美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump's Attack On 'The Squad' Finds Nuanced Support Among Some Jewish Americans（在线收听）

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

We're going to hear now how one community is responding to President Trump's continued attacks this week on Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and other progressive women. WSHU's Charles Lane reports from the home district of one of President Trump's supporters on Long Island.

CHARLES LANE, BYLINE: At Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin's temple, the conversations about Trump's Twitter attack against the congresswoman is nuanced.

KAREN CONNOR: He's allowed to free speech.

JERRY KESSLER: It may be protected.

CONNOR: But he's not presidential.

LANE: Karen Connor and Jerry Kessler are both members of B’nai Israel Reform in Oakdale. They're talking specifically about Omar, who is Muslim.

CONNOR: She's so anti-Israel and anti-Jewish people.

KESSLER: Well, yeah because - see, I don't know. Lately I've been looking at the whole thing. When you look at Israel...

LANE: They're friendly about it, but they disagree whether or not their fellow temple-goer and congressman should disavow Trump's attacks against Omar. Connor supports Zeldin but wants him to continue supporting Trump. But Kessler says it could hurt him.

KESSLER: He may be down maybe just enough to lose the election maybe.

CONNOR: These tweets and all that for this particular thing, this is going to be gone next week.

LANE: Zeldin ignored interview requests, but he went on "Fox & Friends" this week to denounce Representatives Omar, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "FOX AND FRIENDS")

LEE ZELDIN: Well, the thing is with these members, especially Omar and Tlaib, honestly, I feel like their hearts are filled with darkness. AOC's heart might be filled more with cotton candy and unicorns.

LANE: Zeldin and some other Jews call these Democrats anti-Semitic for supporting boycotts and divestment of Israel. Not all Jews agree, of course.

JOSH FRANKLIN: You ask two Jews, you'll - as that joke goes - you'll get three opinions.

LANE: Josh Franklin is the rabbi at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, also located in Zeldin's district. Franklin himself calls the president's rhetoric offensive and inappropriate, but he does support Zeldin's confrontation with Omar, specifically after she made comments condemned as anti-Semitic for which she later apologized.

FRANKLIN: And when Congress went to condemn her statements in anti-Semitism and condemn anti-Semitism in general, a bill came out that essentially watered down what the bill was about.

LANE: It was a resolution which passed. It condemned all hatred, including Islamophobia.

FRANKLIN: It made her a victim, where she was actually supposed to be the one who was being condemned for her anti-Semitic rhetoric.

LANE: Franklin says, on this point, Jews are united.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOOR KNOCKING)

LANE: Across the street is a much more conservative synagogue, Chabad of The Hamptons. Several men and boys are gathering for afternoon prayers. Most of them have strong views on the issue, but they are reluctant to say them publicly. Some of them say it will only invite more hate. Others say Trump divides friendships. Finally, Marc Ringel speaks up. He says the tweets are the problem - Trump's tweets, Omar's, everyone's.

MARC RINGEL: Unless you have a conversation, you know, which a tweet - 150 character's not a conversation. Unless you have a conversation, it's not going to do - you got to have a debate.

LANE: Ringel goes on to say that America is the greatest country for both Jews and Muslims right now so long as free speech continues to be protected. For NPR News, I'm Charles Lane on Long Island.