WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump's social media post about "U.S. Jews" and Israel certainly didn't go unnoticed by many in South Florida's Jewish community.
His post included comments saying that "U.S. Jews have to get their act together" and that "no president has done more for Israel than I have."
"Get your act together before it's too late. What does that sound like to you?" said Rabbi Andrew Rosenkranz of Temple Beth Torah in Wellington. "It sounds to me like a veiled threat of some kind. I don't know. I can't get into the mind of former President Donald Trump.
Some people perceived the "get your act together" comment suggested that evangelical voters are more appreciative of the former president's actions involving Israel than people of the Jewish faith.
"You could argue Trump did a few good things for Israel," Dr. Ira Sheskin, a professor at the University of Miami and director of the school's Jewish Demography Project, said.
Sheskin points to the decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Trump has also touted the 2020 diplomatic agreement Israel signed at the White House involving Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
"In fact, what he's doing is not for Jewish voters. He's doing it for the evangelicals," Sheskin said. "That's why Trump is pro-Israel. He was told unless you're pro-Israel, that evangelical vote that makes up your base isn't going to vote for you."
Sheskin and other Jewish leaders in South Florida point out that the Truth Social posting misses the mark with many Jewish voters by assuming Israel is a top issue.
"This is a classic antisemitic canard that Jews have heard for a long time and comes at a time when the Jewish community has been on edge already," Rosenkranz said.
Sheskin said that in recent surveys the subject of Israel doesn't even crack the top five issues for Jewish voters.
"Many Jews that are Republicans — even if they voted for Trump — are becoming increasingly concerned," Sheskin said.
