美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump's Attack On 'The Squad' Finds Nuanced Support Among Some Jewish Americans

 

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

We're going to hear now how one community is responding to President Trump¹'s continued attacks this week on Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and other progressive women. WSHU's Charles Lane reports from the home district of one of President Trump's supporters on Long Island.

CHARLES LANE, BYLINE²: At Republican Congressman³ Lee Zeldin's temple, the conversations about Trump's Twitter attack against the congresswoman is nuanced.

KAREN CONNOR: He's allowed to free speech.

JERRY KESSLER: It may be protected.

CONNOR: But he's not presidential.

LANE: Karen Connor and Jerry Kessler are both members of B’nai Israel Reform in Oakdale. They're talking specifically about Omar, who is Muslim.

CONNOR: She's so anti-Israel and anti-Jewish people.

KESSLER: Well, yeah because - see, I don't know. Lately I've been looking at the whole thing. When you look at Israel...

LANE: They're friendly about it, but they disagree whether or not their fellow temple-goer and congressman should disavow Trump's attacks against Omar. Connor supports Zeldin but wants him to continue supporting Trump. But Kessler says it could hurt him.

KESSLER: He may be down maybe just enough to lose the election maybe.

CONNOR: These tweets and all that for this particular thing, this is going to be gone next week.

LANE: Zeldin ignored interview requests, but he went on "Fox & Friends" this week to denounce Representatives Omar, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "FOX AND FRIENDS")

LEE ZELDIN: Well, the thing is with these members, especially Omar and Tlaib, honestly, I feel like their hearts are filled with darkness. AOC's heart might be filled more with cotton candy and unicorns⁴.

LANE: Zeldin and some other Jews call these Democrats⁵ anti-Semitic for supporting boycotts⁶ and divestment of Israel. Not all Jews agree, of course.

JOSH FRANKLIN: You ask two Jews, you'll - as that joke goes - you'll get three opinions.

LANE: Josh Franklin is the rabbi at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, also located in Zeldin's district. Franklin himself calls the president's rhetoric⁷ offensive and inappropriate, but he does support Zeldin's confrontation⁸ with Omar, specifically after she made comments condemned¹⁰ as anti-Semitic for which she later apologized.

FRANKLIN: And when Congress went to condemn⁹ her statements in anti-Semitism and condemn anti-Semitism in general, a bill came out that essentially¹¹ watered down what the bill was about.

LANE: It was a resolution which passed. It condemned all hatred¹², including Islamophobia.

FRANKLIN: It made her a victim, where she was actually supposed to be the one who was being condemned for her anti-Semitic rhetoric.

LANE: Franklin says, on this point, Jews are united.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOOR KNOCKING)

LANE: Across the street is a much more conservative synagogue, Chabad of The Hamptons. Several men and boys are gathering¹³ for afternoon prayers. Most of them have strong views on the issue, but they are reluctant to say them publicly. Some of them say it will only invite more hate. Others say Trump divides friendships. Finally, Marc Ringel speaks up. He says the tweets are the problem - Trump's tweets, Omar's, everyone's.

MARC RINGEL: Unless you have a conversation, you know, which a tweet - 150 character's not a conversation. Unless you have a conversation, it's not going to do - you got to have a debate.

LANE: Ringel goes on to say that America is the greatest country for both Jews and Muslims right now so long as free speech continues to be protected. For NPR News, I'm Charles Lane on Long Island.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 unicorns   

n.（传说中身体似马的）独角兽( unicorn的名词复数 )；一角鲸；独角兽标记

参考例句：

• Unicorns are legendary beasts. 独角兽是传说里的野兽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Assemble50 Elder Druids, 30 Silver Unicorns and10 Green Dragons do defend it. 募集50个德鲁伊长老，30只银色独角兽和10条绿龙用于防御。 来自互联网

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 boycotts   

（对某事物的）抵制( boycott的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Their methods included boycotts and court action, supplemented by'sit-ins". 他们的主要方法包括联合抵制、法庭起诉，还附带进行静坐抗议。
• Are boycotts for other purposes illegal? 至于用于其它目的的联合抵制行动是否也是非法的呢？

7 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

8 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

9 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

11 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

12 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

13 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。