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Why Jews Are Voting for Kamala Harris

In a roundtable discussion, Jewish supporters of the vice president talk about how Israel and antisemitism factor into their political priorities, what’s on the line for America in November, and their reservations about their own candidate

by
Abigail Pogrebin
October 28, 2024
The Minyan
Roundtables on the state of the American Jewish community, bringing together people from a shared demographic or background—everyday people with personal opinions, not experts who earn their salaries discussing these issues.
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Tablet Magazine

Tablet Magazine

According to polls, Kamala Harris is set to receive the lion’s share of the Jewish vote in November’s presidential election, by more than a 2-to-1 margin (just as Democrats have done for decades). But those same polls also predict that her Jewish support will be lower than any other Democratic candidate for the White House since 1988.

Curiosity about both candidates, and how each is about to fare with Jewish voters, led us to this Minyan, part of our series of roundtable discussions with American Jews. We wanted to talk to Jews who are planning to vote for Harris in 2024 and ask them what they like (and don’t like) about her—as a politician and as a person. We also wanted to hear what her supporters think about her Republican opponent, and how they believe each would handle the highest office in the land at a time when we are facing war in the Middle East and rising antisemitism at home, in addition to a host of domestic issues from immigration and abortion to crime and the economy. (We also put together a parallel Minyan discussion with Jews who are planning to vote for Donald Trump; you can find that discussion here.)

We put out a call for participants on social media during the week of Sept. 4; we heard from 119 Harris supporters, and selected 11 from across the country who seemed representative of that group. Of the 119 respondents, 77% were registered Democrats, for instance, and almost all of those who voted in 2016 or 2020 had voted for the Democratic candidate: 94% for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and 98% for Joe Biden in 2020. Regardless of official party affiliation, this group had a more consistently partisan voting record than the group of Trump voters we assembled, so this is reflected in the people we selected to take part in our Oct. 15 discussion. Most, but not all, participants were married; their self-described level of religious observance ranged from “just Jewish” or atheist to “traditional Orthodox,” and everything in between.

It is perhaps not surprising that in both of our roundtable discussions, participants had negative things to say about the “other” candidate. But whereas several of the Trump supporters in our other Minyan roundtable had negative things to say about their own preferred candidate, the Harris supporters seemed to have a more positive view of theirs. The Harris supporters believed that she was good for America, although they were less confident than the Trump voters that their candidate was good for Israel. Not everyone in this discussion was an enthusiastic supporter of Harris, but they agreed that the stakes for America in November are enormous, and the choice they’re facing is one of historic importance.

The Participants

Their ages, where they live, and who they voted for in the last two presidential elections

Alyson: 41, Cleveland. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Elana: 32, Phoenix. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Tobias: 32, Irvine, California. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Liz: 42, Marysville, Washington. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Zev: 35, Highland Park, Illinois. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Robin: 57, Westchester County, New York. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Joshua: 67, Clarkesville, Georgia. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Jeffrey: 43. Riverside, Illinois. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Ariel: 24, New York City. Not old enough to vote in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Chaim: 72, North Miami Beach, Florida. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Amy: 42, South Philadelphia. Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020.

Please raise your hand. How many of you feel pretty enthusiastic—as opposed to ambivalent—about voting for your candidate? I see five: Chaim, Ariel, Amy, Tobias and Joshua. For those who are not excited, can you tell me why?

Elana: I’m more enthusiastic than I was when Joe Biden was the candidate, but I think in a post-10/7 world, I’m pretty disenfranchised with politics as a whole, in particular left/Democratic politics.

Jeffrey: I’m a little concerned that Harris is going to make decisions that are going to cause Israel to lose its wars. And I am terrified at what comes out at the other end of that.

While I would say I’m enthusiastic, there is a caveat, and it does have to do with a post-10/7 world where Israel is an important issue to me in a way it simply wasn’t beforehand.

Alyson: It concerns me that Harris continues to dodge questions in interviews. There was a lot of momentum when she took over the candidacy and I feel like there were a lot of campaign slogans and everyone was talking about joy, but I don’t totally understand where she stands on a number of core issues. On some of the core issues, she’s been very front and forward—reproductive rights, things of that nature. She was more front and forward on the Israel issue at the Democratic convention. But since then, I think she’s really walked that back.

Tobias: While I would say I’m enthusiastic, there is a caveat, and it does have to do with a post-10/7 world where Israel is an important issue to me in a way it simply wasn’t beforehand. Ever since 10/7, it’s become a make-or-break issue; I’m about as close to a one-issue voter [as I] could possibly get without really being one. I am a little bit disappointed by what I feel like is Harris’ tepid approach to this, as well as the recent decision by the Biden administration about a potential weapons embargo.

How many of you dislike both presidential candidates? I see three: Zev, Joshua, and Ariel. Five of you are gesturing that you feel tepid about both Trump and Harris: Alyson, Liz, Amy, Jeffrey, Tobias. Who wants to say more?

Zev: There was a lack of an opportunity for a serious open primary on both sides. I couldn’t participate in the Republican one, obviously. And the other one was open and shut very quick. I feel like I didn’t even have the opportunity to explore a potential other candidate.

Joshua: Explaining my dislike for Trump is easy: He’s the worst candidate ever to run for president in any party ever. [James] Buchanan used to be the worst presidential candidate and Trump has outdone him many times over. Kamala, although I raised my hand for being enthusiastic about her, it’s because of Trump that I’m enthusiastic about Kamala. But she’s been ambivalent on issues that matter a lot. I don’t give her a pass on being inexplicit about her beliefs and the word salad, which continues anytime she’s off prompter.

It’s because of Trump that I’m enthusiastic about Kamala.

Ariel: I feel the same exact way. My priority in this election is thwarting Trumpism. I think it is the single biggest threat that American democracy has ever faced. Frankly, I don’t care who thwarts Trumpism as long as it gets thwarted. And that is the root of my enthusiasm for voting for Harris.

Amy: My enthusiasm is A: yes to thwart Trumpism; I’d like him to go. I’m enthusiastic about him going away and me never having to hear from him or see him ever again in my life. And I’m enthusiastic from an identity-politics perspective of having a woman president because I truly thought I never ever would see that in my entire life. And I still may not. But I share concerns. I’m afraid Kamala will be soft on Iran and all of the horrible things that come with that. And I would echo the sentiments of feeling disenfranchised from the left in general in a post-10/7 world.

How many of you would say that Israel and Jewish issues are the main reasons for your vote?

Jeffrey: Maybe it’s just a function of me thinking that Judaism and Israel are the drivers of everything, the way that I think about the world. I share what people have said about this being largely about keeping Trump out of the office than wanting Kamala in it. But specifically about Jewish issues and Israel, I think Trump, although he likes to tout himself as the most pro-Israel president in history and all this, he’s so mercurial and has such a destructive attitude toward world affairs. He allows himself to be manipulated by some of the worst actors on the planet—by Putin, by the North Korean government. I think Trump would allow himself to be manipulated by Iran and by Hezbollah and by others if the circumstances were right. Although I have a lot of concerns about Harris, I think Trump is more dangerous for the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel than Harris is.

Frankly, I don’t care who thwarts Trumpism as long as it gets thwarted.

Ariel: Populism is bad for the Jews. It always has been. It always will be. Left-wing populism, right-wing populism. We are blamed as both capitalists and as communists. There’s a famous Hitler speech where—in the same exact sentence—he referred to us as capitalists and communists. Trump is a populist, Kamala is not. Full stop.

Amy: I just think one of the most foolish things anyone could do is put their faith and trust in Trump. And that includes thinking he will protect Israel or the Jewish people or anyone but himself.

Can you name an issue, besides Israel that you would consider a Jewish issue on which you are basing your vote?

Alyson: Reproductive rights in women’s health and agency over one’s own body. I live in a state that voted for a heartbeat bill. And that is a really scary thing as somebody who, prior to having two successful pregnancies and children, went through an ectopic pregnancy that was very traumatic and I did have to have a medical abortion. For me, this is very real and I worry about what happens now that Roe v. Wade has been turned over. The way in which these issues affect people off the coasts is very real. The way Judaism treats the life of the mother and the health of the mother is a Jewish issue.

Although I have a lot of concerns about Harris, I think Trump is more dangerous for the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel than Harris is.

Liz: I’m effectively a Jewish mother. My daughter is a Hispanic immigrant from a Central American country and my partner is a Native American man. I’m also queer. I put my daughter first always and protecting her is at the forefront of my vote as much as it is about protecting my partner, as much as it is about protecting myself, it’s about my kid. I’m the Jewish mother, it’s about protecting and taking care of your family and your kids as much as you can.

Alyson: Immigration is a highly Jewish issue and I guarantee there’s not one person on this call that came over on the Mayflower or was here [at America’s start]. Liz’s partner is a Native American man. We certainly have native components to our community, but I will say that immigration should deeply matter to every Jewish person.

Robin: Another issue is the environment and accepting that climate change is real and steps we need to take to try to preserve our environment for future generations, not have industries in our back pockets. That would be another Jewish perspective on that issue.

Joshua: I would add the rule of law: the simple idea that we are a country of laws, not of men or women, and that we follow the rules. If you lose an election, you leave. I think it’s crucial and underpins a lot of the rest of what we’re hearing here.

Elana: Also kindness and the ability to have a conversation and an argument in a way that doesn’t devolve into cruelty. I think that that’s a concern and something that is essential in my Judaism—the ability to argue, to research, to educate and have facts and kindness inside of a disagreement.

Populism is bad for the Jews. It always has been. It always will be.

Aside from Israel and Jewish issues, what is the most important issue for you in this election?

Zev: The economy, hands down; ensuring that I’m confident that I’m going to keep my job. I was laid off at one point during these last four years. I got another job. But even with another job, salary doesn’t necessarily keep up with inflation, not just for me, but for every single ordinary American. It’s OK to say that the economy is your biggest issue. It doesn’t matter who’s running for president.

Tobias: During Biden’s term, he tried to pass some sort of student loan relief, which honestly I wasn’t expecting and I was thrilled for it, only for the Supreme Court to basically sabotage the entire effort on a flimsy basis. So even though my student debt isn’t really all that large in the scheme of things, it is still very important to me as someone who has very limited resources to pay for my education because I’m still in college.

Chaim, what’s the most important non-Jewish issue for you?

Chaim: I would say a president who is somewhat respecting of every person in this country. I cannot for the life of me see someone as president who insults everybody out there who doesn’t agree with them, whether they’re handicapped or of a specific group, you name it. I just can’t see having such a president representing us.

One of the most foolish things anyone could do is put their faith and trust in Trump.

For those of you who were Republicans or independents before this election, tell me why you decided to vote for Harris this time.

Jeffrey: I flipped from Democrat to Republican after Sept. 11, seeing what happened to this country. It sounds dramatic, but I was very concerned about protecting Western civilization and what it means to be in a free society. I thought that was under threat when I was a young man in 2001, in a way that I think Trump is a different kind of threat now. A threat to our way of life, to what it means to be an American. For me, the throughline is protecting this country, including its Jews and our ability to live in a free society.

Liz: I’ve long been an independent. I don’t like the two-party system that we have, quite frankly. I vote Democrat in a lot of elections, but I really vote based on the individual and what I think that they will do and bring. For this election, it was too important not to. I did vote in the Republican primary because I do have that option in Washington state.

This is a quick go round: Please think of one or two words that describe the presidential candidate you expect to vote for, Kamala Harris.

Zev: Safe.

Liz: Confident.

Tobias: Qualified.

Chaim: Polite and respectful.

Immigration should deeply matter to every Jewish person.

Amy: Sane.

Elana: Groundbreaking.

Ariel: Even-keeled.

Robin: Competent adult.

Joshua: Strong resistance.

Jeffrey: Not Trump.

Alyson: That was mine. I’ll add: Never Trump.

I would like to do the same thing for Kamala’s opponent: Can you give one or two words that describe the other candidate, Donald Trump?

Elana: Dangerous.

Jeffrey: Erratic.

Liz: Cruel.

Ariel: Machiavellian.

Tobias: Loose cannon.

Joshua: Disgusting moron.

I would’ve liked to have the opportunity to at least consider voting for Haley.

Alyson: Opportunist and hateful.

Amy: Catastrophic psychopath.

Zev: Stale and erratic.

Robin: Acute threat to democracy. I know that’s more than two words.

Would your vote be different if the opposing candidate were Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, or another Republican?

Liz: I would consider Haley. Honestly, I’d want to see her cabinet and her VP pick. That’s really the big issue for me.

Tobias: Despite my opposition to most things Republican these days, especially when it comes to pro-choice and certain economic policies, what I did like about Nikki Haley specifically is that she’s basically a remnant of the pre-Trump Republicans who actually cared about standing up to Putin instead of appeasing him. She would be much better on Ukraine and on Israel.

Jeffrey: I would largely agree with that. I would’ve liked to have the opportunity to at least consider voting for Haley. I don’t know that there were many others in the current crop of Republicans who I would’ve been able to. I mean, I think they’ve all unfortunately shown their character and the kinds of people they are by the decisions that they’ve made. Which makes me very sad, which should make us all very upset.

Robin: If Biden was still in the race, I definitely was thinking about Haley, though then she turned and endorsed Trump. And now Kamala is the candidate. So if you had asked me this question in June or in April, I would’ve had a very different answer. I certainly was thinking about Haley, despite some of her positions.

Harris is good for America because she will appoint Supreme Court justices who will level the playing field.

Show of hands, please: Do you believe that your candidate, Harris, is good for America? I see eight: Elana, Joshua, Chaim, Jeffrey, Robin, Tobias, Amy, Ariel. Can someone weigh in on why?

Amy: I think Harris is good for America because she will appoint Supreme Court justices who will level the playing field. It’s become very conservative and very scary. She will protect my bodily autonomy as a woman, and I do think that she will garner us respect on the world stage. I think she is sane and competent and that’s important in a leader, even if they’re not perfect, which clearly she and no other candidate ever will be.

Chaim: Harris is good for America because: One, she is not pushing Project 2025. Second of all, the mainstream Democrat Party, and even a lot of independents, approve the direction that the country has been going in for the last 50 years. And to have the Trumpster come along and change it with Project 2025, I don’t think anybody’s going to be happy with the results.

Jeffrey: I think P.J. O’Rourke said about Hillary Clinton in 2016 that even if she was wrong, she was wrong within normal parameters. I feel the same way about Harris. We need to get back to a place where we can have a mediocre, maybe subpar, maybe above-average president, but someone who’s within the ordinary range. And we need to be able to have that and be OK with it. There are a lot of presidents in the 19th century who are now forgettable and maybe Harris in 50 years is someone like that, a midgrade leader.

I’m not confident in her support of Israel.

Elana: From an economics perspective, I am cautiously optimistic that she’ll make some changes to the tax plan, specifically for middle-class Americans, specifically for families, potentially increasing the child tax credit bill as well as affordable child care. I think the majority of the individuals in my generation are considering either not having kids or having fewer kids than maybe they would like to have because of how expensive it is. That’s a detriment to America at large—having a declining birth rate. I’m cautiously optimistic that her policy would be beneficial for America—to center women, to center families specifically.

All right, raise your hands. Do you believe Harris is good for Israel? I see just Joshua and Chaim. Those who feel in-between are Jeffrey, Robin, Elana, Liz, Alyson, Zev, and Tobias. The two who do not feel Harris is good for Israel: Amy and Ariel.

Zev: I think that her ambiguity—every time she says Israel has a right to defend itself, she adds, “but we need to cease fire”—demonstrates an inability to pick a side so incredibly obviously. It doesn’t do her any favors on either side because she wants to appease both the traditional pro-Zionist Dems, progressive ones, and then the extreme regressive left where she wants their vote, the 40,000 people in Dearborn where she thinks it’s going to matter. So I’m not confident in her support of Israel.

Ariel: I think Joe Biden is a staunch Zionist. I think he has made that unequivocally clear. I don’t think Kamala Harris is. I don’t think that’s necessarily a problem, but I am not confident saying that she’s good for Israel. I just don’t know. Could she be? Yes. Do I know for certain? No.

Chaim, can you explain why you’re confident that Harris is good for Israel?

After everything that happened during Jan. 6 and of course after Jan. 6 specifically, basically whatever benefit of the doubt I had given Trump was pretty much gone.

Chaim: There’s a lot of antisemitism out there, that’s a given. With that being said, there are times in a situation like this where our friends have to tell us things that we need to hear. There are times that the United States has to say certain things to Israel that the right-wing government of Israel does not want to hear, does not want to respect, and does not want to act in a very productive manner. In that sense, I appreciate Kamala and Joe saying things that need to be said.

Joshua: I favor Palestinian self-determination and I don’t know whether it’s possible. I certainly put Israeli security and safety ahead of that in my mind. But it seems likelier to me that a Harris administration would try to figure out a way to create a place for Palestinians to determine their own future without destroying Israel’s. Trump did some things which are good for Israel. I acknowledge that, but I don’t see any movement to an eventual hoped-for two-state solution under any Republican administration.

Amy: I am on the fence about how good Harris would be for Israel. I was heartened to see the statement she put out about Hezbollah and when Iran was firing missiles at Israel, she did come out pretty unequivocally against that. Although now I’m questioning myself. She put out a couple statements where they were strong enough to give me hope. Not confidence, but hope.

The fact that Trump has a Jewish daughter, does that give any of you some kind of comfort about the way that he would prioritize Jewish issues or Israel?

Liz: Absolutely not. I don’t think that actually he thinks about that at all. He thinks about his daughter, yes. I don’t think he thinks about her Jewishness.

Tobias: Yes and no. Yes, I sort of agree with what Liz just said, but I also think it’s more about Trump’s track record specifically with helping set up the Abraham Accords. Having a Jewish family also does help. But to that matter, both Biden and Kamala also had Jewish family. With Biden, most of his children ended up marrying Jewish spouses. So he probably knows a bit more than we give him credit for in that regard.

Antisemitism came up and obviously there’s been a huge and very well-documented spike in America, though experts disagree on the expressions and the motives. How important is antisemitism to your vote?

The 2024 presidential election is a tipping point for America’s legacy.

Joshua: I think it’s a very significant concern and because, as somebody correctly said, Trump is Machiavellian, we go under the bus the minute we’re not helpful to him. And I think he signaled it. He told us that he was going to blame the Jews if he wasn’t elected. And that is the word of somebody who’s prepared to throw us under the bus. I see no equivalent on the Democratic side.

Robin: I completely agree. I have two college students right now and it is scary times and I just do not trust Trump to address anything in a positive manner. And like Joshua just said, he would use us as any kind of scapegoat at any time.

Alyson: I think about antisemitism all the time and it’s definitely playing into my vote. Who’s going to be better to address it is really hard to say. Where I live, I feel it from both sides in different ways, and I tend to find myself in many circles where I’m the only Jew at the table. I don’t think Trump will address antisemitism. I am not confident that either candidate is really going to be able to address it. It’s been unleashed in the last decade for a lot of reasons, not least of which is what happened under Trump.

Ariel: I graduated college this past spring, so I was on campus during Oct. 7 and for months afterward. The antisemitism I’ve experienced has grown exponentially since Oct. 7. It’s all been at the hands of the so-called left, except what Republicans and in particular Republican Jews leave out is that these encampment protesters, those conflating anti-Zionism and antisemitism in the rhetoric, they’re not Democrats. There’s just such a misunderstanding of the left. These protesters, the ones who are being antisemitic and enabling antisemitism, are not voting for Kamala. They view her as a direct extension of so-called “Genocide Joe.” I can tell you, I was with these students in classes on campus. They are not Democrats and what Republicans do is just group the whole left together, when, if you look statistically at young voters, Israel-Palestine is listed as the 13th most important issue. It’s irrelevant.

When you say they’re not Democrats, what are they instead?

Donald Trump is a bad person. I would not want him to be your boyfriend, your husband, your boss, your business partner, your neighbor.

Ariel: Most of them are not voting or they’re voting third party. They view themselves as socialists, as communists, as narco-communists. They are vehemently anti-Democrat. In fact, some of them are voting for Trump out of protest.

All right, we’re going to go to the last question: If you explained this election to your grandchildren—present or future—what would you say to them?

Tobias: The rule of law and democracy are on the line, which I know sounds like fearmongering. But after everything that happened during Jan. 6 and of course after Jan. 6 specifically, basically whatever benefit of the doubt I had given Trump was pretty much gone. I’ll give him credit for the Abraham Accords and everything, but Jan. 6 is not something I can forgive.

Elana: I would tell my grandchildren that not everybody’s perfect and sometimes you have to make a difficult choice. You’re not always going to agree with everything that everybody says. When you are voting between somebody who you don’t necessarily agree with or that you have concerns about, there are ways to express those concerns. There are ways to put pressure on that individual through down-ballot voting, local elections, all of those things matter greatly. When you consider what the president is for and the position head that that particular individual holds, the case between “I don’t like their policies” and “They are narcissistic, crazy people who could seriously damage this country and the world,” it was a very easy choice.

Liz: At the end of the day, an election is just one day, really a couple of weeks until it’s all certified and done. Voting in all of the races matters, voting for everyone—from the local utility district commissioners up to the president—it all matters, but so does the work. As soon as these people get in office, it’s the lobbying. It’s the advocating for policies that you care about. It’s the making sure that they know your name because you have emailed them so many times telling them what you do and don’t like, all of the work that comes after the election that matters as much as any specific election. You have to participate and everyone is able to participate in democracy, even if they’re not eligible to vote.

I hope this election shows that America is ready to vote for a woman.

Joshua: I would say to my hypothetical grandchild, “Nov. 5 is the day we decided whether we should build, enlarge, and enrich what’s best about America and our great traditions of freedom and liberty, or to accept what’s worst about America: our nativism, hatred, disrespect for people unlike ourselves, and vicious way of going about conducting ourselves. This is the day, possibly the most important election of my lifetime, and that’s why it mattered so much.” End of speech.

Chaim: I’ve got 16 grandkids and number 17 due in another two weeks.

Mazel tov.

Chaim: Thank you. I would say to all of them, “There’s a lot of cynicism when it comes to politics, but the reality is I could never vote for a gentleman who clocked an average of 13 lies a day. You have to have your leaders being honest and upfront with you. On the other hand, you have the other side—representative of the lifestyle that I envisioned for the American present and future. And I would want to help bring those people into a position of power where they could maintain and expand that future.”

Amy: The 2024 presidential election is a tipping point for America’s legacy. It is a contest between two people who couldn’t be more different. One is not interested in leadership, not interested in coalition-building, not interested in listening, not interested in being the leader for all Americans. He’s only interested in being the leader for the people who flatter his ego, benefit him financially, and allow him to receive adulation for humanity’s worst impulses, spewing hate, stirring up nativism. And then you have a person who may not be perfect, but who I think could be persuadable. You could lobby her, you could have her hear your point of view, who is interested in following the rules, who is interested in building coalitions, and who is interested in being a leader for more Americans and for all Americans.

Zev: I’d say that this was the election where the political moderates took back the country. Whatever happens, it’s so evenly divided, that I think after this election there’s going to be another movement, a la the Tea Party, then MAGA, then neo-lib like Obama. There’s going to be something that is born out of this that all of us can finally say: We’re exhausted of all of this division; let’s find some places where we can agree.

Jeffrey: In the long run, I think I’m voting for Kamala in ’24 so that I have—we have—the opportunity to vote against her in ’28 for a better candidate. If Trump wins, I don’t know what 2028 and the future look like. We can have a mediocre president potentially for four years as long as it’s someone who keeps the country afloat and functioning. We want to be able to right the ship.

Alyson: I hope this election shows that America is ready to vote for a woman. On that side of things, I’d like to see that we are at a place where that could happen, as the third-wave feminist that I am. I would also say that these last two elections have exposed how divided we are. I would like to agree with Zev that we’re at a point where something new can emerge. But I think part of my reluctance to vote for the Democratic Party, not that I would vote for Trump, is that they are so disorganized and so ununified.

Robin: I would just explain to my grandchildren, when they exist someday, that hopefully the results on Nov. 5 mean that we are still living in a democracy. I would say this was really an election about good versus evil. It was about someone you could trust—and have confidence that they would surround themselves with smart citizens who want to protect our democracy and who believe in our constitution. So that the systems of checks and balances would work.

Ariel: The 2024 election showed how many Americans are willing and even enthusiastic about voting for a bad person. Donald Trump is a bad person. I would not want him to be your boyfriend, your husband, your boss, your business partner, your neighbor. I think the American people have forgotten that choosing politicians who are decent people is important. We need to be able to trust them. We need to imagine them in our own lives. To me, this election is about prioritizing decency and the goodness of people and taking back the country from hatred.

Abigail Pogrebin is the author of Stars of David and My Jewish Year. She moderates an interview series for JBS—Jewish Broadcasting Service called In the Spotlight.