Kushner has always had a smug smile. In every photograph, he’s wearing his game face, that little fake smile revealing nothing. It’s the most clever part of him. He’s not as bright as he thinks he is … or you think he is. Trump had to rescue the boy on several occasions. His forays into Mideast politics were remarkably unsuccessful considering the powerful backing he had when he started. Only Trump’s policies, such as the symbolic gesture of moving the embassy, will exist in a few years. Kushner is history.

Kushner should be on his boney knees thanking Trump for being part of an administration, the connections of which saved him from certain bankruptcy. His biggest NYC investment, that huge building in Manhattan that is a gazillion-dollar albatross around his skinny neck — I can’t think of the name of it, now … sorry – would have gone bankrupt had it not been for the Trump presidency. It still may belly up, but Trump, at least, bought wannabe heavy hitter Kushner some time. Amazingly, that ditzy daughter of Trump actually ran a successful business. They may end up living on her income, not his.

You’re absolutely and utterly wrong to write that Jared and Trump live in separate universes. NO. NO. NO. Both Trump and Kushner see the world through the same, shysterish, urban lens. Too, I’m not sure why you think Trump is the quintessential goy – he’s more Jewish in outlook, bankbook and mentality than 90 percent of Jews in NYC, or in America, for that matter. Upper-crusty Protestants refused to have anything to do with Trump-the-parvenu. Do you remember how Protestants refused to admit him to tony country clubs, which is why he ended up buying that gawdy property in Florida. Jupiter Island wouldn’t have him, either. To sum: to put Trump into the realm of upper class Protestants is a sad mistake. WASPs rejected him decades ago.

In a way, your description of how Israeli Jews loved Trump validates Trump’s Jewishness. Trump was/is far more Jewish in his worldview than Christian. Jews intuitively knew Trump was one of them. Thus, the 70+ percent approval rating in Israel. And, ergo, the high approval ratings among American Jews who take Judaism seriously, like the Orthodox in NYC.

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Again, the battle line of the future isn’t between Jews and goyim – that’s goofy – but between Jewish-and-Christians-of-salient-faith and secularists. Salient Jews and Christians have more in common with each other than either of them to secularists. You persist in drawing the line between Jews and the rest of humanity. This is delusional.

There’s a Jew-on-Jew battle between those who actually live/practice/believe and Jewish secularists. A similar battle is going on within Christianity, at least Protestant Christianity. In both, the battle is between those who truly believe and those who are Jews or Christians in name only.

Could Jews have saved Trump, you ask? No. I agree that Trump is a very flawed, damaged figure. Secularists are taking potshots at him now. Gleefully. In doing so, they’re overplaying their strong hand. The majority of ordinary Americans who voted and loved Trump are quietly seething.

This will not end well.

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I find your statements about violence and democracy fascinating. The historical pattern is that (almost) all countries are “born in violence,” including the United States. There’s nothing unique to Israel about a violent origin. What makes Israel extreme, though not unique, is the persistence of violence as it carved out a protected space among belligerent, hate-filled Muslims. I think Israel is a miracle, really. The fact that it exists … just wow. It’s a lovely place encircled by Muslim squalor, a testimony to the work-ethic, clever-planning, flexibility and sheer determination of Jews. I agree with you, too, that the subsidies and politically championing of Israel by American and European Jews made success possible. Without secular Jews, who at that time valued Israel – now, decreasingly so – Israel wouldn’t exist.

If you would, please explain this: “It weakened attachments to ideas such as freedom, not as a matter of choice, but by exploiting the inherent necessity in Jewishness and Judaism.” What in Judaism is this inherent necessity of which you speak? I’d like to know, please.

True, Jewish minorities in Israel have no historical connection to Western ideas, but they’re political gnats in Israel. They don’t matter now, and will never matter. Israel smartly shipped illegal minorities back to their own countries, remember? Americans are not so smart. Our non-Western minorities were given preferences and freebies by the government as well as political power that far exceeds their abilities. They’re dragging American down, or away from our ideals. And, thanks to Democrats (Jews?) these unAmerican immigrants are far too numerous, now, to outvote. We’ll have to push them back to where they came from, a reversed “Aliyah,” of sorts, but coerced, like what you did to your own illegal population – returned them to their homelands, by plane. But I digress …

Trump’s triumph had little to do with Adelson. Adelson didn’t even deliver Nevada for Trump, if I recall correctly. Trump’s victory was borne on the back of ordinary populists who were mostly Christian. Just as an overwhelming majority of salient Christians in America voted for Trump – secular/progressive Christians and Jews voted for Biden. Trump’s Christian majority is more impressive if you push aside the Christian black vote and count only white and Hispanic voters. Most American black Christians have, as their primary lens through which they see politics, race, not religion. Most American white Christians vote on the basis of their faith, not skin colour. Whites vote as if they were religious or irreligious, or, rather, according to the worldviews that accompany being a Christian or a secularist.

It’s common knowledge among political pollsters that the strongest predictor of a voter’s political party identification is what his/her parents were. If a voters parents were Democrats, that voter is likely to be Democrat. BUT … the second strongest predictor is religion. If a voter has a salient religion – Christian or Jew – that voter is a Republican. Secularists are overwhelmingly Democrats. Religiosity/irreligiousity is a more powerful factor than race, gender, marriage, income, education … you name it. Only one’s family background trumps religion in determining one’s political outlook.

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To understand the American sense of manifest destiny and the American dream, I’d suggest you read any book written by Sidney Mead who died, I believe, in the early 1960s, before academe was completely politicised. After the 1960s, academe became a zone of indoctrination and disinformation, so the best and most reliable books were published before this date. I know how hard it is to get a sense of how other people think. You’re trying … I see it, but you fundamentally misjudge the American mentality. (My doc is in intellectual history, by the way. Ivy.)

Your comments about Judeo-Chrsitianity (such a weird concept, no?) are spot on. That idea persists, but is now relegated to secularists. Among the “faithful,” only a handful of liberal religionists give a rip about J-C, now. It’s a has-been joke. This doesn’t mean, though, that Jews aren’t revered among Christians. Evangelicals love Jews. L. O. V. E. They’re your strongest “real” American constituency. But they love Jews because of, not in spite of, their faith, which has to be a bit off-putting to Jews who, frankly, like you, are (to some degree) bigoted against Christians.

You continue to use the weird word “gentiles” as a synonym for Christian, thinking, perhaps, that Christians divide the world of faith like Jews. There’s no one-drop nonsense among Christians. Either you believe it or you shift to the left to become UCC or Episcopalian, and then hang on the left edge of Christianity by your toenails as a Unitarian. Inevitably and eventually, you drop off the left edge of the religious universe into a secularist abyss. At that point, you’re out.

Secularism is the fastest growing faith in America. This is the true “post-Christian secularity” of which you speak – Christians who have left the fold. Remember, Christianity can’t exist without believers. Christians don’t think of themselves as Christian unless they actually believe/do the creeds, read the Bible, attend church, etc. They’ll say things like this: “I was raised as a Methodist but no longer believe …” This means they’re out. They’re not Christian.

Again … and again … the new divide is between sincere and salient religionists (Jew or Christian) and secularists. You’re still in the old mentality of Jew v Christian. This is over. Done. Stick a fork in it. It’s cooked.

I’ll give you one example. Against California’s activist/oppressive government edicts which prohibited Christians from going to church because of the fake virus, one man stood tall, John MacArthur. (He’s Reformed which roughly means he’s a Calvinist (Presbyterian).) MacArthur kept his church open in spite of government demands to shut down. In response, the state government closed his parking lots, sent the police/Gestapo to surround the church building, took down the names/license plate numbers of those who attended, threatened church members with jail and MacArthur with prison, and are now tying him up with expensive and ridiculous legal battles. MacArthur doesn’t care because he believes, strongly, that the Christian command to have weekly fellowship overrules anything the state demands. He’s willing to pay the price for civil disobedience — so are his church members. It’s a Caesar v. God situation.

So, do you know who stood by MacArthur … who opened their own parking lot to church goers, who stood by him publicly and openly? The Jewish rabbi next door. Liberal Christians didn’t stick up for their own. Libertarians didn’t support him. Nope. MacArthur was championed by an orthodox rabbi who said, in so many words,that he had more in common with these besieged Christians than with the secular state.

Think about this. It points to a true divide: Secular v. salient Jew/Christian.

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I have mixed feelings about Russia. I agree that Russia was far more stalwart and strong than the US during the Syrian war, but honestly, much of what happened during that war is known only to insiders and I’m not one of them. It appears that Assad was targeted by the leftist American State Department and Obama administration. I’m not sure why. Assad was more Western than about any other political leader in that area. Obama’s regime was either irrational or anti-Western. Attacking Libya? Why? They gave pallets of money to Iran. Whose side were they on anyway?

Not Israel’s side. And, not America’s side. In a way, Obama is a case in point about who Israel’s enemies are. They’re not American – real Americas, not immigrants – but anti-Western immigrants like Obama. Biden is as American as I am, but he’s associated himself with the “ others.” He will be a thorn in the side to Israel, not a friend. Mark my word. You should be lamenting the downfall of Trump, not beating him when he’s down. This is below you. Trump may be the last, great presidential friend of Israel. I hope this isn’t true but fear it may be.

America still matters. To Israel. To the world. It’s still the big boy in the playground. You’re too triumphalist about Israel; too rah rah rah.

America’s death — think: Mark Twain — is greatly exaggerated. Still, I fear that American demographics and the loss of a sense of community and commonality will destroy this country from the inside out. Hopefully, we’ll do something about it. Civil war is in the offing here. Biden’s corrupted election through the manipulation of voting machines guarantees future civil strife of some sort. The best – least violent – solution which remains for Americans is partition: breaking the country into several countries so Trumpeters and secularists can live apart from each other. People who hate each other can’t live together ( You should know; Israel dealt with her hate-filled neighbours brutally AND successfully; eventually, Americans will do the same.) Ordinary Americans know the secular left hates them. The current TV news frenzy more than proves this. They’re learning to hate in return.

I hope – though you may be right – that Israel and Jews keep their residual attachments to the best of Western values. Frankly, I hope America does too. To the degree that Israel keep the Ashkenazim as ascendant political players, it will keep it’s Western orientation. Remember, your pols are less Jews than they are secular Europeans. They’re not going to give up Westernness for a supposedly Semitic, backward militaristic worldview.

Why are you so hate-filled about America? It’s rational to hate Biden, as he’s a pretender in office, but to hate ordinary Americans, including the American military??? This is irrational. Israel will never have American-like hegemony – too small, too few, too hated. There are a lot of Christian in American who rather like you guys. Secularists hate you.
Do the math …

Kristen