In a World of Trumps, Be Like Isadore Greenbaum
He was the brave Jew who disrupted the 1939 pro-Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden.
Donald Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden has been compared with another “America First” event in 1939. That’s when pro-Nazi members of the German-American Bund, led by Hitler admirer Fritz Julius Kuhn, staged a hate rally at the same venue. But, as I wrote in a feature for JTA a couple of years ago, a Jewish attendee was having none of it:
But the American Hitler wannabe was upstaged by a Jewish plumber from Williamsburg named Isadore Greenbaum, who jumped onstage, pulled the plug on Kuhn’s microphone in the middle of his speech, and was roughed up by Kuhn’s bodyguards. “When I heard persecution against my religion, I lost my head,” Greenbaum later said.
You can read the rest of the story here, which focuses on how the Jewish mob, led by Meyer Lansky, knew how to properly punch Nazis in the years leading up to World War II.
Unfortunately, today, many Jews are not channeling the spirit of Isadore Greenbaum in opposition to fascism. They’re joining in. Just to be clear: Am I saying Trump is Hitler? No. Only Hitler was Hitler. But what we did learn from that era was that when a fascist says what he’s going to do, believe him. I’ve heard it all before. Trump moved the embassy to Jerusalem, he has Jewish grandbabies, etc. But I also believe him when he says he’ll blame disloyal Jews if he loses. It all sounds familiar. Trump’s philo-Semitism could get us all killed. Does that diminish the threat from the left? No. What I am saying, though, is that while antisemitism is a disease of opportunity that has infected the left right now, my mother always told me to look both ways before I cross the street.
Despite appearances on social media, Jews in the Trump cult are a minority. However, the rift in the Jewish community this election cycle will take a long time to heal. I, personally, will not soon get over being called a “kapo” by my fellow Jews. Yet, we don’t have the luxury of time. The antisemitism crisis is here, and we’ve allowed an election cycle to divide us. The only people who win when we are divided are antisemites.
In my book on fighting antisemitism, I’ll write more about the last time in living memory that Jews were united—during the Soviet Jewry advocacy movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Jews of all political stripes and levels of observance were united in the cause to free our Jewish brothers and sisters from Soviet tyranny.
That’s the kind of unity we need again.
Don’t let the clown at the MSG podium divide us any further. Let’s all be like Isadore Greenbaum. Hell, let’s all even think like mobster Meyer Lansky, who agreed to turn his “Murder Inc.” against the Nazis (minus the murder part). Lansky famously said, “I am a Jew, and I feel for the Jews in Europe who are suffering. They are my brothers.”
I, for one, cannot wait until after the election, when it just might be possible to patch things up with our crazy Trump uncles and begin a path toward Jewish unity again. We’re going to need it.
Update on Stuff
Some of you know that I’ve locked up my X account and stopped posting to it. It’s actually a relief, and I’m glad I finally did it! That means I’m going to focus more on this Substack newsletter for Jewish news and commentary, along with excerpts of my upcoming book for paid subscribers. Meanwhile, my (non-Jewish) novel is set for release on April 29, 2025, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ll write more about that for those who are interested. Oh, and when I’m not writing, I’m a book editor. If you have a manuscript ready (or even partially ready), take a look at what I do.
Until next time, stay safe and know that you are not alone.
I’ll read this to my trump voting cousins. Thanks. However, I do miss you on X.
I have watched a ton of Israelis actually calling for our ( liberal American Jews) demise due to this political situation. Jews calling for Jews to die just seems so outrageous .
Trump is horrible. No argument. You know the Nazis were the "liberals?" You know Iran in 1979 was "liberal" students? In both cases those students started by barring Jews from classes and universities. You know that Harris is actively supporting Iran (with Biden) and she is receiving money from Iranian terror proxies ("non-profits" with ties to Islamist terrorists). Trump is terrible, but honestly, I think her supporters are more likely to destroy our democracy. There is ample historical evidence of EXACTLY what is happening in the United States at this moment leading to the government being overthrown and Jews being rounded up and killed or exiled. I don't trust Trump not to turn on Jewish people and Israel . . . but Harris already has. She has lied about Israel and put American Jews and the American hostages in danger. I live in a state where Harris is a lock so my vote doesn't really matter on this, so I get to not vote for Trump and not be morally conflicted. But liberal Jews are quite possibly signing their (literal) death warrants. And if you don't at least acknowledge that's a possibility, you are deluding yourself and ignoring history.