It’s that time of year when we see signs and banners, social media posts and TV ads. No, I’m not talking about Black Friday sales. Those will come soon enough. I’m talking about elections. This year, Israel’s election day will be followed about a week later by our local, state and federal elections here in the US.
Elections at all levels will have an impact on our community. For Jewish communities in the diaspora, the importance of building and maintaining relationships with elected and governing officials has been a vital task for over 1500 years, and it continues today. This is your opportunity to exercise the right, privilege and responsibility to vote. In these uncertain times, it is as important to choose good leaders as it has ever been.
There is another election campaign going on, far from our shores. Israel will be going to the polls amid a surge in terror attacks and violence, a volatile Iran racing toward a nuclear weapon while repressing protestors and re-arming its Russian allies, and shifting dynamics around energy resources and alliances. The players are almost the same as last time, and the results look to be deadlocked again.
What happens in Israel has implications for us not only because of the chaos and threats described above, but more so because of our brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel who will be making these choices as their society is stressed and fractured, and their social safety net overburdened.
To make some sense of this moment in time fraught with challenges for Israel and the world, your Federation will be welcoming Gil Hoffman, the executive director of HonestReporting, which fights for Israel in the international mainstream and social media;He is a lecturer on political strategy at Israel's College of Management and served as chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post for 24 years. Gil will be speaking to the community at Congregation Shir Shalom on October 29th at 7:30pm. You can register for the event by clicking on the flyer below.
Gil will also be a scholar in residence at Kehilas Bais Yehudah (KBY) in Wesley Hills on October 28th and 29th. I will be speaking at KBY on the 29th as well. Details and topics can be found below. We are also going to be hearing from Gil in the aftermath of the election via zoom. He will reach into his decades of experience, dozens of contacts, and considerable insight into Israeli politics to give us a well informed perspective on the likely coalition building that follows. Details of this program will be forthcoming.
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Looking forward to seeing you at these events!