As we enter the month of Elul, the final month of the Jewish year, we take pause to reflect on the year that is now behind us and we commit ourselves to doing teshuva (repentance) as we prepare to pray before the King of Kings on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Among the many things that it is incumbent upon us to be appreciative of are the rabbis that lead our communities, across the city, state and the entire country. Without these compassionate and wise leaders “of the flock” we would be pathetically lost in our life’s trajectory, nor would we have a stable spiritual guide to see us through the vicissitudes of everyday living.
As we approach the November presidential election, it has become increasingly apparent to us that the race we are witnessing now is arguably the most consequential election in modern history. We are in the throes of a deadly pandemic, palpable racial strife, a culture war and the explosion of anti-Semitism, among many other things, and with no clear end in sight. Now is the time for your Jewish Voice to heard!
Our rabbis’ do not endorse any political party or candidate as many religious leaders of other faiths do, and we applaud their position of transcending political posturing. We’re only concerned that many seemingly unconcerned Jewish citizens are not even registered to vote. Before this virus pandemic and the closing of the city’s synagogues to services, our staff had gone to daily and Shabbos services and questioned many of the congregants on this subject only to discover that many had never bothered to register in order to legally cast votes for candidates and for propositions on the ballots. Now is the time for your Jewish Voice to be heard!
They appeared to be content to let others make decisions for them that would impact them, their families’ and their communities’ future. In other words, they were not part and parcel of our democratic process. They were not using the mighty power and influence of their Jewish Voice. We consider these actions dangerous to our communities and our causes. This must end and our collective Jewish Voice must be heard!
That’s why we’re calling on our rabbis, their synagogues’ officers and social leaders to urge their congregants and members to register to vote, so that our nation and the world can hear our Jewish Voice. We cannot remain out of the political picture. Without falling afoul of the 501c laws that ban any tax free group to petition for or support a political candidate, Jewish voters have to consider what politicians or political party best represents their views and cast their votes appropriately. They have a right to use their Jewish Voice in the political arena.
When we look at churches and mosques, we see no lack of political partisanship. The likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, both ministers, don’t hold back from evidencing their political views during Sunday morning services, on TV and during their public speaking engagements. They’re introduced as “The Reverend so and so” thereby entangling their religion with their comments. They seem to have little problem with the law. Ditto for the imams of mosques around the country who spout their support for candidates who bash Israel and its supporters. They certainly make their voices heard, loud and clear.
We Jews have many social organizations, community centers and philanthropic agencies that can hold voter registration drives for their members to build up a Jewish voting bloc the likes of which Blacks, Latinos and Muslims already have. Their voices are bundled together to make their demands more powerful to the politicians. We’re envious of them because we have within us the power to make each individual Jewish Voice be heard.
It’s time we Jews start such a movement to organize the Jewish Voice as one that carries our message to those who make our laws and carry them out. Let it start with our rabbis who will make it their business to encourage their congregants to register, to become part of the election process, to let the public know that we have political clout and a strong Jewish Voice. Although we may have varying political viewpoints, support different political parties and candidates, we are Jews who need a Jewish Voice in the democratic process of elections. Let’s make use of the system by first registering to vote and then letting our collective Jewish Voice be heard on Election Day.
Take a moment now and register to vote if you have not as yet done so. Click on this link: https://www.ny.gov/services/register-vote
