Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

A couple of thoughts as we experience another challenging week in our world.

The war that began this week between Israel and Iran scares me as it does all of us in our Jewish community.  It is yet another case of innocent civilians being put at risk by leaders who choose war over diplomacy. I think: how long will our Israeli brethren find air raid sirens and bomb shelters to be a part of everyday existence. I also wonder why our president, who up until this week was interested in negotiating a nuclear arms deal with Iran, had tossed aside a previous agreement for his own narrow political purpose.

The other horrific event was the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, and the injuring of two others, all as they slept in their homes. We cannot normalize this kind of violence. 

On the hopeful side, there was much hope to take from the “No Kings” rallies held all over the country. Central to our Jewish theology is that there are no human kings, a title reserved for G-d and G-d alone. I was asked by a number of people if I was going to be a speaker at the rally. Part of what I liked about the rally was that no one was asked to be a speaker. It was small “d” democratic. Everyone’s power was in showing up, to be present not only for their own causes and self-preservation. I know many were present from Kol Ami, and I am sorry for those I did not see among the big crowd.

There was no violence, and actually very little in the way of a police presence. Our governor’s call to mobilize the national guard was much more provocative than protective; seeking to cast the rally in a negative light even before it had taken place. The big takeaway is that we all need each other if we are going to protect our democracy, and the well-being of all of us.