The Way It Iz

Each year, around this time, we get the chance to look back at the previous twelve months and see how we fared. Last year at this time, we were reeling from what was an objectively atrocious 5780. 5780 gave us violent antisemitic attacks, the deaths of George Floyd and Kobe Bryant, Australian wildfires, BLM riots, and oh yeah, a global pandemic. But now it’s the end of 5781, and although with January 6, the Israel-Hamas war, and the disaster in Afghanistan, we have certainly had our fair share of issues over the past 12 months, there is more optimism to be found going into Rosh HaShanah this year. So why don’t we go through all we have going for us now?

Righteous indignation is an emotional or angry reaction over the perception of the mistreatment of another. Though it has a basis in Christian doctrine, it has become a rallying cry on all sides of the political spectrum. The more one is able to claim moral outrage, the easier it is to make a moral argument. Historically, it can be the basis of the fight to free slaves, the creation of the New Deal, or even the establishment of a federal income tax. But more recently, it is being used to club political opponents.

Picture this scenario: A boy grows up in a low-income area of New York City. Life expectancy of kids his age is significantly lower than the rest of the state. Very few are able to escape the poverty into which they were born. Many are recruited into gangs at a young age, which turns out to be the best way to survive and even make a decent income in this neighborhood. This boy’s older brother is part of a gang, but continuously warns him to stay away from that life. Unbeknownst to the boy, his older brother is actually a police informant who has been able to infiltrate a gang and is now disseminating information to the authorities about the goings-on of the gang.

Sports has come a long way. Athletes are no longer seen as these specimens of infallible physical perfection. Gone are the days of Michael Jordan scoring 38 points in the NBA Finals with the flu, or Kerri Strug attempting the vault in the 1996 Olympics and earning a gold medal, or Curt Schilling pitching Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series on a torn tendon in his ankle. Athletes are now seen as they always should have been: human.

In one of the most surprising turns of events in politics, Andrew Cuomo has decided to resign from office, becoming the third consecutive head of state to end his tenure in disgrace. At this point, the New York Governor is basically the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts, after a curse was placed upon the position by George Pataki. All across the land, there were cries of triumph from all of his political opponents, Democratic and Republican alike, perhaps none more so than his fiercest rival, embattled New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio. Democrats, specifically, got to puff out their chests. “See,” they were heard to say. “We take care of our problems in-house,” pointing to how they successfully ousted Cuomo with overwhelming support from his own party, and contrasting it with how Republicans refused to do something about Donald Trump for four years.

Amid growing outrage over Ben and Jerry’s decision to halt all business in Judea and Samaria, the America’s largest township took action. Last Thursday, the Town of Hempstead became the first to prohibit any future business with not only the famous ice cream brand, but also with its parent company, Unilever. Flanked by a bipartisan coalition, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin made the announcement ending business relations with Unilever. This decision follows a 2016 law that prohibited the town government from conducting business with anyone that openly boycotts America or its allies, including Israel.