The outside of the factory of Israel’s Pharmaceutical Industries Teva in Jerusalem. Photo by Menahem Kahana

My life story, as an American-Israeli, a CEO, and a Jew, motivates me to endorse Kamala Harris for president.

My mother fled the Holocaust in Lithuania, my father’s family escaped the oppression of Jews by the czar. Together, they found refuge in South Africa, where I was raised until threats from the apartheid regime forced us to flee. I have direct personal experience of what happens when people elect those who do not believe in democracy.

Today we face that choice in America. Democracy under Kamala Harris, or the declared intent to impose an autocracy as articulated by Donald Trump. That choice is potentially existential for Israel, America and all democracies.

I first arrived in Israel in 1967, living on kibbutzim and contributing to building the nation. Later, professional opportunities led me to the U.K. and eventually to the US. In 2010,  Israel’s then-President Shimon Peres urged me to return to Israel to lead Teva Pharmaceuticals, calling it my “reserve duty.” Teva was not only Israel’s largest company, but also the world’s largest generics manufacturer at the time.

Upon returning to the US, I focused on strengthening the US-Israel alliance, always emphasizing our shared democratic values and strategic interests. These experiences have given me a clear understanding of fair, firm leadership. I believe Kamala Harris embodies these qualities. Her leadership is crucial not only for the US but for Israel and Western democracy as a whole.

One of the most pressing issues in the US today is the fight for reproductive rights. As a doctor, I have seen the impact of poor healthcare on women in the emergency clinics of rural Southern Africa. Trump’s policies are now bringing that to America. Trump engineered the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Since then, the number of women traveling across state lines to seek healthcare for basic pregnancy-related issues — including miscarriage, vaginal bleeding, and abortion — has increased dramatically.

In 2023, one in five abortion patients (about 171,000 women) traveled out of their home state for care, compared to just one in 10 (approximately 74,000) in 2020. This trend is driven by state-level abortion bans and severe restrictions following the Dobbs decision. The number of women who have died unnecessarily is still being counted. Septic abortion, once largely eradicated in the US, has returned. Worse yet, Trump’s pick for vice president supports a total ban on abortion. This could bring the state of healthcare for women in America back to the conditions I witnessed in the bush clinics of Africa.

Harris understands that access to reproductive healthcare is a matter of justice and equality, and the well-being of families depends on it. She will work tirelessly to safeguard these rights, ensuring that women do not endure unnecessary suffering.

Harris’s commitment to Israel is another reason I support her. She understands that the shared values of democracy and freedom bind Israel and America. In times of increasing global threats, Harris has made it clear that she supports Israel’s right to defend itself.

Israelis often say that Trump has supported Israel more than Biden. This is a myth. As the Council on Foreign Relations reports, the Biden administration allocated almost double the military and monetary aid to Israel as the Trump administration.

Notably, it was during the Obama administration that the critical 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed. And it’s under the Biden administration that the largest US fleet in decades was sent to protect Israel, while advanced missiles are now being deployed with US soldiers on the ground in Israel. Harris and Walz remain committed to continuing support under this agreement and will help defend Israel.

Harris’s economic plan will be far better for America than Trump’s. Harris’s proposed expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) will benefit a significant number of low- and middle-income families, reducing taxes for many households, lifting families out of poverty while providing targeted relief to those most in need.

The Harris plan is a clear plan. Trump has no plan other than reducing taxes for the ultra-rich.

Harris’s stance against antisemitism is especially important to me. I have seen in South Africa what antisemitism can do. Under the Biden-Harris administration, 2023 saw the release of the first-ever US National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This strategy includes over 100 new actions the administration will take to raise awareness of antisemitism, protect Jewish communities, reverse the normalization of antisemitism, and build cross-community solidarity.

I appeal to my fellow Israeli-Americans to support Harris in the upcoming election. On the one hand we have a rational, balanced, thoughtful leader who has carefully laid out her policies and demonstrated clear actions to counter antisemitism, support Israel, promote women’s rights and remain committed to democratic principles.

On the other hand we have a candidate who has demonstrated profoundly erratic and egotistical behavior, supports and enacts misogynistic policies, is supported by extremist, antisemitic groups, and demonstrates a willingness to abandon allies and embrace dictators such as Vladimir Putin, who supports Israel’s existential enemy, Iran.

For me, the choice is simple.

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