Something To Think About Before You Jump On The Jimmy Carter Bandwagon

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died last Sunday after a long illness. Immediately upon the news of his death, tributes from both Republicans and Democrats poured in, as did praise from world leaders. Even Donald Trump, who in 2019 called Carter "a good man but a terrible president," offered his praise and condolences.

This Shabbat, I would like to dwell on several policies and decisions of the Carter years that directly impacted the Jewish community, and that continue to influence and even haunt us to this day. I have always believed that when talking about controversial political figures, Rabbis and Jewish communal leaders must be scrupulously and unflinchingly fair. So let me begin with some decisions and policies of the Carter administration that would prove to be of tremendous benefit to the Jewish community in the United States and throughout the world. It is important to begin with these significant achievements for two reasons. The first is that many of them are not well known, and President Carter deserves praise and credit for them. The second is despite these notable achievements, his presidency, and especially his post-presidency which has received so much attention, was in many ways a disaster for the Jewish people. His errors in judgement, especially his affection for dictators and despots have ensured death and misery for over four decades.

There were notable achievements, especially with regards to Israel - Arab conflict.  Though historians debate his actual role in negotiations, the truth is that the Camp David Accords which led to mutual recognition between Israel and Egypt, the most powerful and significant of Israel's immediate neighbors, took place during the Carter administration. Though marked by tension, and never living up to the dreams of a close and cooperative relationship, the peace has held for over 45 years. Today Israel is fighting on multiple fronts. Just imagine if it needed to add the Egyptian border to its list of immediate strategic challenges. 

In 1977, the Israel Anti-Arab Boycott Act was passed with the strong support of the Carter administration. This bill prohibited American companies from refusing to do business in Israel. During the Carter years, the US Holocaust Museum was founded, and the National Chanukah Menorah Lighting was instituted. President Carter was a strong supporter of Soviet Jews, and was instrumental in the creation of a special visa category to facilitate the immigration of Iranian Jews fleeing the Iranian Revolution. Most Iranian Jews who were not already students at American universities came to this country as a result of this visa category. Despite later tensions with the Carter administration, these achievements made a significant difference to individual Jews, the greater Jewish community, and the State of Israel.

Yet sadly, there were notable failures and decades of poor decision making and irresponsible rhetoric which must not be glossed over or forgotten. President Carter will be remembered for mishandling the fall of the Shah of Iran, his failure to confront the Iranian Revolution and prevent the rise of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. His abandonment of Iran, a key American ally in the region and a bulwark against Soviet expansionism lit a fire throughout the Middle East that has burned continually for the past 45 years. Iran supported Hamas in Gaza both financially and militarily, the regime of Hafez el-Assad and his recently deposed son in Syria, the rise of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. Every strategic threat that Israel faces on its borders has been planned and financed by Iran. It is fair to say that there is a line running from the rise of the Iranian Revolution straight through to October 7th.

Throughout his presidency, and especially in his post presidency, Jimmy Carter demonstrated an ease and comfort with all sorts of Middle Eastern dictators. But he remained endlessly critical of Israeli leaders, beginning with Menachim Begin. In the words of former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Michael Oren, "No sooner were the Camp David Accords signed than Carter embarked on a 40 year smear campaign against Israel". But at the same time, he regularly whitewashed Hamas and its extremist ideology, and presented it as an organization opposed to terror, and dedicated to peace. He shunned meetings with Israeli leaders yet sang the praises of its enemies.

In 2006, he published the anti-Israel tirade Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, which was so one sided in its blame of Israel that 14 Jewish staffers of the famed Carter Center resigned their positions. Among them was the eminent historian, Dr. Kenneth Stein, a former senior staffer and director of the Carter Center who publicly castigated Carter for a book "replete with factual errors, superficialities, glaring omissions, and simply invented segments."

In 1976, 71% of American Jews voted for Jimmy Carter. In comparison, 78% of American Jews voted for President Biden in 2020, and about 71% voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. But in 1980, when Carter ran for re-election, only 45% of American Jews voted for him, the lowest for a Democratic candidate since James Cox in 1920.  Their fears about his  leadership would be validated over the next four decades of the former president’s activism which angered many Jews, endangered Israel, emboldened its enemies, and gave many Jews reasonable concerns regarding his true feelings about the Jewish people.

For the next few weeks, there will be many stories told about Jimmy Carter.  I hope I have given you something else to think about before you jump on the Jimmy Carter bandwagon.