To combat the effects of the pro-Palestinian Arab groups, we must push forward an agenda to denude college campuses, industries and media of their virulent Jew-hatred, which pose an existential threat to Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
Project Esther, defined by the Heritage Foundation as “a national strategy to combat antisemitism,” has gathered religious groups across the theological spectrum. Forming the National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism,
Project Esther has gained the support of the Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV) – the largest rabbinic public-policy organization in America dedicated to restoring America’s moral foundation – in responding to the needs of the Jewish community. Representing 2,500 traditional rabbinic leaders in public policy, CJV has garnered the respect of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. This provides an excellent starting point for reversing the damage of the Democrat administration's decree.
Trump’s victory, and the simultaneous re-taking of the Senate by the Republican Party provide a welcomed opportunity to undo the harm caused by the pro-Palestinian Arab policymakers to Israel’s viability. To that end, it is imperative that we advance a comprehensive plan that assures the Jewish state receives the fiscal, military, and practical support it sorely needs.
As part of that plan, we must crack down on the biased credit-rating firms that have unfairly and unjustly lowered Israel’s credit status in the global bond markets. A strong rating is essential for allowing Israel to borrow money when needed and to encourage foreign investments. Exposing Israel to such biased and tendentious rating agencies, noticeably propelled by anti-Jewish sentiment, must cease forthwith. The downgrades that have placed Israel on a negative credit outlook allow these agencies to further downgrade Israel’s credit status at any point, which would leave the Jewish state vulnerable to falling below investment grade.
However, now that the Republicans control the Senate, they can schedule a hearing to investigate this matter using the full force of government subpoena powers and legislative inquiry, something that would never have been possible while the Democrats had served as the majority party in the U.S. Senate.
As we exult in the victory of Trump’s return to the White House and in the retaking of the Senate by the Republicans, we need to forge ahead with a plan to dispel critics of Israel whether they are found in the university lecture halls, on the streets in busy intersections or at the global credit firms.
To do anything less would be to squander a heavenly gift that is meant to assure the Jewish state and Jews throughout the world that our existence is vital in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the American voters. Let’s rejoice in Trump’s triumph and in the Republican sweep by embracing Project Esther’s doctrines and policies. By doing so, we are proactively combatting antisemitism in American life.
This is a version edited by the writer of a piece originally published by JNS.org on November 7, 2024”.
Amy Neustein, a Ph.D. is in sociology, is the author/editor of 16 academic books with leading publishers. Her two most recent books, From Madness to Mutiny and Moral Schisms, will be published by Oxford University Press. She resides in Fort Lee, NJ. On a personal note, her Hebrew name is “Esther,” while her English name “Amy” can be otherwise spelled “Ami” – my People, my nation. Her namesake beckons her to the Heritage Foundation’s “Project Esther.”