Dear Friends,

Like many of you, I found this election week and these past several months exhausting. Not a day has passed without at least one intense conversation about the magnitude of this election for the Jewish community, Israel, and the future of this country.

As with any election, there are those among us who celebrate the outcome with a sense of possibility and hope; and there are those among us for whom the outcome inspires heartache, vulnerability, and fear. We need to hold space in our hearts and our community for both.

Even amid such division, I do feel a sense of relief and gratitude that, as JCRC wrote this week, across the country, “boards of elections, poll workers, and various state and local bodies have once again conducted a free and fair election. A healthy, vibrant democracy allows us to openly debate, to express our hopes at the ballot box, and then have a peaceful and lawful transition of power. This is not something that we take for granted, it should be treasured and defended.”

While this week represents the formal end to what has been an exhausting process, the deep divisions that the election laid bare shows just how polarized we are as a country. This polarization extends to our Jewish community as well. Elections remind us how people see and experience the world differently than each other and of the very real disagreements we have about vision, values, and matters of consequence that have significant implications for our lives and our future.

In the past few years, it has been frightening to see the level of demonization, dehumanization, and hate that poison our public discourse and turn us against one another. And it’s not just in the U.S. Last night, I watched the footage of Israelis being beaten on the streets of Amsterdam by antisemitic mobs with horror. It was only the latest reminder of what a perilous time it is for Jews — both in Israel and around the world.

It has never been more important that we, as a Jewish community and as citizens of this country, summon our better angels and work to ensure the safety, well-being, and dignity of our own community and of every individual from every background and identity. We remain committed to confront antisemitism, racism, misogyny, or hatred in any form, both in speech and in actions, all of which can lead to the type of violence we saw last night in Amsterdam. We cannot and must not let that happen here.

Tikkun olam, healing our fractured world, begins with tikkun atzmi, healing ourselves and our relationships — especially with the people with whom we disagree the most. This starts with remembering that every human being is created in the Divine Image and is worthy of compassion, empathy, and respect.

We must try to fight for our values and for what matters most to us while staying in relationship and community with others with whom we, even vehemently, disagree. At a time when our divisions run deep and threaten the very fabric of our communities and our society, this is precisely the moment to double down on our core mission to build a local Jewish community that reflects the best of our Jewish wisdom and values and the best of America.

In the Torah portion this week we read about the first Jews, Abraham and Sarah, who heed God’s call of lech lecha: Go forth, leave your homes, embark on a journey into the unknown, and build a family, ultimately a People, who will be a blessing for all of humanity and the world.

In many ways, an election and a new administration require all of us to journey forth into an unknown future at a time when, in the spirit of midrashim about Abraham, the world is on fire. Lech lecha and our Jewish tradition remind us that we stand on the shoulders of previous generations who have navigated harrowing times with resilience and strength. We are grounded by thousands of years of teachings and values that are our moral and spiritual compass. And no one must travel alone. We set out to work together, to build and rebuild together. We have the capacity and responsibility to create blessings and begin the healing that our country and our world need right now, together.

This is our calling and our work, and they have never mattered more than right now. I am grateful, and hopeful, to be on this journey with all of you.