Hasidic WhatsApp rewrites ‘Dayenu’ as an elegy for Trump
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By David Ian Klein November 11, 2020
“Had he only reduced funding to the Palestinians and not cut off funding to UNRWA, it would have sufficed us,” reads a rewrite of the traditional passover song, Dayenu, that has been going around Hasidic WhatsApp groups.
A version of Dayenu rewritten to be about Trump is going around Hasidic WhatsApp.
It names the commutation of Sholom Rubashkin’s sentence, the pulling out of the Iran deal, and the cutting off of funding to UNRWA among other things. pic.twitter.com/IxhFsTCabW
— Shira Hanau (@shirahanau) November 10, 2020
The election was too recent to yield any conclusive data, but by one estimate, Trump got only 21% of the Jewish vote. He has, however, been embraced by the Orthodox community, which is about 10% of American Jewry.
The song explains why the Orthodox support him so passionately, listing such moves as his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, establishment of the American embassy in Jerusalem, rejection of the Obama-era Iran deal and the commutation of Hasidic kosher meat monger and philanthropist Sholom Rubashkin’s prison sentence.
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
