The media both in the U.S. and Israel keeps rehashing that President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters have links to the anti-Semitic far right and he’s a favorite of prominent white supremacist David Duke. But this ludicrous statement is like saying that Hillary Clinton has links to inner city gangs because some gangsters said they would vote for her instead of Trump.
Besides the fact that all of Trump’s children have married Jews, Trump is well connected to conservative Jews both politically and commercially. And the fact that Israeli Jews are exulting his election shows that he is well liked in Israel.
Here’s a look at his Jewish advisers.
Jason Greenblatt 50, has worked as a real-estate lawyer for Trump for 19 years, and is one of two Jewish lawyers whom Trump said he would appoint as his Israel advisers. An Orthodox Jew and Yeshiva University graduate, Greenblatt studied at a West Bank yeshiva in the mid-1980s and lives in Teaneck, New Jersey. He helped draft Trump’s speech at the lobbying group’s annual conference in March.
Greenblatt said about Trump that “He is not going to impose any solution on Israel” and “does not view Jewish settlements as an obstacle to peace.”
David Friedman, 57, Donald Trump’s adviser on Israel, is the president-elect’s longtime attorney and a bankruptcy expert and partner at the Kasowitz law firm in New York. Friedman lives in Woodmere, New York, and owns a house in Jerusalem’s Talbiyeh neighborhood. He comes from a family history of ties to Republican presidential candidates. Friedman has said that there are other solutions besides a two-state solution, and annexing the West Bank would not damage Israel’s status as a Jewish state.
Boris Epshteyn, 34, is a Republican political strategist and staunch defender of Trump who has appeared as the president-elect’s surrogate on major TV networks over 100 times. He was born in Moscow and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 11 and is a fluent Russian speaker. A New York-based investment banker and finance attorney, Epshteyn had worked as a communications aide for Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008.
Stephen Miller, 30, from southern California, played a crucial role in Trump’s campaign, helping to warm up crowds at rallies and drafting speeches, including the president-elect’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. Miller, who has describes himself as “a practicing Jew,” joined the Trump campaign in January, quickly rising through the ranks to become one of the most important people in the campaign. Previously he worked for seven years as an aide to Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.
Steven Mnuchin, 53, a former Goldman Sachs executive and from one of Manhattan’s most influential families, worked as Trump’s national finance chairman during the campaign with the aim of raising more than $1 billion for the candidate. Trump and Mnuchin have been friends for 15 years, and Mnuchin also served as his adviser. Trump is now reportedly considering Mnuchin for the position of Treasury secretary.
Lewis Eisenberg, 74, the private equity chief for Granite Capital International Group, serves as finance chairman for the Republican National Committee. He was a major contributor to groups backing Trump’s election and raised funds for the candidate.
Eisenberg grew up in New Jersey and was the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. He said he was “extremely enthusiastic” about a Trump presidency, calling him “a strong advocate for Israel, a strong advocate for justice and order.” He has been floated as a possible pick for commerce secretary in the Trump administration.
Michael Glassner was appointed by Trump last year to serve as his national political director. He worked as director of vice presidential operations for McCain’s 2008 campaign, ran George W. Bush’s campaign in Iowa in 2000, and worked as the political director for AIPAC’s Southwest Regional. Like many of Trump’s Jewish advisers, Glassner is outspoken in his support of Israel. He also served as a senior adviser to Eisenberg when he was the Port Authority chairman.
