Donald Trump’s historic victory to reclaim the White House last week sent a political earthquake across much of the country, including for faith organizations.

In Connecticut, Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith leaders had a wide range of reactions to Trump’s U.S. presidential win, discussing a number of the issues they think are most pressing from abortion rights to preserving democracy to the war in Gaza.

Among a myriad of hot-button issues, the conflict in the Middle East dominated the discussions. The war, which began when the militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has decimated Gaza and spilled into neighboring Lebanon. The war has killed an estimated 41,595 Palestinians, and many are children, according to the Palestinian Health Authority.

“The Muslim community felt like the Democrats were taking us for granted, but they weren’t listening to our concerns,” said Dr. Reza Mansoor, president of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford. “There was a big movement to abandon (President Joe) Biden in the primaries because it seemed Biden wasn’t empathetic to the genocide in the Middle East. When (Kamala) Harris was placed in the position, we all thought she would be voicing a different position, but she only followed Biden’s talking points.”

Mansoor said the Muslim community was split over the election, with many choosing not to vote and stay home on Election Day. He said that Muslims by and large soured on Democrats for the party’s fervent pro-Israel stance.

In Dearborn, Mich., where a large Arab population once made up a stalwart of Democratic support, voters protested Biden and voted Republican for the first time in a generation. Despite this, pro-Palestinian U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib got twice as many votes as Harris, winning Dearborn easily over her Republican opponent, according to AP election results.

“Trump’s track history for Muslims isn’t great, I hope and pray he will have a change of heart,” said Dr. Khamis Abu-Hasaballah, co-founder and president of the Farmington Valley American Muslim Center.

“Many of our members didn’t vote for Trump but did not vote for Harris,” Abu-Hasaballah said. “They went for the Green Party or didn’t vote at all. I can admit there was a real division in our community. One side said Harris is the lesser of the two evils. The other side said that Biden’s policies were allowing for the genocide of innocent Palestinians. At the end of the day, people voted with their conscience.”

Among the Jewish leaders in Connecticut, some are hopeful and others are fearful of a second Trump term. During his first term, Trump signed the Abraham Accords and formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2017. Since the war began, Trump has been critical of Biden and his stance on Israel.

Despite this, it is estimated that 79% of U.S. Jews voted for Harris, a historic rebuttal of Trump, according to exit polling from The Times of Israel. According to the same exit polling data, many U.S. Jews feared democracy was at stake and that hate crimes could rise under a second Trump presidency.”

“The reason is the top concerns of the Jewish community are the state of democracy and immigration,” said Rachel Levy, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut. “We are especially worried we could lose voting rights, freedom of religion and free speech. That puts the Jewish community in a tenuous position in America, just like it has been throughout history. So our plan is to continue to fight anti-Semitism and secure our community with increased security measures.”

Levy pointed to Friday’s violent attack against Jewish soccer fans in Amsterdam as a warning sign for American Jews that anti-Semitism may increase in the United States. According to a 2024 survey by the Anti-Defamation League, more than 42% of Americans either have friends or family who dislike Jews or find it socially acceptable for a close family member to support Hamas.

“I’m afraid that total bedlam is going to break out in this country and that people will attack my kids for just being Jewish,” Levy said. “There is real fear in the Jewish community.”

Rabbi Yitzchok Adler with Beth David synagogue said Biden was steadfast in his support for Israel and that he believes that will continue under Trump. Adler, who would like to see a cease-fire deal, said what remains to be seen is how Israeli support will lead to peace in the Middle East.

“I believe that Biden has articulated expressly that he is a supporter of Israel and has called himself a Zionist,” Adler said. “I don’t think President-elect Trump is any less a supporter of Israel. We will all have to see how that support translates itself from policy into action over the coming months.

“My hope has been for a cease-fire for a very, very long time,” Adler added. “The policies of both Israel and the U.S. are ultimately decided by the voters. Both countries are democratic. In the aftermath of an election, regardless of results, it is the responsibility of the people to embrace the democratic process.”

For Christian leaders, Trump represents more of a shift in stances such as abortion, contraception and LGBTQ issues. Trump’s Supreme Court picks led to the 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade, which had previously made abortion legal across the country since 1973. Abortion remains a deeply partisan issue in the United States. Biden, who is a lifelong Catholic, went against official views of the church in his pro-choice stance on abortion.

But unlike strong Jewish support for Harris, Catholics broke largely for Trump. NBC News exit polling conducted in 10 states found that Trump carried the Catholic vote, 56% to 41%. Among white Catholics, the former president fared even better, capturing 60% of the vote.

Christopher Healy, executive director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference, said that several issues including religious freedom drove Catholic voters to the polls.

“Two things in particular, but the biggest is religious freedom. Some of the incidents with the Biden administration and the targeting of Catholics to do Latin Mass and a generally hostile secular attitude I think will change,” Healy said. “The other issue is the transgender issue for many Catholics. We’re very concerned about the Title IX regulations by the Biden administration that we’re living under now, which equates transgender boys with girls. Catholic schools that have girls sports programs have to play secular schools, that’s just reality. So we’re faced with the fact that boys can play on a girls team at the scholastic level including middle school and high school. I think that’s a real concern for many Catholics, and I think that will change.”

Healy, who served for four years as chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party from 2007 to 2011, said that he is hopeful for a new Trump presidency. Abortion, which is a large issue for Catholic voters, also played a role, according to Healy. But he added that in a lot of states, including Connecticut, the issue of abortion is a done deal and probably wasn’t the biggest driver for Catholics. In 2022, Connecticut passed the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act, which expanded abortion access and protections for both patients and providers.

“We have some of the most permissible abortion laws in the country, I don’t foresee a change in that,” Healy said. “Obviously, we Catholics oppose abortion, but we understand we live in a state where this is the law. We don’t like it, but we respect the state and will work under the state’s political system. We will continue to advocate as we think abortion is an evil. But I think religious freedom and the transgender issue were two big motivators in this election.”

The Archdiocese of Hartford refused to comment on the election results but referred the Courant to a non-partisan statement by the United States Conference for Catholic Bishops.

“The Catholic Church is not aligned with any political party, and neither is the bishops’ conference. No matter who occupies the White House or holds the majority on Capitol Hill, the Church’s teachings remain unchanged, and we bishops look forward to working with the people’s elected representatives to advance the common good of all,” the statement said. “As Christians, and as Americans, we have the duty to treat each other with charity, respect and civility, even if we may disagree on how to carry out matters of public policy. As a nation blessed with many gifts, we must also be concerned for those outside our borders and eager to offer assistance to all.”