media and Jewish advocacy groups

The Times of Israel accuses GOP candidate of being "anti-Semitic".

Donald Trump has stirred controversy once again.

The Republican presidential candidate recently made comments about Jewish people at an advocacy event.

"I'm a negotiator - like you folks," he said on Thursday (December 3) at an event for the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington DC.

He added: "Is there anyone in this room who doesn't negotiate deals? Probably more than any room I've ever spoken.​"

When he drew boos from the crowd, Trump said: "​You won't support me because I don't want your money​."

He has now been called "anti-Semitic" by Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel, in an article titled "Trump courts Republican Jews with offensive stereotypes".

Abe Foxman, the former Anti-Defamation League National Director, told Jewish Insider: "Somebody should give Donald Trump a copy of my book Jews and Money - Story of Stereotype​.

"​For someone who claims to be so smart, he should know better than to reinforce and legitimize this history old anti-Semitic canard​."

However, Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said that he did not believe "​that it was Donald Trump's intention to evoke anti-Semitic stereotypes​".

Though Greenblatt added that he wanted Trump to "clarify that this was not his intention and that he rejects the traditional stereotypes about Jews and money​".

Donald Trump is under fire again - this time from the Israeli media and Jewish advocacy groups