Clergy Blog

Shabbat Shalom,

Tuesday’s election may not be the most polarizing one of my lifetime, but it is certainly the most polarizing election for Jews in my lifetime. Never have I seen politicians so regularly address (or avoid addressing) Jews, Israel, and antisemitism. Our concerns are front and center, above the fold, in op-eds, and constantly scrawled across national news networks. 

If you ever needed confirmation that Jews are not a monolith, I imagine the exit polls on Tuesday will give you just that. This election cycle in particular has highlighted a deep, internal division within the Jewish community. Just this past week there have been articles circulating nationally about Jewish approaches to Mamdani & Cuomo, antisemitism and anti-Israel charges against both Ciattarelli and Sherrill, profiles of leftist Jews in the New York Times, and three different letters, signed by hundreds of rabbis, articulating vastly different political stances vis-a-vis November 4th (don’t bother looking for my name, I didn’t sign any of them). 

Over two years since October 7th, it’s clear that there are colossal political divisions among our people. And I say “our people” in particular because we must remind ourselves that these divisions are between people, created in the image of God. Between grandparent and grandchild, brother and sister, two friends who have moved in opposite directions. 

When the dust settles after November 4th, I don’t expect any one politician to sew together the internal rifts within the Jewish community. But I do hope that whatever happens, we can reach for the humility and fellowship that we so desperately need. Our parasha this week, Lech L’cha, is an important reminder that we are all b’nai Avraham v’Sarah, we are the children of Abraham and Sarah. We are bound together in our chain of tradition through this shared lineage. Abraham is charged by God in his initial call to “be a blessing.” Our Sages teach that to “be a blessing” is to act in a way where God will rejoice in your deeds and actions. Whatever happens on Tuesday, I pray that we all reach within the deepest wells of our souls to be a blessing, and to bring our people that much closer to wholeness. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Max