Ivanka Trump at RNC (Photo from Twitter)
Ivanka Campaigns for Father at Florida Synagogue
“Pray for the peace of Yerushalayim; may they prosper that love thee.” (Psalm 122:6)
Ivanka did some grassroots campaigning for her father in Florida on Friday, assuring Jews that there was no greater friend to Israel.
While at speaking at the synagogue of Bal Harbour in Surfside, Florida, she told the Jewish Insider, “My father will be an unbelievable champion for Israel and for the Jewish people. You will not be disappointed.”
When asked about her father’s promise to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital by moving the US Embassy to the city, her reply was unequivocal.
“One hundred percent,” Ivanka responded. “One hundred percent, Jerusalem is the eternal capital, so 100 percent.”
This is a relatively recent development in his Israel policy since he refused to commit to to recognizing a unified Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at the Republican Jewish Coalition in December, saying that to do so would compromise him as a peace broker.
Sending his daughter to a state with a substantial Jewish population was a savvy move for the Republican presidential candidate, since Ivanka converted to Judaism before marrying Jared Kushner in 2009. Ivanka revealed that her father, a Presbyterian, had a positive reaction to her conversion.
“I so respect the fact that he supported me from day one,” she said. “There was no question, there was no argument. He was very supportive.”
Asked how Judaism has inspired her to be what she is today, Ivanka said, “I feel like Judaism helps your moral compass,” adding, “It’s been a great blessing in my life.”
In comparison, Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, married Mark Mezvinsky, a Jewish investment banker in 2010, in an interfaith marriage officiated by a Reform rabbi and a Methodist pastor.
Clinton is reported to be leading in Florida by a seemingly insurmountable 43 points. This preference is only among non-religious Jews. In a poll conducted by Jim Gerstein from GBA Strategies66 percent of non-religious Jews prefer Clinton as compared to 22 percent who prefer Trump. Among Orthodox Jews, 77 percent prefer Trump while 22 percent prefer Clinton.
Florida is expected to be a hotly contested key state in the election and Jewish voters represent 3 to 6 percent of the electorate. Clinton is ahead by 3.3 percentage points in Florida, according to the RealClearPolitics average.
