At the White House Hanukkah reception on December 16, 2025, a public celebration of faith, minority dignity, and freedom under law, a Jewish billionaire donor publicly stated she’d finance a third Trump term, while invoking Alan Dershowitz as the legal whisperer who could “make it work,” thereby unnecessarily feeding antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Contrast this with President Trump himself, the greatest friend the Jewish people have ever had in the White House, who has already promised, to his immense credit, to honor the 22nd Amendment.
Miriam Adelson’s public pledge-“I’ll give you another $250 million” in the context of a third term and publicly at a religious event-embarrasses the Jewish community and pours gasoline on antisemitic conspiracy theories at a time when we can least afford it (no pun intended).
And yet, there is a fact that we American must highlight as deserving of recognition and praise: President Trump himself has explicitly acknowledged the constitutional limit and said he would not pursue a third term. That matters. It matters for the country. And it matters for Jews-because Jews thrive when law is stronger than money and stronger than any one leader, however great a friend he may be.
Nobody has been a greater friend to Israel than Trump and we pray that in three years an equally great friend will succeed him. But suggesting using money to go against the constitution must be publicly repudiated by US Jewry.
However righteous and generous a wealthy citizen may be. America belongs to the people. And unless the Jewish community publicly signs up with that premise, you’re going to see a lot more antisemites like Zohran Mamdani elected to public office on a platform of fighting the rich.
Trump Said Clearly: “I’m Not Allowed to Run. It’s Too Bad.”
In late October, President Trump made an unusually unambiguous statement aboard Air Force One-one that should have ended the “third term” chatter in responsible circles:
“If you read it, it’s pretty clear - I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad, but we have a lot of great people.”
PBS reported it on October 29, 2025, noting it was a marked shift after months of teasing the idea of “testing” the constitutional language.
That’s the correct posture. It is the posture of a president saying: my popularity is not higher than the Constitution. And when a leader publicly affirms constitutional restraint-especially after having mused aloud about pushing boundaries-he is doing the country a service.
President Trump deserves praise for saying what every president must say: the Constitution is bigger than any individual.
If you support Trump, you should want him remembered not only as a fighter, but as a man who respected the guardrails that separate a republic from a personality cult.
The Law at Issue Is the 22nd Amendment
Let’s be precise. The constitutional barrier is the 22nd Amendment, which limits a person to being elected president no more than twice. Its purpose is obvious: prevent any president-left or right-from turning the executive into a semi-permanent "monarchy".
The United States adopted this norm in the wake of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s unprecedented four elections. Americans decided: never again. Not because Roosevelt was Hitler-he was precisely the opposite, he saved America from Hitler, although he did nothing to save Europe's Jews -but because concentrated power always becomes a temptation, and eventually a danger.
This isn’t merely a legal technicality. It’s an American moral principle: leadership must be renewable.
Even Mike Johnson Said There Is No “Path”
If anyone in Washington understands constitutional mechanics, it’s House Speaker Mike Johnson, a constitutional lawyer. He has publicly said he does not “see the path” to Trump running again, emphasizing how difficult it would be to amend the Constitution and secure state ratification.
So here is the question that should be asked-loudly, and without euphemism:
Why would Miriam Adelson and Alan Dershowitz, two well known, respected figures choose to declare a constitutional provocation? And why at a Hanukkah party? And why at a Hanukkah party right after the Bondi massacre?
If Trump says “I’m not allowed,” and Johnson says “there’s no path,” why would a Jewish donor broach the idea of bypassing constitutional limits?
There are only two plausible explanations, and both are immensely problematic:
1. They believe the Constitution is negotiable
2. They thought it was just amusing banter, oblivious to how it would land in a country already saturated with Jew-hatred
Either way, it is reckless.
Hanukkah Is a Festival of Law and Limits-Not a Stage for Provocative Statements
Hanukkah is not just candles and latkes. Hanukkah is a declaration that a people can live with integrity under law, resisting tyranny and humiliation.
In America, Jews have achieved unprecedented freedom because America is a nation where law is king. When Jews appear to mock that law-especially at the White House, especially with money attached-they invite ridicule, but also disaster.
Judaism itself teaches dina d’malchuta dina: the law of the land is binding. That doesn’t mean every law is perfect. It means we pursue change through legitimate civic process-persuasion, elections, legislation, and, yes, constitutional amendment if the nation overwhelmingly wants it.
It does not mean talking about ignoring the Constitution at religious events because you can fund it
If Jews want to be safe in America, we must be defenders of constitutional order-not promotors of constitutional sabotage.
The Sydney Massacre Made The Timing Appalling
The timing makes this worse. The Jewish world is not living in normal times. Antisemitism is not a theoretical concern. It is blood on the pavement.
Only days ago, Jews watched the horror of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration attack in Sydney - where my wife grew up and where I served as Rabbi for two years - an atrocity that killed 15 people and shook Australia and the Jewish world.
At a moment like this, the Jewish community needs public solidarity and moral seriousness. We need the country to see Jews as what we are: citizens seeking peace, safety, and equal protection under law.
Handing the antisemites their favorite trope at the White House-during Hanukkah - hearing a Jew offer a quarter of a billion dollars for political power beyond constitutional limits, is not merely tone-deaf. It is self-destructive.
I have known and admired Miriam Adelson for twenty years: she has done immense and incalculable good. She has been generous, courageous, and deeply committed to Jewish causes and to Israel. She is a righteous woman in every way.
But - Miriam Adelson is not a spokesperson for the Jewish people. Her personal opinions are not Jewish doctrine, not Jewish consensus, not Jewish responsibility.
However, when at the White House-she is not just representing herself. Whether she likes it or not, she is treated by millions of people as a symbol. That’s not fair, but it is reality. Antisemites don’t care about fairness. They need footage.
What may have been meant as joking, teasing, or praising a president she admires is playing with dynamite in a room full of sparks. And the story has been a catastrophe for the Jewish community.
Alan Dershowitz's role:
Now to Alan Dershowitz. Reports indicate that Adelson told the crowd she had spoken to Dershowitz about the legality of a third term; Reuters reported that she referenced him in connection with the third-term talk at the event.
This is a mistake.
First, because the “find a loophole” posture is itself corrosive. Even if a clever constitutional argument could be spun-and to be clear, serious scholars widely regard third-term theories as far-fetched-the public effect is poison: it suggests that constitutional limits are for ordinary people, while elites can lawyer their way out.
Second, because Dershowitz is associated in the public mind with some infamous cases, which may have led to public distrust.
And there is also the matter of Qatar.
In his 2018 piece in The Hill discussing Qatar during the Gulf crisis, Dershowitz described the dispute as “complex and nuanced,” defended Al Jazeera’s “free speech” posture, calling Al Jazeera “fair,”, and even suggesting Qatar was “quickly becoming the Israel of the Gulf States,” surrounded by enemies and boycotts.
Many pro-Israel Jews found Dershowitz’s analogy of Qatar to Israel very offensive, because it washes away Qatar’s documented entanglements, hosting terror leaders, and the way its media ecosystem has often served as an accelerant of anti-Israel-and yes, anti-Jewish-incitement. Whatever Dershowitz’s intention, the analogy was grotesque.
Naming Dershowitz as the “legal authority” who can find a way to allow a third-term for the president looks very much like contempt for democracy.
The Core Problem: The Conspiracy Theories Write Themselves
Every antisemitic myth has the same skeleton: Jews control money; money controls politicians; therefore Jews control the country.
This is nonsense. It’s evil. But it is historically lethal.
But you don’t defeat antisemitic myth by handing it new imagery.
When a Jewish billionaire publicly links money to an explicit suggestion on breaking the Constitution, at a Jewish celebration, inside the White House-antisemites don’t need to fabricate anything. They simply replay the clip and sneer, “See?”
It is precisely because we are innocent of these accusations that we have a moral obligation not to behave in ways that plausibly resemble them.
This is not about “appeasement.” It is about wisdom. Jews have survived for millennia not only because we are brave, but because we are smart.
The Right Jewish Message: Defend the Constitution, Defend America, Defend the Rule of Law
Jews in America should be the loudest voices saying:
The Constitution matters.
Term limits matter. Including in Congress, which barely has any turnover.
The peaceful transfer of power matters.
No one gets a third term because a donor wants it.
No one gets a third term because a lawyer can write a theory.
And we should say it without hesitation because it aligns with Jewish values: law, accountability, humility, and restraint.
President Trump, to his credit, has already said the key line-“I’m not allowed to run.”
Speaker Johnson has said he doesn’t see a path.
So here is what Miriam Adelson should do now, if she cares about the Jewish community and about America:
Clarify publicly that she supports constitutional limits and that no amount of money will be pledged to undermine them.
And here is what Alan Dershowitz should do, if he wants to be taken seriously as a defender of American democracy:
Stop acting as though constitutional language is a game.
The Bottom Line
This was a mistake. Generosity doesn’t purchase constitutional exceptions.
I can praise President Trump and still demand that his supporters not speak of American law as if it can be reshaped by wealth and celebrity.
Hanukkah is the Festival of Light. The Constitution is part of America’s light. At a time when Jews are being murdered abroad and threatened at home, we cannot afford to become the poster children for the lies that endanger us.
If we want America to protect Jews, then Jews must be seen-clearly, unequivocally-as protectors of America’s constitutional order.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach-“America’s Rabbi”-is the international bestselling author of 36 books and is described by The Washington Post and Newsweek as “the most famous rabbi in America,” by The New York Observer as “the most famous orthodox Jew in the world,” and by The Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 most influential Jews alive. Founder of the Oxford University L’Chaim Society, he is the only rabbi ever to win the London Times “Preacher of the Year” competition and is the recipient of the American Jewish Press Association’s highest award for excellence in commentary. He is founder of The World Values Network, which champions Jewish values and fights antisemitism worldwide. Follow him on Instagram and “X” @RabbiShmuley