November 9, 2016/ 8 Heshvan 5777
After the Election
Rabbi Audrey S. Pollack
For those who have been asking, what
should I say to my children, how will you respond to the members of your
congregation-our Canadian friends who ask how could this have happened, how is
this possible, what will we do. This is my response:
My father was a proud American. The son of immigrant parents who had come to
America in the early part of the 20th century in search of a better
life free of the persecutions and pogroms against Jews in Eastern Europe, he raised
us with the values of democracy. He was
a student of history, and later a teacher of history, who believed in the value
of public education and the ideals that extend civil rights, freedoms and
justice to every American. On Flag Day and the 4th of July, I have
strong memories of him putting out our American flag in its holder on the front
of our house, and being carried on his shoulders to watch the parades. He instilled
in my sisters and me the importance of voting, of civic engagement, and in
dialogue with those whom we might not agree with. He taught us to believe in the values and
ideals of American democracy and to stand up for the rights of those who did
not have a voice.
My mother is a proud American. Her
grandparents were immigrants who also came seeking a better life, a place where
they would enjoy freedom and as Jews, not fear for their lives because they
were a minority, different, other. She,
like my father, believes in the value of public education and civic engagement
and dialogue. My parents spent their careers teaching in the public education system
and devoted their lives to helping children and families from all walks of
life, ethnicities, cultures, religions, socio-economic status, political
leanings, and beliefs. And they raised
me and my sisters in a community that shares those values.
This morning is a mix of
emotions. Many political commentators are
writing opinions about what is broken in America, and how the political system delivered
last night’s election results. I will leave it to them to analyze. We must realize
that there is a part of America that is elated by last night’s election
results. We have to try and understand
and make sense of what that means. Most Americans that I know, however, are worried,
embarrassed, angry, hurt, and fearful.
As Jews we know all too well the
lessons of history and what happens when hate and fear is allowed to prevail. Last night we were expecting the shattering
of a glass ceiling, to see the first woman in US history elected to the
presidency. Today, November 9th , is the anniversary of another
shattering of glass, Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. 78 years ago in
Nazi Germany and Austria after years of Hitler's campaign against Jewish
citizens, crowds and soldiers burned synagogues and broke into Jewish houses
and stores, attacking and murdering Jews. German authorities looked on without
intervening. The tide had turned.
Some of my friends’ children are
asking their parents this morning “what will happen to my friends who came here
from Mexico, who are Muslim immigrants, who have brown skin”? We are fearful of
what will happen to the great strides that were made for the protection of LGBTQ
Americans, for marriage equality, for the rights of women to make their own
decisions about their bodies, for civil rights and religious freedoms.
I understand that fear. That fear
runs deep - My mother always taught us
that it was important to always have a valid passport. I’d like to think it was because her mother,
who came through the Great Depression as a child, enjoyed clipping articles
from National Geographic and dreaming of the places she wanted to visit, something
she was fortunate to enjoy in her later years. I’d like to think that. But I know that it is
about something deeper. It is not because we did not have a comfortable life,
not because there was anything rationally known to fear. But “just in case.” That is not to say that I think most liberal
Americans should leave the country, even as I know that many liberal Americans were/are
considering options to leave. Last night as we watched the election returns
from our home in Canada, the immigration Canada website crashed from all of the
traffic.
To the contrary, I believe that we
cannot allow fear and anxiety to guide us. To be sure, this election will have
great effect on the world. But we must also remember that America is still a
democracy. It is a democracy that has at
its center a system of checks and balances built into it. We must work together to hold back the tide of
xenophobia, racism, misogyny and homophobia. We must recommit ourselves to protect those
who are most marginalized and most at risk. We have to strive together to
uphold decency, fairness, moderation, compromise and the rule of law. We have
to work harder to encourage multiculturalism and diversity, to diversify and
support our own networks of friends, to help those less fortunate, to speak up
when we hear people speaking bigotry and untruths, and to be vigilant.
Now more than ever we need the teachings
of our prophetic tradition, reminding us: “Learn to do good. Devote yourselves
to justice; Aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; Defend the cause
of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17) and “You have been told what is
good, And what Adonai requires of you: Only to do justice; to
love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) These same teachings were eloquently phrased
in the inspiring words of Michelle Obama: “When they go low, we go high.”
Posts
