Open letter to Donald Trump

Dear Mr. Trump, 

 

I feel obligated to write this, but in all my years, I never dreamed I would feel the need to write it. For the first time in my life, I am concerned about the election. Oh, there have been times that I haven’t liked the political opinions of one or more of the candidates. It is you, however, who scares me beyond what I imagined possible. It is not solely what you have stated, but that many people have assumed that you don’t mean what you say. 

 

You see, sir, I am reminded of another time that these same things were said. No, it wasn’t said of the Muslims then. It was said of the Jews. But, Pastor Martin Neimoler said, “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.

T

hen they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” Well sir, if I don’t speak out now, who will be left to speak for me. 

 

As an observant Jew, I am not one of the people you intended to attack, after all you made strong, positive remarks defending Israel, a country that is known for its equality of Muslims alongside Jews. See, what you don’t know, is that if you require Muslims to register by the same guidelines that Hitler used for the Jews, the know that you would be requiring my family to register, my brother, my nieces, my nephews, my child and me to register. We are not Muslim, but our father ob”m, who died of cancer five years ago was a Muslim, a good Muslim. You are requiring kind and good people to register. Oh, you might get a handful of the bad ones to register too, but please tell me how requiring law abiding citizens to register will stop the criminals from breaking the law.

 

You have declared a war on Muslims. After all the ISIS types are calling themselves Muslims. So clearly by that, all Muslims must be evil. The question is why would you think that terrorists represent all of any group other than terrorists. Do you mean to tell me that you trust what TERRORISTS tell you about the beliefs of their religion. Here is where I must mention that with 1.6 billion Muslims in the world and about two million Muslims in this country alone, if even 25% (which would be a huge amount) were that evil, the world would cease to exist as we know it because they would destroy the world, but you are not dumb, as evidenced by your success in creating a vast empire, so you know that most Muslims, like most Jews and most Christians, are good people. Then again, maybe you don’t know. Maybe you haven’t met any Muslims. Well I will invite you to meet many before you make any more Muslims. I am sure if you walk into any mosque you will meet good Muslims. You see, I do know many good Muslims. Cousins, friends, and relatives of friends. 

 

You say you will forbid Muslims from entering this country. How will you stop criminals from getting in. Which Muslims will you forbid? The Sunni? The Shi’ite? The Amadi? Who? How do you think this will stop the terrorists, the very people whose sole goal is to murder and inflict terror, from coming in another way, calling themselves Christians, Jews or something else? If you merely said we need to stop and think, perhaps have better screening, before letting any refugees in, I might be able to defend you, but only Muslims, that I cannot defend.

 

The Declaration of Independence states that “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Do you mean to tell me that you have a better idea for our country than those of our founding fathers which have worked for 239 years.

 

When G-D was going to destroy Sodom, Abraham asked that he spare the city if there were fifty righteous. If G-D could save an entire community with only fifty good people, who are you to do anything else. With all your money and all your power, you have a tremendous opportunity to help defeat ISIS through kindness, goodness and education as Israel has done within her borders. Ignorance breeds violence, sir. You have an opportunity to rid the world of violence, but not by trying to minimize the freedom’s of any group of law abiding people. 

 

6 million Jews and 5 million others would not have been murdered if someone had stood up and said something. My consolation is that many people are as concerned as I. While I like to think that you wouldn’t systematically murder any group of innocent people, I for one, am not willing to take that chance, and frankly any abridging of religious freedom of law abiding citizens is unacceptable. We must all remember the words of the great Rabbi Hillel, “If I am not for myself, who is for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now when?” Maybe these words will remind you that we have an obligation to work hard and stand up for freedom and what you are proposing is taking away our freedom.

 

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” — President Ronald Reagan.

 

Sincerely,

A Concerned Citizen