By David Benhamu
Editor’s note: This Letter to the Editor was written in response to the article “The Case for Kamala.”
Dear Nissim,
It is unfortunate that you have felt isolated by the YU community because of your party affiliation. The reality that somebody would call anyone “Jews in Name Only” is shocking and disturbing. In the pursuit of intellectual honesty in choosing the best candidate for the election, we must not get personal; for it is the very discourse with those that we disagree that allows us to be more thoughtful. In that vein, I would like to add to this important discourse by evaluating your arguments and making the case as to why I am voting for President Trump, as well as why Kamala Harris is not the president for the Jewish people.
Immigration
While you admit that “Harris did not do much to help secure the border” you fail to acknowledge that she actively made it worse. The Biden-Harris administration, almost immediately after taking office, removed several executive orders put in place by President Trump to stem the flow of illegal immigrants until a bill could be passed. Ironically, only as the elections come close is the administration reinstituting executive orders to control the border.
You point to one of the recent bills supported by the Biden-Harris administration, arguing that the Republicans’ vote against the bill had to do with the upcoming election. While I cannot prove this undeniably false, it is important to point out that that bill did not address the real issues, most important of which was a reform to the asylum system. Worse, it still allowed upwards of a shocking 4000 border crossings per day. Indeed, Trump did not encourage the bill, but because the bill was not worth encouraging. In addition, we should note that no earlier attempt, despite Democrats controlling the House and Senate for the first two years of the presidency, had been made to put forward a comprehensive bill.
To say that the debate on the border crisis is between “common sense measures” or “xenophobic remarks” neglects the actual disputes at hand to focus on irrelevant personal comments. Rather, the argument until a border bill can be crafted is whether we will leave our border open or closed.
The Jewish value of “you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” is not the equivalent of entirely open borders (Deut. 10:19). While important, the context of this verse does not necessarily refer to every foreigner. Though this verse could be interpreted to refer to a non-Jewish foreigner living in Israel in addition to a Jewish convert, still, these foreigners are required to fulfill the seven Noahide laws. By deporting criminals and those who oppose American democratic values, we closer embody this verse rather than oppose it. Only with a more secure society will we then be able to create the infrastructure and framework for our immigrants to be loved.
Economy
You attributed the disturbing statistic that “only 23% of Americans have a positive view of the economy,” to a psychological heuristic of the populace that doesn’t quite understand that inflation always goes up despite who is in office. However, during the Biden-Harris administration prices spiked at unprecedented rates, up 19.4% since assuming office. When Trump left office, inflation was at 1.4%. It was under Biden-Harris that inflation rates shot up to highs of 9.1%. There is no reason to assume that those inflation levels will not continue under Harris’s presidency.
Indeed, “The Torah mandates 12 times to take up the cause of the orphan and the widow.” However, prices under the current administration have skyrocketed and lower-class families are struggling to purchase basic goods and services. Rambam says that the highest form of charity is a loan, however, he is not referring to government handouts, rather citizens helping and trusting their neighbor through interest-free loans. We should take up the cause of the orphan and the widow by helping them long-term, not by inflating the economy by throwing money at them that can hardly be used because of rising prices.
Israel
While you present numbers that show that both parties largely support Israel, focusing on the statements and actions of each particular nominee is more reflective of their positions over their party. Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, acknowledged Israel’s control of the Golan Heights, helped broker one of the greatest Middle East peace accords in history, the Abraham Accords, and put high tariffs on Iran, shutting down their ability to spread their tentacles around the Middle East.
Harris’s decisions, on the other hand, have been much less positive towards our homeland. Moving away from the Abraham Accords, she supported conciliation with Iran by opening up funds that were ultimately used to support their proxies – including Hamas and Hezbollah. The Biden administration has constantly hampered the war effort by restricting aid and undermining Israeli officials. Had the IDF not gone into Rafah, they would not have almost entirely dismantled Hamas and killed the mastermind of October 7, Yahya Sinwar. In fact, upon his death, the IDF found documents that said he told hostage negotiators not to make a deal because eventually, the Biden-Harris admission would turn on Israel. Most recently, Harris made a shocking acquiescence to a protestor’s claim that there is ‘genocide’ in Gaza.
To say that the war is the Netanyahu administration’s doing is simply naive. Any nation in the world would have responded significantly to an equivalent massacre. Just because the war is long does not automatically mean there is “no end in sight.” The war goals remain and 101 hostages are still in Gaza. There is no reason to believe pulling out of Gaza will bring back our citizens. Your comment that, “Trump is busy building Hotels in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem” seems somewhat nonsensical, as if it is a bad thing that he is supporting the Israeli economy during this time.
While fancy words like, “the Democrats and Harris see a path forward that is both pro-Israel and recognizes the need for broader reconciliation” can be articulated, we must consider the nature of our enemies. Any two-state solution must consider that neither the Palestinian Authority nor Hamas want to bring the region to greater tranquility. American values are not necessarily world values.
To “bring justice” and be “a light unto the nations” means to hold ourselves to a higher moral degree, and to ensure justice ensues throughout the land (Isaiah 42:1-6). Part of achieving that justice is eradicating those who unequivocally stand for destruction and death, where children at the youngest of age are taught to slaughter Jews. We must prevent darkness from taking a foothold in this world, and only then can we show the world where true morals lie.
Advocating for radical policies such as letting men play in women’s sports doesn’t quite classify Harris as “the candidate of normalcy” nor of “the good old days.” She claims to be turning the page, yet what page is she turning to? She has yet to prescribe a single policy different from Biden, nor say one thing that she thinks he did wrong. You claim “she is the candidate of unity.” However, painting her political opponent as a fascist and his supporters ‘Nazis’ or ‘garbage’ doesn’t quite strike me as unifying.
Trump may say and tweet dumb and offensive things, and he is certainly far from my ideal candidate. Yet, when it comes down to policy and governance of the country, it is evident that the country is much better in Trump’s hands, as it was four years ago. It is for this reason that I am voting for former President Donald Trump.
Sincerely,
David Benhamu (YC ‘25)
Yosef Reiss (YC ‘25) contributed to this Letter to the Editor.