In my column last week, I mentioned Trump’s meme coin arrangement. This past week brought another round of Trump family grifting—this time via a deal brokered by Eric Trump, on behalf of the Trump Organization, with a Saudi-based real estate company to build a Trump golf course and luxury villa complex in Qatar.
Meanwhile, President Trump had what some might call his Marie Antoinette moment. At a cabinet meeting, when asked about the effects of tariffs on American families, he responded, “Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know? And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.”
(Marie Antoinette, Queen of France during the French Revolution, was famously—though likely inaccurately—quoted as saying, “Let them eat cake,” in response to reports of bread shortages.)
Now on to my main topic.
This past week marked two significant anniversaries: the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and the 77th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel.
America is still feeling the effects of the Vietnam War. It was the first war our country lost—a loss that overshadows even the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Vietnam War deeply divided the nation: college students versus blue-collar and high school–educated workers. There were also cultural rifts that emerged. While the specific issues and party affiliations may have shifted over time, the national divide persists. Today, it’s often framed as urban versus rural.
The irony is that Trump—once part of the “elite” college class—managed to reinvent himself as a champion of the working class.
Another lasting consequence of the war was the erosion of trust in government and its institutions. Many Americans felt they had been misled about the war’s progress and the possibility of victory. Today, trust in government institutions remains at or near historic lows.
We often hear about how few Holocaust survivors are left and reflect on how their absence will affect future generations. Less frequently heard, however, are the voices of Jews who remember life before the creation of the State of Israel and the 1948 battle for its survival.
Those of my generation—born after the State was established—grew up with parents who had lived through that time and spoke of it often. We therefore understand the profound significance of Israel’s founding. European Jewry had been decimated, and for many survivors, there was no place to go. The creation of the State of Israel gave Jews worldwide hope for a better tomorrow.
On May 14, 1948—the fifth of Iyar—when Ben-Gurion declared the sovereign State of Israel, Jews celebrated the Land of Israel for the first time in nearly two thousand years. When the new state overcame the onslaught of five Arab armies, it was truly David versus Goliath.
But today, for many Jews, the State of Israel feels like a given—and is even seen by some as the Goliath. Support for Israel has declined with each generation. Even celebrations for Yom HaAtzmaut have diminished or disappeared, even among more modern communities. Attendance and viewership for the Israel Day Parade have dropped significantly, and the parade itself has grown smaller.
This year’s parade will take place on Sunday, May 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., along Fifth Avenue from 62nd to 74th Street. It is important to show our support. We may not agree with every policy of the Israeli government, but that should not stop us from standing behind the world’s only Jewish country.
As my parents’ generation taught us: it is a mistake to take the existence of the State of Israel for granted.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
