Jewish Congressmen: Two Opposing Points of View?
by Ari Bussel and Norma Zager
Recent events have sparked controversy, even among friends, about the ethics and loyalties of Jewish public officials. Rhetoric aside, the hype remains at the forefront, but our attention must focus on what is actually being done to curtail activities that could destroy the Jewish Homeland. We are at a point in history where action is required. This is the time to identify our true friends.
Separating the hype and rhetoric from action seems the real challenge and a cornucopia of answers seems apparent. Of utmost value are answers to the following questions: Who is sincere and who is covering their own disloyal behavior with demagoguery to the highest degree. We disagree about just whom we can actually trust.
Israel and the Jewish People are challenged to the very core of existence and being accused of crimes they have never committed. They are being demonized in preparation for the next Holocaust, one designed to ensure eradication of the People and the State once and for all.
We view these perilous times as most significant. Thirsting for action, we slowly discover our friends--often in the most unlikely places. However, Jewish people are "a house divided," and we truly cannot know who among these politicians can be trusted. Ari and I disagree at times about these officials and their motives.
In the end, of course, the future will unravel and posers will be revealed. In this postcard, Ari's report and findings are presented, then I add another factor into the equation. Ultimately, the reader will offer a third and final thought to the argument. A point-counterpoint and then culmination, so to speak.
Ari's Thoughts
The Rabbi of a conservative temple in Woodland Hills invited a congregant and good friend, Congressman Brad Sherman to speak.
I could not resist the temptation. The title was "Town Hall Meeting for All Valley Synagogues! " to voice our concerns over the Obama Administration's stance toward Israel."
I know Congressman Brad Sherman is a Democrat, generally considered pro-Israel. I knew nothing about Temple Aliyah, but arrived at an overflowing room.
With the exception of maybe a dozen Israelis, the room was filled from side to side with middle-aged Americans. It later turned out by a show of hands the audience of some 300 was pretty much divided between those who elected the President and still support him and those to whom the mantras of "Change," "Hope" and "Yes, We Can" are nothing but guises of a naked king.
Having recently heard another top ranking Democrat from the Hill, Congressman Howard Berman, I expected very little from Congressman Sherman. Berman was clearly one whose Party and President came before everything else, Israel included.
Thus, I came intrigued about why another Congressman would offer to serve as a messenger of concerns from the local Jewish community to the President? Should Congressman Sherman not try to appease his electorate in an effort to ensure his own continued re-electability? The President clearly cares little.
Moreover, I could not reconcile why those who voted for the President, many of whom still believe to this very day he is the manifestation of the Messiah on Earth, have any concerns about His attitude toward Israel. What may have changed arose my curiosity, causing me to drive to the end of the world to investigate.
I found an interesting trend: Jews from both sides of the aisle, still clearly divided along the major rift of the two major parties, all sitting in one place anxious to express their concerns, like a volcano about to erupt. All are concerned. Pre-election promises have not been kept, the recent focus on dividing Israel's eternal capital and the vicious attacks on the Jewish State (e.g. causing deaths of American soldiers overseas) have reached the breaking point until people feel smothered and nearing suffocation.
