What Will Make America Great?

I am an American, and I am Jewish.  I have always thought I was a good American.  I have always thought I was good Jew. Yesterday, I was told I was neither. The person who delivered this message to me is the President of the United States.  Commenting on his disdain for Rep. Rashida Harbi Tlaib (D-MI) and her criticism of Israel, he said that "I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty."

I was born near the end of World War II.  I have family who fought the Nazis, and I lost family during the Holocaust.  I served in the Air Force rather than evading the draft during the Vietnam War.  I spent 34 years as a civil servant in the federal government. I have studied the Constitution and American history extensively and written books about both. I always thought that the way I have spent my life, and the contributions of my family, made me a good American no matter which party I vote for.  Until I was told differently yesterday.

I attend my local synagogue only sporadically, but I have internalized the moral lessons of my faith due to the Jewish education I received from my grandfather, an immigrant, and my parents.  Those lessons include belief in the humanity of all people, tolerance for diversity, and the Golden Rule.  They prevent me from disdaining anyone because of their faith.  They encourage questioning and debate, not character attacks.  They encourage learning.  The marriage of my religion and my America certainly come together in the freedom of religion and free speech of the First Amendment.  So I have always thought I was a good Jew because I honor both.  Until yesterday, when the president told me I was ignorant and disloyal. 

I live in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Two years ago this month, the president of our congregation had to stand outside our temple as a lone barrier against neo-Nazis and white supremacists marching down the street, amidst chants of "Jews will not replace us."  The president found it hard to condemn them.  "You also had some very fine people on both sides," he said.  I would have thought that all such marchers would be the definition of ignorance and disloyalty, not me.  Until yesterday.

We must not ignore what is happening.   I don't know much about Rep, Tlaib. I suspect I would not agree with some of the things she has said.  But she has a right to say them.  That freedom is what my family fought for against Hitler and why I spent my professional life in service to my country. When the president charges people like me with ignorance and disloyalty, he invites the kind of hate and violence that have been escalating in America.  He brands me a "bad Jew," and we all know what horrors have been and still are unleashed against "bad Jews."  The Anti-Defamation League reported a total of 1,879 attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions in the U.S. last year, the third-highest year on record since they began tracking this over 40 years ago.

At the end of Sabbath and High Holiday services in my synagogue, we recite one prayer for the State of Israel and another for the United States.  These prayers recall and restate our loyalty to both.  Yet they do not reflect a blind faith in either.  They recall what each nation should be at its best.  The concluding lines of the prayer for my country, the United States, are these:

"Grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance.
May they govern with justice and compassion.
Help us all to appreciate one another,
and to respect the many ways that we may serve You.
May our homes be safe from affliction and strife,
and our country be sound in body and spirit."

These words, for me, define what it is to be knowledgeable and loyal.  These words are also central, for me, to what it really takes to "make America great."  It's not which party or presidential candidate I vote for, and it's not whether I am willing to condemn someone for using her free speech rights.  I certainly respect the right of any American to wear the MAGA hat.  America should be great.  But I would appreciate it if the president would spend more time reminding Americans to respect each other and less time putting a target on my back.   

Photo Credit: r. nial bradshaw