Trump May Have Had a Base of Supporters in WeHo

Russian-speaking residents playing chess in WeHo’s Plummer Park. (Photo by Jon Viscott)

West Hollywood is considered an overwhelmingly liberal city, with the majority of its residents registered as Democrats. But apparently there is a pocket of avid Donald Trump supporters on the city’s Eastside.

A story in today’s issue of the Jewish Journal features interviews with members of WeHo’s Russian-speaking Jewish community who expressed their support for the conservative Republican.

“Trump is going to be a strong leader,” a 76-year-old Russian Jew told Jewish Journal’s Olga Grigoryants. “He keeps his word. He will do everything in his power for people.”

Steven Windmueller, a professor emeritus at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, told Grigoryants that his interactions with the local Russian-speaking Jewish community reinforced the idea that they backed Trump.

“They expressed to me their belief that the nation needed ‘a strong man’ to deal with the external threats to the country,” Windmueller said. “Several suggested to me that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Trump would work well together, as they marveled at [Putin’s] leadership, and they were hoping that Mr. Trump would emulate that model within this country. They also believed that Donald Trump would be ‘great’ for Israel!”

The full Jewish Journal story is available online.

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fine7760

7 years ago

Democrats have no one to blame but themselves. They ran a person of questionable character who placed our nations security at risk. In addition she was proven to be a habitual lier as proven by her e-mails she tried so hard to conceal. Lastly, Ms. Clinton along with the Democratic leadership did everything possible to stop the campaign of Bernie Sanders. Now we have Donald Trump elected as President. Will he be good or bad for the nation no one knows. Those foreseeing the future are only guessing. He was a unconventional candidate and he could be a very unconventional… Read more »

So, what, blueeyedboy? USA is a country of immigrants and all of them are US citizens, who come here to live not on SSI, but with their kids in a safe place. They receive SSI checks under federal law. May be Tramp will reduce number of new immigrants…

blueeyedboy

I’ve known of lots of immigrants, who are older, from all over the world who come here to live on SSI.

Russian Jews, like me, came to USA in status “refugees”. Young and healthy (I was 43) start workingafter 2-3 months on welfare program. Old and sick people start receiving SSI – Supplemental Security Income. This is not Social Security. And SSI payments are not paid for out of Social Security funds. The money for SSI comes out of the government’s general operating funds.

PT, was struck by your comment, “some like Clinton because she promise to save their SSI benefits”. I’m curious, ……. on average, how long would you say most these Russian immigrants paid into SS from which they are now collecting benefits?

I am neither Russian nor an expat. While I was born and grew up in the former Soviet Union, I am an American and ethnically I am a Jew. As in any community, Russian Jews voted for both candidates and many don’t voted. Reasons are very different : some don’t like Clinton and her job as Secretary of State, some like Clinton because she promise to save their SSI benefits, Tramp promised to help Israel and to transfer US embassy to Jerusalem and many other reasons. Our mentality are very different from American. Many Russian Jews are highly educated, some… Read more »

Jimmy Palmieri

They are welcome to go back and serve Putin ANYTIME they want. ANYTIME. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

Night before the election, I was standing across from Barney’s on SM and an African American guy walked by shouting “Trump! Trump!” and then stopped to yell at a couple on the street that they were “liberal f*ggots”. On election night, I also experienced an Irishman at a bar on Fairfax telling me that the Jews would be gone soon, and was rudely treated by a group of Trump supporters at State Social House. Just goes to show that there are a segment of people everywhere who are blinded by the chip on their shoulder.

WeHoMikey

“Go back where you came from” reminds me of the years I spent in the Deep South, where I regularly heard “N*****s should all go back to Africa!”

Hank, this crap is AFTER you’ve moderated the comments??

Alison

I also agree that if they think Putin is such a strong leader, they should go back. They came here under the guise of religious freedom, but I haven’t seen much religious practice. So much for our “refugee” status. Bunch of bull.

We already knew there were Trump supporters in WeHo. They had rallies for him. They were NOT old Russian Jews at that rally. Why don’t you report on THEM?