A New Generation of Elected Officials

Everyone remembers where they were on Shimini Atzeres/Simchas Torah that coincided with October 7, 2023, when they heard the news. As Yom Tov progressed, we kept hearing bits and pieces of news that grew worse by the minute. The unfathomable news of mass murder, rape, and hostages kidnapped from their own homes felt like a horror movie that couldn’t be true. Not everyone was sad that day or in the days to follow. On October 8, there was a pro-Palestinian rally in Times Square that celebrated the heinous attacks by Hamas. One of the participants at the rally was wearing a keffiyeh and standing next to a poster declaring “Zionism is genocide” was chanting “resistance is justified.” This week, after the mayor of NYC endorsed her, the individual won the Democratic primary in New York's 13th Congressional District and is nearly certain to become a Member of Congress in the upcoming November midterms. With all the problems the people of NYC are facing, it appears that in certain districts running on a Pro Hamas platform is the ticket to victory. ​ It was just about 250 years ago that President George Washington sent his famous letters to the Jewish community. In these letters, he assured the Jewish community that the new United States would guarantee religious liberty, stating it gave "to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." This past week, a Jewish Member of Congress went to a coffee shop. After he left, the management realized who he was and announced that they regretted selling coffee to a “genocide enabler.” ​ In this week's parsha, we read once again about the interesting gentile, Bilaam, who had spiritual powers and prophetic experiences. Bilaam was a rabid anti-semite and wanted to deliver a devastating curse on the Jews as they traveled towards the Land of Israel. G-d thwarted his evil intentions and compelled him to offer kind words and blessings to our ancestors. In one of his forced blessings, he said, הֶן־עָם֙ לְבָדָ֣ד יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן וּבַגּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יִתְחַשָּֽׁב׃. Translation: “There is a people (Jews) that dwells apart and is not reckoned among the nations.” The practical application is that the Jewish People have an (unofficial) set of rules that don’t apply to anyone else. No nation or people have the rules of war that are expected of Israel. For the most part, this unfair and biased double standard is based on ancient hatred for Jews. This hatred has ebbed and flowed for over 3,300 years since we accepted the eternal covenant at Mt. Sinai. Many nations and peoples still have not forgiven us for becoming the chosen nation. For the last 250 years, from George Washington to today, with some exceptions, America has been a bastion of peace and stability. We are now living in a time where there are unabashed Hamas supporters who are elected to prominent mayoral and congressional positions. Whether this is a blip on the radar or a worrisome sign of the future remains unknown. What is clear is that Bilaam's promise that we are a “people who dwell in solitude” is very much a harsh reality in 2026. The story of the Jewish journey in the United States, and what the future holds for us, is very much an open and unsettling question. ​ Have a peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch