The White House and Jewish leaders across the country are condemning former President Donald Trump for a recent social media post they say is antisemitic. Trump wrote that American Jews “need to get their act together” and show more appreciation for the state of Israel, “before it’s too late.”
Scott Richman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of New York/New Jersey, says that antisemitism is continuing to rise across the country. “We live in a very polarized moment, very difficult moment in society,” Richman said. “We’re approaching the midterm elections. A lot of people are on edge; a lot of people are taking sides. That’s what polarization is about. It’s about people taking sides and when you have that, people tend to laud what’s happening on their side and condemn what’s happening on the other side. The problem is that when there’s hate on your side, you tend to excuse it.”
