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empty Blue and White: Shmuel Sackett

When Will The War End?

The news has been devastating. Each morning, as we open our computers or turn on the radio, we...

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empty Blue and White: Shmuel Sackett

Nowhere Else To Go

empty Blue and White: Shmuel Sackett

Why Do They Look Like That?

Blue and White: Shmuel Sackett

They Are NOT Our Cousins

empty Blue and White: Shmuel Sackett

My Rabbi’s Summer Vacation

Israeli Politics

Colors: Green Color

By the time you read this, we may well know the result of the Special Election for the City Council. But if you think there will be a respite from politics, guess again. The big election this year will be the Primary on June 22. The winner has already started running for re-election and potential opponents are already gearing up. They will start collecting signatures to get on the ballot in less than three weeks.

Everybody knows that arguments within families are the hardest ones to resolve. More often than not, disputes regarding inheritance cause irreparable damage. How sad that brothers stop talking, cousins never get to know each other, and families are literally broken apart.

Many of us would not consider ourselves political individuals and do not put going to the polls on our list of priorities. Nonetheless, casting your ballot gives you a voice on issues ranging from housing and education to employment and healthcare. Being involved in the voting process allows you make a real difference in the makeup and decisions within your community. Casting a vote has dire consequences for the quality of life that both you and your family experience today and in the years ahead. From riding the bus or train to raising minimum wage to getting better textbooks in school, your vote decides how these issues will play out. Casting your ballot affords you the opportunity to delegate how your hard-earned tax dollars are divvied out for necessities like medical expenses and social services that many take for granted.

I have spoken in over 500 Jewish communities in the United States and Canada and love the Q&A session that follows my presentation. This is where people get to ask what is truly bothering and/or confusing them. Once – at a hotel in the Catskills – a young woman gave an introduction to her question by asking a pre-question: “Is it okay if I ask something that might offend you?” My answer was simple and to the point; “Of course you can. Ask whatever you want. But is it okay if my answer offends you?” She decided not to ask her question. Oh, man! I was actually looking forward to that one.

A friend of mine, visiting from New York, came to my shul on Shabbos and asked where our rabbi was. Innocently, and without giving it any thought, I answered that he is in “miluim” (IDF reserves). Like tens of thousands of Israeli men, he is part of the war being fought against evil. What blew my mind was my friend’s comment – which I was not expecting. “He is in the army now? That’s funny… My rabbi from New York is in a bungalow colony in the Catskills with his family. Pretty big difference!”

I live in Herzliya, and every time I enter the city, I feel ashamed by the gigantic sign that has been posted at the entrance. It’s a quote from Golda Meir from the 1970s, when she said, “Israel has a secret weapon – We have nowhere else to go!” Why do I cringe every time I see that sign? I’ll answer that in a minute, but first let me tell you that I have the same feelings when I hear the famous song, “Ein lanu eretz acheret” (We have no other land). Here’s why:

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