The President’s words have given succor to those who advocate anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia. Responsibility for the violence that occurred in Charlottesville, including the death of Heather Heyer, does not lie with many sides but with one side: the Nazis, alt-right and white supremacists who brought their hate to a peaceful community. They must be roundly condemned at all levels. The High Holy Days are a season of t’shuvah for us all, an opportunity for each of us to examine our own words and deeds through the lens of America’s ongoing struggle with racism. Our tradition teaches us that humanity is fallible yet also capable of change. We pray that President Trump will recognize and remedy the grave error he has made in abetting the voices of hatred. We pray that those who traffic in anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia will see that there is no place for such pernicious philosophies in a civilized society.

There are several noteworthy aspects to this.

First, this was not a longstanding tradition — the call became a regular event under the Obama administration. The rabbis could simply have not held the call. However, in making the statement, they took the opportunity to deliver a high-profile rebuke to the president just a day after his Phoenix meltdown, when he insisted he had made all the right statements about the neo-Nazis and white nationalists. Trump left out in his recitation in Phoenix the most noxious utterance, namely that “fine” people were on both sides and “many sides” were to blame for the violence. The rabbis, as evidenced by the letter, didn’t miss his selective editing.

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Second, one could make the argument that it was better for the rabbis to hold the call and admonish him directly. However, that would no doubt have escalated into an untimely, ugly and very public confrontation. In backing out, the rabbis likely did Trump a favor — preventing another tantrum that elevates concern about his mental and emotional well-being.

Third, the rabbis’ offer of prayer was appropriate but so, too, would have been an invitation to accompany a group of rabbis for another tour of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, or one of the many fine Holocaust museums around the country, which educate the public not only about the 1930s but also about modern incarnations of anti-Semitic, white nationalist movements. The president certainly might have declined (although that would have been awkward), but the point would have been made: Trump is helping to misinform and mislead Americans about these groups. He is giving these groups the legitimacy they crave — and have heretofore been denied by every U.S. president — for his own personal and political ends. It’s an appalling abdication of his obligations as leader of the Free World.

Finally, the Orthodox movement, which has participated in past calls, did not join in the letter. Trump has sought and received support in some Orthodox quarters, largely on the basis of his staunch support for Israel, although he lost points for breaking his pledge to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Moreover, Orthodox leaders have historically sought allowances for federal funds to be made available to students attending Jewish day schools and so-called “religious liberty” protections from government mandates such as Obamacare.

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