The great sage and teacher Hillel in a famous statement
declared, “If I am only for myself, who am I?” That proclamation provides a simple answer to the question of why
Jews should be Democrats. At it’s core, Judaism teaches caring for all the people rather than just oneself and immediate family.
Judaism’s focus has been on kehillah, making a better community and a better society. The Jewish idea of justice is to make a level playing field, where no one is too rich or too poor. That is why the word we commonly use for charity is
tzedakah, justice.
Over and over again in the Torah, we are reminded to care for the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor.
A first search finds more than 16 instances admonishing us to care for these segments of our society. “For remember, you too were a stranger in Egypt.” We need to remember that we were the strangers; a minority which faced discrimination, and must ensure that other groups in our society do not have to endure the same
experiences.
This social justice is also a core value of the Democratic Party. As I see it, the central teachings of Judaism are directly reflected in the values of the Democratic Party. Judaism teaches democracy. Moses created the first system of judges representing the people.
We all agree that a healthy and educated community is a better place for all. Maimonides listed healthcare first among all of the services a community should provide; as well as stating that a community that does not educate its children should be cut off from society.
Concern for the environment has long been a part of Jewish belief. When God made Adam a tiller of the soil, he gave him responsibility for caring for the earth. When Adam named the animals, he acquired and ethical responsibility for them.
Although the G.O.P. professes to support Israel, we must remember that Harry Truman was instrumental in the creation of the State of Israel; Jimmy Carter brought Israel and Egypt to peaceful resolution of difference with the Camp David Accords; and that Carter and Bill Clinton had the most progress in getting Israel and Palestine together at the peace table. All these efforts were made by Democratic presidents. In fact, Clinton worked to the very last day of his presidency to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine.
What do I see from the Republican Party? A philosophy that is primarily aimed at preserving one’s perceived wealth for oneself. Republicans do not see that helping the poor will ultimately
improve our society for everyone, that healthy educated children will produce better citizens.
What alarms me even more is the Republican Party’s association with the Christian Right. In its quest to hold prayer in the schools and force its Christian values on all Americans, they’ve forgotten and/or ignored the fact that this is
NOT a Christian country, but rather one where citizens have freedom of belief and practice, and where many other groups come to live and observe their faiths.
American Jews have become so assimilated and caught up in chasing after the American dream that they have forgotten their basic Jewish values. Unfortunately, the system of religious education we currently have for our children, meaning the religious school, through no fault of its own, cannot begin to teach our children these values, especially in contrast to the constant barrage they receive from the media. Unfortunately, most Jewish adults don’t know enough about Jewish values and teachings to be able to pass on this tradition on to their children.
Our democracy is in trouble today. With bills like Voter ID, the Republican Party is trying to lock out the voice of minorities, the elderly, the handicapped and the poor. The leadership of the G.O.P. has loudly threatened any Republican legislator who does not vote in lockstep, muting the voices of Americans who have legitimate concerns about the way our country is currently being run.
It is time to rethink our party affiliations along with our Jewish values and put them back in synch.
Contact RuthE
Levy (32nd Senate District Candidate)
