American Jews beware: ‘Jews’ and ‘Israel’ are synonymous in the Trump dictionary

The Trump administration did a miserable job in drafting its International Holocaust Remembrance Day statement. It is a brief statement in which there is no mention of Jews. The Trump administration also did a miserable job explaining this perplexing omission. Instead of simply saying that this was not a well-articulated statement and move on, the administration insisted on turning an error into ideology. “We are an incredibly inclusive group and we took into account all of those who suffered,” administration spokeswoman Hope Hicks told CNN on Saturday. That is to say: many groups suffered from the Nazis and not just the Jews, and the administration did not want to focus on one group and leave out other groups.

Jewish organizations and groups did not appreciate the omission of Jews from a White House statement on the Holocaust. It is indeed very true that non-Jews also suffered and were butchered by the Nazis, but the Holocaust is called the Holocaust and is the most horrific genocide in human history because of the deliberate, systematic and cruel attempt to eliminate the Jews. Thus, even Republican Jewish groups who do not instinctively oppose Trump’s every move criticized the statement. “As supporters of President Trump, we know that he holds in his heart the memory of the six million victims of the Holocaust, and is committed not just to their memory, but ensuring it never happens again,” the Republican Jewish Coalition said in a statement.

It is likely that the RJC got it right: the Trump administration did not attempt to hide the identity of the main victim of the Holocaust. It attempted – surprisingly for this administration – to act in Obama-style political correctness and be inclusive of everybody. The result was unimpressive, and the attempt to cover up the blunder was even less impressive. Two characteristics of the new administration played a role here: its inexperience, and its insistence on never admitting an error. The first characteristic is likely to pass with time. The second is more problematic as it seems to originate in a personal trait of the President himself.

Yesterday the President’s spokesperson, Sean Spicer, added another layer of confusion and embarrassment to the mix. Again, this was not because of bad intentions but rather because of lack of understanding. Spicer was answering questions about the Holocaust statement and showed, yet again, that this administration has a tendency to dig its holes deeper (“by and large the president has been praised” for the statement – not exactly true), that it’s puzzled and angered by the allegations against it (the criticism is “frankly disappointing” and “pathetic”), and that it still doesn’t get it. Clearly, it is not sensitive to the sensitivity of Jews – their justified and well-grounded sensitivity – to any hint that someone might be trying to generalize the Holocaust. It is also not sensitive to another important feature of American Jewish life:

“Jews” and “Israel” are not the same thing. “Jews” and “Israel” are not synonymous.

Let me explain: There is nothing that annoys some Jews in America and their leaders more than the tendency of some non-Jewish Americans to instinctively associate Jews with Israel. Not because they want to be disconnected from Israel, but because they are Americans, not Israelis, because they are American Jews, not Israeli Jews, and because there is an implicit insinuation in arguing that Jews and Israel are the same: that Israel is the true representative of all Jews.

In fact, it is not always implicit. Yesterday, in Spicer’s press briefing, it was quite explicit. Here is what he said: “But I think with respect to Israel and the Jewish people specifically, there’s been no better friend than Donald Trump when it comes to protecting Israel, building a better friendship with Israel. You look at what Prime Minister Netanyahu has talked about — he welcomes this administration. He appreciates the friendship and respect he has shown to Israel and the Jewish people.”

Translation: The administration issued a statement about the Holocaust and we see no complaint from Israel – the ultimate judge of such matters. Translation: the administration has proved that it is the friend of the Jews by treating Israel well.

This is not what the Jews of America want to hear from their president (Israeli Jews might be more comfortable with it). They don’t see Trump’s friendlier approach to Israel – an approach that not all of them approve of, because it is supportive of policies with which they do not agree – as a substitute to a White House that is sensitive to the feelings of Jews. They don’t appreciate the fact that their president considers it appropriate to ignore their complaints because of the seal of approval he gets from the Israeli Prime Minister.

Yesterday, Spicer protested: “the idea that you are nitpicking this statement that sought to remember this tragic event that occurred and the people who died in it is just ridiculous.” I think he has a point. And yet, I am doing the same thing and am nitpicking his words at the press conference. But I’m doing it not because I think that Trump does not care about the Holocaust, or that he is trying to trivialize the murder of Jews, or that his administration is anti-Semitic. I’m doing it because of the administration’s much lesser sin: digging its hole deeper rather than admitting error, defending the statements in a way that adds insult to injury.