This interview is part of Moment’s Jewish Political Voices Project. To learn more about the project, click here. To see our other participants, click here. To see all posts from Don, click here.
Age: 65
Occupation: Retired Jewish community relations professional
Location: West Bloomfield, MI
Party Registration: Independent
Jewish Denomination: Conservative
2020 Vote: Joe Biden
Current 2024 Vote: Kamala Harris
Family: Married, two daughters, one grandchild
News Sources: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Times of Israel, CNN
Who are you voting for and why?
I’m voting for Kamala Harris, and the reason is because I believe the Democratic Party is the best for the issues I’m concerned about. And because Trump is a nonstarter for me. I have concerns about the Democratic Party, but you got to vote for someone.
What are your greatest hopes for Harris and fears Trump?
My hope is that Kamala will govern as a moderate and truly bring people together across the aisle to solve serious problems. My biggest fear is basically that the United States becomes rudderless and caters to division instead of governing. I fear continued paralysis and uncertainty of where we’re going and who’s actually leading us.
Which candidate would be better for U.S. policy toward Israel? Is it a major factor in your choice of candidate?
It’s a major factor. And I’m not terribly comfortable with either candidate, but I believe that the moderating effects of the Democratic Party can be successful on policy toward Israel. I have no idea how to influence the Trump administration. Biden is no longer a candidate, but I think his commitment to and understanding of Israel and American-Israel relations and geopolitics is greater than Harris’s. But I have to apply the same test I put on Trump and Biden: the ability to govern. I had more concerns about Biden’s ability than I do about Harris’s.
How concerned are you about antisemitism at home?
The main source of antisemitism is coming from anti-Israel groups. I don’t call them pro-Palestinian. I was out on the street corner the other day with a “Let My People Go” sign and an Israeli flag, and people were yelling “Israel burn!” at us. We live in a heavily Jewish area in suburban Detroit with an increasing Chaldean (Middle-Eastern Christian) community, so it’s becoming more diverse in that regard. The Chaldeans, Palestinian Arabs and other Middle-Eastern immigrants are only hearing the Hamas-provided narrative. If I believed what they’re saying about Israel starving and killing children and raping people, I’d be pretty upset myself.
Regardless of your choice, are you confident democracy will emerge from the 2024 election unscathed?
We already survived four years of the Trump presidency, and I think we have sufficient guardrails on our democracy. So I don’t buy into the rhetoric that democracy is on trial.