A Statement by the New England Jewish Labor Committee calling for the Removal of President Trump from Office
Donald Trump must be removed from office immediately. The Jewish community has a particular responsibility to join the chorus of Americans who care deeply about democracy and ending white supremacy in saying so. What the nation and the world witnessed on January 6 was an attack on democracy, incited by the President and his allies, made by a white supremacist and anti-semitic mob. Our own history teaches us that no one should remain silent in the face of such attacks. Events are moving swiftly, and Congress is currently debating impeachment, so we should be clear about the general principles at stake.
The Jewish Labor Committee was formed in the 1930s as a response to the rise of fascism in Europe. Our core mission in those early days was to support the anti-Nazi movement, aid victims of Nazism, support Jewish labor institutions in European countries, and – critically – to combat anti-semitism and other effects of fascism upon American life. We must acknowledge that this mission is still relevant today. It is chilling beyond words that one member of the mob wore a "Camp Auschwitz" shirt, and another brandished the Confederate flag – inside the Capitol.
The Jewish community must condemn not only this anti-semitism and white supremacy, but the leaders who made them believe they would be safe to take these actions. From the white supremacists in Charlottesville shouting “Jews will not replace us” through the January 6 mob, it is clear that anti-semitism is a key component of this white supremacist, anti-democratic thuggery. And it is clear that Donald Trump has only encouraged this violence. If we care about combating fascism, protecting democracy, and about the fate of the Jewish people, we must call for the removal of Donald Trump from office immediately.
The Jewish people thrive in healthy, pluralistic democracies. An attempt, no matter how doomed to failure, by a powerful political leader to declare baselessly that a free and fair election was a fraud, and retain power through violence by might of a mob rather than the will of the people – in short, to subvert democracy – must be rebuked in the clearest of terms by the Jewish community.
The only way to begin to heal is to hold those responsible for this attack accountable. If our country is to be united once more, it must be united around our shared democratic ideals and upholding our Constitution. We must say that any elected official who attacks the core tenets of our Constitution, including the peaceful transfer of power, will not remain our leader. This President cannot remain in office to ride out the rest of his term, however brief. He should not have power for one day more.
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