Dovish Jewish groups rap Trump for false victory call, urge all votes be counted

NEW YORK — American Jewish groups on Wednesday blasted US President Donald Trump for falsely declaring victory in the presidential election and urged for all votes to be counted before a winner is named.

In an extraordinary move early Wednesday, Trump alleged from the White House that Democrats were perpetrating widespread electoral fraud, without citing evidence. He said he would take his complaint to the Supreme Court.

“Frankly, we did win this election,” Trump claimed, even as votes remained to be counted in key battleground states.

The heads of 20 mostly left-leaning Jewish groups issued statements all appealing to wait out the vote count.

“Though voting closed yesterday, this election season will not be over until every vote is counted,” said National Council of Jewish Women CEO Sheila Katz.  “Though we may need to wait a little longer this year for the final results of the election, we will be patient, we will persevere, we will endure.”

For his part, Democratic challenger Joe Biden asked his supporters to “keep the faith” and remain patient as the counting goes on in the drawn-out US presidential election.

It was unclear when or how quickly a winner could be determined. A late burst of votes in Wisconsin and Michigan gave Biden small leads in those key states, but it was still too early to call. Over a million votes were also outstanding in Pennsylvania.

Democratic Majority for Israel head Mark Mellman said, “Donald Trump doesn’t decide who won and lost. That’s up to the will of the people, as expressed through votes counted by local election officials.”

“Every legal vote must be counted. We know that support for Democrats will increase as absentee ballots, properly cast by election day, are counted. As the leader of the world’s greatest democracy, a decent president would insist every legal vote be counted instead of denying Americans their right to vote, sowing division and creating confusion at every step during this election season,” he added.

Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action said Trump’s comments were a sign of desperation.

“We are joining together with our neighbors to ensure that we count every vote, deliver our democracy, and get to work building a country where all of us are free and safe,” she said.

“President Trump and his enablers know they’re losing — that’s why they’re trying to bully and cheat their way through. They are willing and ready to dismantle our democratic institutions and endanger Jews and all those who are targeted by white nationalism, in order to preserve, build and enshrine their power against the will of the people. But fear and violence don’t decide our elections: the votes of the people do. And our voices will be heard,” she added.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, who heads the T’ruah organization of over 2,000 Jewish clergy members, said in a statement, “Taking the time to count and verify every ballot is a sign that our democracy is working.”

“The Talmud teaches that we do not appoint a leader over the community without first consulting the community,” she added. “The President’s false declaration of victory last night, and his call to prematurely end the counting of votes, represent a dangerous threat to American democracy.”