When the clock hits midnight in a few days, the whole world
will celebrate the arrival of a new year.
New Year’s Day is not considered to be a Jewish holiday (we have our own
New Year, Rosh Hashanah in early autumn), however, January 1st is a big marker
of time! It serves as a reminder to stop
and think about where we are at this moment both as individuals and a
society. In light of this calendar
change, I’d like to reflect upon the lessons that I personally learned in 2015
and my hopes for the future.
Stand up for what you believe
Earlier this summer, I received multiple invitations from
Reform Rabbis to join “America’s Journey for Justice” a forty day march from
Selma, Alabama to Washington, DC coordinated by the NAACP. This march highlighted the deep racism and
income inequality that pervades our society.
After hearing about the march, I thought about whether I had the time or
the inclination to travel down to rural Georgia. Luckily, I made the right decision and stood
alongside people of all ages, races, and religions, to march for justice. The lesson I learned is that talk can be
cheap. We must stand up for what we believe
and act in order to better our world.
Support Our Friends
Just a few weeks ago, our society was rocked by the vicious
terrorist attacks in Paris, France and San Bernardino, California. Certain politicians and the media began to spew
hatred about Muslims. Our leaders began
to talk about closing the US border to Syrian refugees, while others lambasted
the Muslim community saying that many were terrorists. Just days after the attack in Paris, I was
contacted by my friends from the Islamic Center of Long Island to join with
them to condemn ISIS and to state publicly that moderates of all religions care
about human life. I was proud to join
them and be one of the few Jewish representatives. When our friends need our support and our
help, it is our obligation to stand by them and speak out against hatred and
fear.
Change Does Happen
It can be hard to be an optimist in today’s world. It seems that our country is becoming even
more polarized and that politicians utter whatever is in their hearts without
thinking about the ramifications of their words. Terror and fear pervade our world and too
many still are affected by the economic collapse. It sometimes feels that we are moving
backwards instead of forwards. However,
this June, we celebrated a major victory: Gay Marriage became the law of our
land. Millions of same-sex couples,
their friends and families, were able to celebrate as their relationships were
now legally recognized. Change does
happen! It might be slower than we like
and there might be many downs before there are ups, but change does
happen! It’s a tough road ahead, but
when we support our friends and act for justice, our world can become a more
peaceful and transformative society. May
we continue to do our part in 2016 to bring Tikkun Olam, healing to our world.
