Madelon Rosen-Solomon
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A Wandering Jew in Dystopia America Sees Her Options

I write this column in the second week of the second (G-d help us) Trump presidency. I have never felt more of a stranger in my birth-country than now. Could this really be happening? Am I now in some deep dystopian nightmare from which I will awaken to find Biden—Harris—someone—anyone—the new American president? Could so many Americans be so discontented with the Democratic Party, with their current lifestyle, and could so many people put the price of eggs above the price of a free democratic republic? And could so many Jews put their fervent Zionism and agreement with Netanyahu’s handling of the current Hamas-Gaza-Hostage Crisis to vote for Trump? Yup, guess so!

It is a bitter pill to swallow. I now fear most of my fellow Americans, including some Jews. The vote electing Trump says more about Americans than it does about the two presidential candidates, either Republican or Democratic parties, or even the fight for various ethnic votes including those of American Jews. A clear disclaimer here—I fervently worked on the Kamela Harris Presidential Campaign. I knew it was not going to be an easy win, but I really thought the American people would see through Trump and his MAGA lies and illusions. I also thought that American Jews, including the most religious and most Zionist, would see through his fake Philo Jewish pandering to realize he is really an unrepentant thoroughly racist antisemite. Guess not!

Both my paternal and maternal grandparents came to this country back in the late 1800s and early 1900s from Russia, Belorussia, Poland and Hungary. My parents were born here as first-generation Americans. My father and several of my uncles on both sides of the family proudly fought in WWII, in both Europe and the Pacific. They would be mortified if they could see who the new American president is. The Greatest Generation saw dictators, racists and antisemites up-close and understood the danger they posed. When the War finally ended, Japan and a great part of Asia, along with Germany and most of Europe lay in ruins. This is what dictators and fascists leave behind when they are finally defeated. Now, America is going to get a real up-close view of that.

Trump’s first term had numerous professionals to serve as counterbalances for the president’s wilder actions. And with no prior political experience, Trump had a learning curve which also served to limit some of his damage. Even then, there were cruel immigration laws that separated children from parents, incredible grifting and graft on the part of the Trump family, and a major Insurrection on the Capitol January 6th (No, it was not Woodstock or a Love-in as Trump tries to gaslight people). Could Americans have really been able to easily forget those years? Yup! Who knew?

Now, Trump is more seasoned and experienced in both the presidency and the grifting that will financially benefit the family and his business. And instead of seasoned, dedicated professional civil and military people assisting the president we have a government stacked with Trump toadies that will follow him wherever he takes them—and this country. No need for Hitler’s “Night of the Long Knives” here. Trump’s Clown Car is stocked full of friends, business associates, political hacks and other like-minded fascists in key government positions. And in a now-complete takeover of the Republican Party by Trump and his MAGA beliefs, most elected Republicans will follow his lead in both the Senate and House (both with Republican majorities now, also thanks to the American public).

If there was any doubt left regarding Trump’s fascist plans for America’s future, his Presidential Pardons of the January 6th Insurrectionists should be patently clear. The pardons included everyone, from the smallest followers who invaded the capitol terrorizing people to the dangerous Proud Boys and Oath Keepers militia members who injured and killed Washington DC Policemen and Capital Police that day. The president’s complete disregard and dismissal of American law stands as a portent of what lies ahead for this country. Of course, he had to pardon these people so that his claim of innocence could stand—otherwise, convicted or not, Trump would be guilty of incitement for the Insurrection. Now, these dangerous right-wing radicals are free and emboldened by Trump’s actions. And many of these people were antisemitic and racist — remember the ‘Camp Auschwitz’ and ‘6M Not Enough’ Sweatshirts?

As for Trump siding more with Netanyahu and his rightwing crew in Israel, there is probably a good chance that he will stick with them against better reasoning to get a truly peaceful and just resolution to the Israel-Palestinian Quagmire. Between the major monied Jewish donors like Miriam Adelson and the evangelical voters, Trump will follow Netanyahu further than Biden ever did or then Harris even would have. American Arabs may have made a major error in voting for Trump or sitting out the election. Even with a Jewish husband, Kamela Harris would have been a fairer broker for both sides than either Trump or Biden.

So, what lays ahead for our American Dystopia? Will Trump’s Clown Car of enablers follow him down the fascist path or will anyone be left to stand in his way? Will the duly elected senators and congressmen have any “cohunes’’ to object to any proposed laws; even those that may prove unconstitutional? And will the rubber-stamp, graft-riddled right-wing Supreme Court Justices object to any laws that might prove unconstitutional?

As someone who recently finished a MA in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, who has taught the Holocaust and other genocides in schools, and who has spent the past twenty years interviewing Survivors; I find it difficult to ignore the signals and parallels from 1933. Currently, I am debating whether to just leave the country sometime within the next year or attempt to obtain dual citizenship in another country for permanent residence. My part Sephardic heritage could possibly enable a Spain or Portugal citizenship, as could my part Hungarian, Ukrainian or Polish heritage (we can forget about Russia!). If you–the reader–has any thoughts. I would be glad to hear from you. What are your thoughts and/or plans now? Just email or write to me care/of The Times of Israel and they will forward your thoughts to me. And I will gladly read and answer you—possibly in this column. Meanwhile, keep the faith. Shalom.

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Ms. Rosen-Solomon holds a BA in Theatre and Journalism from CUNY Lehman College, a second BA in American History and Literature from SUNY Purchase College, a MS in English Education from Fordham University, and a MA in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Kean University. She is a ASNE Journalism Fellow from Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications, has worked with the Kean Holocaust Research Center and was a member of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center of Westchester Educator Programming Committee for 15 years.

About the Author
Madelon Rosen-Solomon is a journalist and writer with deep roots in the American Jewish Community. She holds a MA in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Kean University, MS from Fordham University in English Education, BA from SUNY Purchase in Literature/American History (double major), and BA from CUNY Lehman College in Journalism/Theatre (double major). She is a member of the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center in Westchester CountRy, where she served for 15 years on the Educators Planning Committee. Ms. Rosen-Solomon is a ASNE Journalism Fellow from Kent State. She was most recently a high school English and History teacher. Before turning to education, Ms. Rosen-Solomon had a career in public relations where she worked for several top-ten Manhattan PR firms before running her own PR Consultancy. She has represented a number of Jewish and Israeli performing artists and other accounts in the Jewish World including The Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre. As a Broadway theatrical publicist for almost 15 years, she was trained by David Merrick’s former press agent Max Eisen. Madelon has been a journalist on staff and freelance for several New York Metro area newspapers and magazines. An active member of Women of Reform Judaism and Temple Israel of Northern Westchester Sisterhood, Madelon writes about The Holocaust and Human Rights, Women/Gender Issues in Judaism, and the Intersection of Politics and Judaism. She is currently working on a book about Trauma and Holocaust Survivors.
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