The Calm Before the Storm

When I first moved to Israel, many people here were confused. They thought I must be crazy to leave Manhattan. My standard line was that Israel was safer and the politics more normal. This was before Trump became president.

It was a joke.

Israel is faced with constant threats by belligerent nations and war can start at anytime. It also looks like we are going to get to vote for the 3rd time.

Side note, I was very excited to vote in my first Israeli election. It made me feel, well,  very Israeli. If we go to number 3 I think it will just piss me off. This is feeling of most everyone here. Getting pissed off, is also very Israeli  I will get back to this issue in another post ( which will come)

It seems my joke is no longer funny.

I read news from the USA and it is very unnerving. Every day there is a report of some antisemitic incident at a school, shul cemetery etc.. In addition to this almost every month a Jew gets beat up in Brooklyn.

and then there is the shul shooting.

This seems to bother people a bit but no one I spoke to is overly concerned. From here it looks ominous. It might just be that the news makes things scarier than they are but these things are happening.

Also, it easy to blame Trump and right wing extremists for this but the truth is there is plenty coming from the left. It takes it's form as BDS on college campuses, banning Jewish groups that support Israel from marching in pride parades ETC.

No one is saying that those committing the violence in Brooklyn are white supremacists.

This is all coming from the left and it is alarming.

Biggest difference.

The right admits it hates Jews.

Which leads me to the American elections.

This is horror film scary.

Think SAW III meets Nightmare on Elm Street 14.

It looks like Americans will have a choice between an egotistic, narcissistic , lying philanderer, who has brought a lot of shame and embarrassment to the office of President,  on one side, vs. a confirmed socialist or a not confirmed but maybe worse socialist.

Since most of the people reading this are in what are called the 'deep blue states' it really doesn't make a difference. The democratic nominee will win in those states so effectively your vote doesn't count.

The question is what will the people in the middle do?

The ones  that think Trump disrespects the office of President daily but like the lower taxes and historically low unemployment. Also, for what it's worth, you have to recognize that he is the most pro-Israel president in history. We know that will not be the case with any of the democratic nominees.

These people in the middle are appalled by Trumps behavior but not necessarily his policies.

Is that disgust enough to make them vote for someone who will no doubtingly change the fabric of american life towards a course that they abhor. Or will they keep the devil they know.

Bernie says he wants to make the USA more like Sweden. What happens when Trump points out that the middle class in Sweden pays a much higher percentage of the total taxes in that country and the rich a lower total percentage.

Undoubtedly, the middle class will find out there is no free lunch ( not for them anyway) and it is those middle class people, the ones who don't want to change the health insurance they worked so hard for, the one's who played by all the rules just to see themselves paying for a generation that doesn't want to, that will choose who the next president will be.

The whole thing will come down to a relatively few districts in a few states and although the polls say otherwise I don't think it is looking good for the Socialists.

Sometimes polls are wrong. Ask Hillary

However , I also think that even if the Dems lose this election, there will come a time in the not too distant future that they won't be losing anymore.

The trend has the Democrats gaining demographically. So the days of conservative, free market presidents will be over soon enough.

Here is the problem. The younger democratic supporters are way to the left of their parents. They are also more likely not to support Americas relationship with Israel.   (To learn more about this generation watch this  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATTMB4gH3sU  )

So where does this leave American Jews. Very much between and rock and a hard place. I know it may not look that bleak now but it is coming.

I will leave you with a recommendation for two books I just read ( yes I can read). The first is Divided We Stand by Daniel Gordis. It is his view on why American Jews and Israeli Jews see Israel in totally different lights.

If you only have time for one book, read Letters for Talia. It is only available as a download and it is the real letters written between a Hesder ( Israeli army Yeshiva student) student and a girl from a secular kibbutz in the period leading up to the  Yom Kipper war. It is an amazing book that I would never have found on my own but was recommended to me.

I was very happy with that recommendation and decided to do the same.

I would say that I will write again soon. I will try but since I am not a candidate for president I won't make a promise I don't intend to keep