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.
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