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A century before Trump targeted Somalis, Jews faced the politics of blameĀ 

JL;DR SUMMARY The article draws a parallel between President Trump's targeting of Somali immigrants in Minnesota and historical instances of Jews being scapegoated for the crimes of a few members in early 20th-century America. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryTrumpIlhan OmarCommunity ResponseScapegoatingKehillahJacob FreySomali ImmigrantsTheodore A. Bingham

Places mentioned

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
"As President Donald Trump ramped up his rhetoric against Somali immigrants in Minnesota and ordered a surge in immigration enforcement because Somalis took part in a social-service fraud scheme, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey pushed back."
St Paul, Minnesota, United States
"We know that when a few people commit crimes, it does not implicate an entire community and to say so is racist, is xenophobic and just wrong, Rabbi Adam Stock Spilker of Mount Zion Temple in St Paul told Fox 9 in Minneapolis last month."
New York City, New York, United States
"But had Frey turned to Jewish history, he may well have cited another instance in which a powerful political figure blamed an immigrant community for the crimes of a few, and an ethnic group was targeted by nativists who pinned the countrys ills on immigrants."

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Cairo Item ID 72634
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2026-01-13 18:00:23 UTC
Curated 2026-01-13 19:00:26 UTC