Pro-Trump Ads Aim at Orthodox Voters — But Will They Matter?

Pro Trump ad aimed at Orthodox voters to run in New York, New Jersey and Florida

By Nathan Guttman August 30, 2016

A group of Jewish supporters of Donald Trump is planning to run ads in Jewish papers this weekend, trying to convince Orthodox voters to back the Republican candidate.

The group, which goes by the name Jewish Democrats for Trump has reported an ad buy in Jewish publications in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including Williamsburg and Boro Park. The campaign advertisements will later run in Crown Heights, in the town of Monsey in upstate New York and in Lakewood, New Jersey. Organizers also plan to purchase advertising space in local Jewish papers in Florida.

The ad lists four reasons Jewish voters should chose Trump over Hillary Clinton in November. On the Iran nuclear issue, Trump supporters note that “six million Jews perished in the Holocaust within 5 years,” and “facilitation of Iran’s nukes could mean six million in 9 minutes.”

The ad also argues that Clinton would appoint liberal Supreme Court justices who will be anti-religious and will compromise “our values in yeshivas and religious institutions.”

It goes on to claim Clinton will force Israel to freeze building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, making for “more homeless frum families.” It also says Clinton will allow immigration of people who will “endanger the safety of our communities,” and apparent reference to refugees from Syria or other Muslim countries.

Can these ads make a dent on the overall support Clinton enjoys among Jews?

The answer is: probably not.

The pro-Trump ads are directed at Orthodox voters, who already, at least according to a recent poll of Florida Jewish voters support Trump by a significant margin. They are mostly targeting voters in New York and New Jersey, which polls say Clinton will romp to victory.

Florida, on the other hand, is a key battleground state which is critical for Trump, but Orthodox Jews make up only 6% of the state’s Jewish voters, limiting the effectiveness of the campaign.

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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