Politics

I have always known Pesach Osina to be a doer and a uniter. Osina, a candidate running for City Council in Far Rockaway and Bayswater, is both a friend and a confidant whom I have called on many occasions for advice. His knowledge and expertise are top-notch and he will be an active force for the communities he hopes to represent in District 31.

“Anti-Semitism is never funny” was the theme this past Saturday night at a rally outside NBC studios in Rockefeller Center, the broadcast home for “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). Some 150 demonstrators were on hand to brace the cold chill and join former Assemblyman Dov Hikind – now head of the Brooklyn-based Americans Against Antisemitism – in denouncing the now infamous joke by comedian Michael Che. The noise seems to not bother the head honchos at the network, as no statement or apology has surfaced. Was it anti-Jewish or simply anti-Zionist is a question on people’s minds. The reality is that the comedian indulged in unwarranted hatemongering that brought out even more Jew-hatred from others. For those unaware, he joked that “Israel is reporting they’ve vaccinated half of their population. I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half.” The joke to many Jews is seriously unfunny and anti-Semitic.

There are many American Jews who will be voting for President Donald Trump, because of his support for Israel.

These so-called one-issue voters will use their ballots to express gratitude to the president for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, moving the US Embassy there, recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the peace agreements with UAE and Bahrain and breaking America's dangerous deal with Iran.

But there are many more reasons to vote for Trump. Americans should not only be voting for Trump because of what he has done for Israel. They should be voting for Trump, because of what he has done for America.

Let’s start with the economy. Under President Trump, the gross domestic product grew by 4.1% in 2019 and by 5.4% in 2018, numbers that were previously thought impossible to reach. 

The Trump administration's tax cuts save thousands of dollars a year for American families. President Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which he signed into law on December 22, 2017, was the largest overhaul of the tax code in three decades. 

President Trump created 6.6 million jobs in his first three years in office, a 4.4% increase over the 152.2 million people working at the end of Obama's term. A large portion of the jobs came from companies returning to the US from China and other countries, due to incentives Trump initiated. 

He also created thousands of jobs thanks to his energy policies rescinding fracking restrictions in December  2017. The president signed an executive order in April 2019 that made it easier to build oil and gas pipelines, which made America the world's largest petroleum producer. 

Like in every country, the economic numbers will not be as good in 2020, due to the challenges of fighting COVID-19.  But Americans need to be thankful that Donald Trump was running the economy during the coronavirus crisis,  because he minimized its damage to both our livelihood and our lives.

The 225,000 Americans who lost their life due to COVID-19  are each a terrible tragedy.  But it had been estimated that 2.2 million Americans could have died from the virus, and that did not happen, thanks to the policies of Donald Trump.

From closing down the country to anyone coming from China, to encouraging the development of rapid testing, President Trump has done what is necessary to minimize the harm done by the coronavirus.

All predictions that hospitals would be overwhelmed were proven false. Trump made sure that there would be enough ventilators for anyone who needed them. He used executive orders when necessary to procure ventilators, masks and other protective gear.

Now his goal is to ensure that a vaccine will be available to all Americans as soon as possible. Operation Warp Speed is a public and private partnership initiated by the Trump Administration to facilitate and accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.

There have been incentives provided to companies to develop a vaccine, and the company that succeeds in  completing a ready-to-use vaccine first will be rewarded. Meanwhile, the development of therapeutic medicine has saved lives.

There is no doubt that President Trump could have set a better example and should have done more to encourage the wearing of masks. Sure, his demeanor and personality could be off putting to some. But his policies have been spot on - successful, powerful, productive and patriotic.

President Trump also protected Americans through his support of law enforcement. He put a stop to the chaos, violent riots and looting that had shut down major cities. 

The rioters took over federal buildings and tried to burn them down. President Trump restored order and stability. His continued support for law enforcement will help ensure the security of Americans in the future.

The United States returned to the forefront of the international fight against terrorism under President Trump. The world is a safer place without arch-terrorists Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Qasem Soleimani.

The media's predictions of mass violence following targeted killings was incorrect in retrospect. The unprofessional treatment of President Trump by the media over the past four years is another reason to defiantly vote to reelect the president.

Social media accounts have been suspended and shut down for political reasons. Rights and privileges have been taken away, by those who have shown no tolerance for opposing views.

America cannot and should not be manipulated by big tech and some of the fourth estate. Free speech is our inviolable right.

Defeating the Left and stopping its abuse of power is yet another reason to cast a ballot for the president. Warnings of undemocratic steps like packing the Supreme Court or adding two states for partisan reasons demonstrates the Left's manipulation of the integrity of our revered Constitution.

Leftist radicals have been destroying monuments. But they cannot change history.

History has proven that America is the ultimate safe haven for people regardless of their views, race, religion and ethnicity.

All Americans should be thankful to live in our great country.

In the first term of Donald Trump as president, he made America great again, and he also made the US Israel relationship greater than ever.

President Trump’s second term can be greater on all these fronts. But it depends on him receiving enough votes, whether they come from one-issue voters or those who care about a variety of issues when they cast their ballots. 

By MARTIN OLINER

The writer  is chairman of the Center for Righteousness and Integrity and a committee member of the Jewish Agency and served as Mayor of Lawrence.   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  The views expressed are his own.  

 A few days ago, former President Donald Trump was acquitted by the United States Senate of charges of inciting the January 6 riots at the US Capitol. Two weeks ago, the House of Representatives voted to strip Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments. Last week, Ilhan Omar was named Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Human Rights. The common thread through these events is that neither political party has a monopoly on virtue, neither deserves to be demonized, and that hypocrisy abounds in both parties.

If the World Zionist Elections were Olympic performances, two Orthodox slates would walk to the podium to accept the bronze and silver medals. Just 1,675 votes separated these two honors with the Orthodox Israeli Coalition – Mizrachi coming in as the runner up with 21,698 votes just ahead of Eretz HaKodesh, with each voting bloc taking well over 15 percent of the collective votes. This overwhelming success is due to all those who encouraged their friends and families to partake in the election, and continuously shared the array of media and video content by SMS, WhatsApp, and across their social media platforms. It has emerged that American Jews, especially younger voters, are now expressing their Jewish affiliation in more traditional manners. It is your commitment to preserving the sanctity of the Land of Israel and its Jewish character that was the ultimate catalyst for the general triumph of Orthodox World Jewry.