Opinion

The news this past week was in a tailspin. Damascus and its brutal dictator Assad fell to a group of bandits in a matter of days. Fifty years of oppressive family dictatorship have gone in a flash. Is that good news or bad news for the Jews? Hard to know. At least now, one major enemy has been defanged as Israel cleverly destroyed Syria’s entire abandoned air force, navy, and military bases. It seems to change the entire complexion of the Arab-Israeli situation.

Last week, my article opened with relating a text I received from a good friend who pointed to the fact that I was an early supporter of Donald Trump before it was fashionable to do so. I took that as a license to deservedly gloat over his victory. Yet, I made every effort to limit my gloating, as implied by the title itself, “The Gloat Goat.”

Our shul, the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, has had its share of “Hall of Fame” baalei batim: members who were loyal, dedicated, and wise – members who are beloved not just by peers but by the rabbi, as well.

I must admit: It is very tempting to gloat. After all, as one person texted me, “Rabbi, you were for Trump before it became popular.” This is true. I had been a supporter of Trump from the start of his first presidency. You may recall a year into Trump’s presidency, I wrote an article titled “How Crazy Are We?” – questioning the silly protests against Trump, even by Orthodox Jews. Till this day, I don’t get it.

I am writing this article after returning from a wonderful trip to Zurich for my niece’s wedding last week. Over Shabbos, we were in beautiful Venice. It was a special trip in many ways, but quite exhausting. Thankfully, we experienced zero anti-Semitism in either city, which is encouraging.

By the time you read this article, half the country will be ecstatic, and half the country will be in depression, depending on the election results. There is a private school in Manhattan that is scheduling a day off after Election Day so that its students can deal with the traumatic results of the election. That’s our snowflake generation. Though I may prove to be a snowflake myself.