American Jews across ideologies, battleground states react to second Trump presidency

From campus safety to Israel policy, Jewish Americans share hopes and fears for the future as some celebrate victory while others vow to "get louder."

 Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Trump participates in a "Fighting Anti-Semitism in America Event" in Washington (photo credit: REUTERS)
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Trump participates in a "Fighting Anti-Semitism in America Event" in Washington
(photo credit: REUTERS)

Rona Kaufman, an associate professor of constitutional law at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, went to sleep before the election was called Tuesday and woke up on Wednesday relieved to learn of Trump's victory

"In all honesty, I had deep concerns about a Harris win and what that means for our country, and what that means for the future of Jewish security, both at home and abroad," Kaufman told The Post. "And I have more faith right now in the Republican Party to lead us in a better direction."

This election cycle, Kaufman, who was also clear to identify herself as a "mother, Zionist and feminist," has written extensively about leaving the Democratic party over its handling of Israel and antisemitism. 

The Biden administration, along with the Harris campaign, could've rejected the far-left, antisemitic contingency within their party, she said, and instead embraced political moderates. 

According to Kaufman, most Americans were turned off by the Democratic party's embracing of far-left views on topics like gender, microaggressions and terrorism. 

 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL nominee and former US president Donald Trump speaks at an event commemorating the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel on Monday in Doral, Florida.  (credit: MARCO BELLO/REUTERS)
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL nominee and former US president Donald Trump speaks at an event commemorating the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel on Monday in Doral, Florida. (credit: MARCO BELLO/REUTERS)

She believed that Americans, including herself, were "totally offended" by the Democratic Party's constant claim that voting Republican was to vote for authoritarianism and against democracy. 

"I think broadly, Americans rejected the Democratic Party," Kaufman said. "I don't think Trump won. I think Harris lost."

Kaufman's first issue of importance under Trump's presidency would be to see a Department of Education and Office of Civil Rights that responds strongly to antisemitic attacks on college campuses. 

Her second priority would be for Trump to prosecute hate crimes being committed against Jews. 

As far as Israel is concerned, she expressed hope Trump will do as he's stated and encourage Israel to quickly finish the war. 


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Trump will follow through on all of this because that's what his base wants, Kaufman believed. 

And Jewish Americans can hold Trump accountable by becoming more involved in the Republican party, she said. 

"I think as Jews begin to recognize, if that all happens, that the Republican Party may be the party that best reflects Jewish security at home and abroad," Kaufman said. 

Valerie Habif

Valerie Habif, who co-founded the Jewish Democratic Women's Salon in Atlanta, spoke to The Post on Tuesday hours before the polls closed, and again on Wednesday, hours after Trump declared victory. 

On Tuesday, Election Day, Habif expressed sheer amazement at the work Jewish Democratic women have done to effect political change in the historically conservative state.

"The work that we are doing to bring change to the state, we will not be stopped. No national election is going to stop us, no state election is going to stop us," she said on Tuesday. "We're not going to stop until we're done, because that is truly what it means to be Jewish with the work that we are doing, on the issues that matter most to us."

"There's no room for us to stop," Habif added. 

On Wednesday, after the polls revealed Trump won Georgia by just over 2% of the vote, Habif stood by what she said that if Democrats lost, they'd lick their wounds, and then would keep on going. 

Habif sees divisions within the Jewish community either healing, or deepening, depending on what path the Trump administration pursues. 

Habif emphasized that American Jews are used to being a minority voice, and the election reminded her once again of being a minority voice. 

She said Democratic Jewish women will continue to use their voices to preserve democracy.

"We, as Democratic Jewish women, if need be," Habif said, "We will get louder."

Sarah Meadow

Sarah Meadow, a first-year graduate student at the University of Michigan who had completed a degree in environmental sustainability, was overwhelmingly shocked on Wednesday while processing the news of Trump's victory. 

She stayed up late with friends on Tuesday night to watch the results come in, and recalled getting concerned around midnight. Even after her friends went home, Meadow said she stayed up texting with some until 3:30 and 5 a.m. 

Meadow, who grew up in Central Michigan, said all of her friends, including all of her Jewish friends, voted for Harris. 

She described walking to campus on Wednesday morning, constantly refreshing election results, the news, and social media as the razor-thin Michigan senate race between Democrat Elissa Slotkin and Republican Mike Rogers had yet to be called. Most other women had their heads down, buried in their phones as well, Meadow said. 

Meadow said some students in her grad program were talking about how Trump's environmental policies could impact their careers in environmental sustainability. 

Other women were talking about wanting to get an IUD before Trump officially came into office. 

Jerry Bien-Willner

Jerry Bien-Willner, the mayor of Paradise Valley, Arizona, told The Post that deciding who to vote for was not easy as he felt there were flaws and issues of concern with both Harris and Trump. 

While Bien-Willner declined to say who he voted for, he said he wasn't at all surprised by Trump's victory. 

A common refrain he heard from members of his community was frustration over the Harris campaign "both siding" Israel and its war against Hamas. 

Israel was something that he, and other Jewish voters in the state, were paying attention to. 

The way Harris's campaign approached Israel caused a lot of anxiety within the community, which, Bien-Willlner said, coupled with the palpable rise in antisemitism, led to overall confusion about the Harris campaign and lack of confidence in her ability to lead on these issues. 

Bien-Willner said October 7 heightened the Jewish community's need to stand together to protect itself. 

At the end of Trump's term, Bien-Wilner said he'd like to see the promises kept in regard to holding those accused of committing hate crimes accountable and ensuring safety on college campuses. 

Dylan Marks

For Dylan Marks, a 20-year-old sophomore at Arizona State University studying business finance, there was a clear choice which presidential candidate championed the state of Israel and Jews on campus. 

"This election was very, very clear who was going to stick up for Israel," he said. 

Marks was among 40 or so Jewish students who Trump met with this year on ASU's campus.

"It was an absolute pleasure to see the now President [elect] of the United States take the time to want to meet Jewish students on campus. That was a real eye-opener, and it really showed who cared in this election," Marks told The Post.

According to Marks, the Jewish community under Harris "sees the status quo."

"We didn't have an Israel war going on under President Trump. Now, we have a war going on under President Biden and Kamala Harris," he said. "We don't want to see more wars in the future, and I think a vote for President Trump is a vote for a secure future."

Jon Cohen

Jon Cohen, who was born and raised in South Florida and is the nationwide Director of Community Mobilization at Keshet, an organization focused on LGBTQ equality in Jewish life, said he was initially devastated at the outcome of the election. 

"Our freedoms as Jews and as LGBTQ people are threatened when democracy is threatened, and we learned from the last Trump presidency that democracy is very much threatened by his administration," Cohen said. 

Living in Miami, a politically and ideologically diverse Jewish community, felt like a warning leading up to the election, he said. 

"It prepared me to not be so shocked," Cohen said. "Living in Miami, I definitely do not live in an echo chamber, and so I have known many, many Jewish people who have been supporting Trump and a conservative platform my entire life."

He described being comforted by the paradoxes of the way people in Miami show up for the community, like walking in pride together, with how they vote.

Cohen said he understood the election as a culmination to the real uncertainty within the Jewish community over the past year. 

After a divisive election, Cohen hopes the Jewish community can heal and come together around those it disagrees with to fight against antisemitism, and also come together around LGBTQ protections and religious freedoms.

"We need to be prepared," Cohen said. "And we can only do that successfully if we come together."