Twenty-five years ago I delivered a eulogy for Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at Temple Israel of Hollywood in Los Angeles.

It appears on The Times of Israel site that you can read here:

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/when-israel-lost-its-innocence/

Ethiopian-born Meklit Hadaro (known as “Meklit”), a soulful singer and songwriter based in San Francisco, sings about what President Obama’s voice, heart, and spirit meant to a shocked nation when he sang “Amazing Grace” at the funeral of the Reverend Clementa Pinckney on June 17, 2015. Rev. Pinckney was murdered along with 9 people during a Wednesday night Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina by a young white supremacist man who wanted to start a race war.

6000 worshipers gathered in the church the day of the funeral and a worldwide audience watched live on television. An estimated 5000 people were turned away from the church for lack of seating space.  

Here is the refrain from Meklit’s song:

We argued where to lay the blame
On one man’s hate or our nation’s shame
Some sickness of the mind or soul
And how those wounds might be made whole
But no words could say what must be said
For all the living and the dead
So on that day and in that place
The President sang Amazing Grace
My President sang Amazing Grace

You can watch and listen to her song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBQOQVsdzbE

Here is President Obama singing “Amazing Grace” on that sad day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN05jVNBs64

For the full story as told in 2015 in the NY Times, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/thousands-gather-for-funeral-of-clementa-pinckney-in-charleston.html

Gratitude to Thomas Friedman’s whose op-ed “When My President Sang ‘Amazing Grace’ – We’ve forgotten what it’s like to have a truth-teller and a healer in the White House” appeared in today’s NY Times, October 28, 2020.

Senator Mitch McConnell, whose Republican Party represents a minority of the American electorate, has shifted successfully the political and judicial bias in the Supreme Court to a strongly conservative majority through raw political power. He did so by stealing two seats from Democratic Presidents.

For years, the Senate has not represented the will of the American people due to the over-representation of small Republican led states over the large states, the majority of which are led by Democratic Senators.

Assuming the election of a President Joe Biden, as all polls indicate, and a majority Democratic House and Senate, now is the time to do four things to restore democracy to the Senate, Supreme Court, and nation as a whole:

1. Eliminate the Senate filibuster to allow a simple Senate majority to decide policy
2. Expand the Supreme Court and introduce term limits
3. Admit Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico as the 51^st and 52^nd states
4. Pass a constitutional amendment to eliminate the Electoral College and allow the American people to elect directly the American President

To accomplish these goals, admittedly heavy lifting with consequences, the American people would restore institutional balance in the Supreme Court and United States Senate, and make the United States a representative democracy. With a Democratic majority in the Senate and House and a Democratic President come January, all this is possible.

It ought to be clear that Republicans have no problem imposing through raw minority power their undemocratic will upon the majority of the American people. The Democratic Party needs in response to take this opportunity to challenge the Republican bully on the playground and restore political balance to our democracy.

The link below was sent to me by a member of my book group, Marty Kaplan, who responded to my question about how my “bookie” friends were coping with their anxiety as we approach November 3. His pal, Susan Stamberg of NPR fame sent it to him.

Well worth the two minutes!

https://www.npr.org/2020/07/09/887494387/need-2-minutes-of-calm-inhale-exhale-and-click-here

Set to “This Land is My Land” by Woody Guthrie.

Great music, dancing, people, visuals, locations, and editing.

Worth watching every second of the 9 minutes. View to the end and then do as it says – VOTE!

https://crooksandliars.com/2020/10/land-our-land

This message comes from the leadership of the Reform and Reconstructionist movements of America. Please read carefully. This is vitally important for the status of the non-orthodox and non-right wing movements in world Jewry and in relationship with the State of Israel.

I am passing the following along to you on behalf of our movement with the hope that you will use whatever influence you may have with the leadership of the Zionist organizations below. Though I know that the alphabet soup of World Zionism is complicated and mind-numbing, I assure you as a past national chair of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) that this is vitally important.

The following letter went out on social media today:

“Your help is urgently needed in the next 48+ hours (before Tuesday, October 20) to stop the World Zionist Congress “take over” by extreme forces that would give the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox dominant control of the National Zionist Institutions including the World Zionist Organization (WZO) and Keren Kayemit L’Yisrael (KKL – The Israeli Jewish National Fund).

The American Reform movement successfully attained tens of thousands of votes in the recent World Zionist Congress elections, but now we could lose our voice in Israel because of an unprecedented and completely unacceptable political and ideological challenge to our values. There is an urgent vote on Tuesday, October 20 – and we’re asking the help of our Reform movement in America to make sure that North American Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist Zionists will not be silenced.

What’s at stake: The principles, positions, and potential budget decisions incorporated in the agreement are nothing less than a disaster for the National Institutions and ignore completely the role of Diaspora Jewry in the World Zionist Organization, the umbrella movement for all Zionist organizations, often called “the Parliament of the Jewish People.”

The demand: The “Agreement on Principles” of the World Zionist Congress negotiated by the right-wing Zionist parties as it stands now, is completely unacceptable to the Reform and Conservative Zionist Movements. We demand that it be taken off the table and redrafted in favor of a wide balanced agreement that includes all the Zionist parties and factions representing world Jewry, as was the case in the past.

How we can oppose this: Right now, the agreement has a slight majority among the various political representatives in the World Zionist Congress, but can be opposed if we use the votes of generally neutral Zionist organizations such as Hadassah, WIZO, B’nai B’rith, Naamat, and Maccabi Olami – many of which are supported by Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist Jews in North America.

What you can do: We need every organization to Vote Against this agreement! Please reach out utilizing the messaging below to your associates in these organizations and implore their leadership to take this courageous step and join us:

• Hadassah
• Bnai Brith
• WIZO
• Maccabi Olami
• Naamat

Primary messaging to all your contacts: “I’m reaching out with an urgent message to you as a fellow Zionist. You are about to lose your voice in Israel. There is an urgent vote on October 20 – here’s how to make sure you and other North American Zionists will not be silenced. There is an unprecedented and completely unacceptable political and ideological challenge to our values that could have a dangerous effect on pluralism – and so many critical issues – in Israel. We cannot sugar coat this – this development is a battle for the very soul of Zionism, the core of the Zionist enterprise, and what being a Zionist has always stood for. We hope you will not sit idly by as the one place worldwide Jews can have our influence in Israel is undermined. We must join together in a strategic fight to make sure our values will not be compromised. Please show that you are in support of representative diversity in the Zionist Movement by demanding that your organization’s leadership takes this courageous step to vote against the current agreement.

News articles for additional reading:

Agreement gives powerful post to religious Zionists, ultra-Orthodox slates – JPost

Right-wing, ultra-Orthodox parties accused of plotting ‘hostile takeover’ of key Zionist institutions – Haaretz

Right, Orthodox to control WZO – JPost

Secondary messaging (full talking points here) – The “Agreement on Principles” of the World Zionist Congress negotiated by the right-wing Zionist parties as it stands now, is completely unacceptable to the Reform and Conservative Zionist Movements and we demand that it be taken off the table and redrafted.

• This agreement gives the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox dominant control of the National Zionist Institutions including the World Zionist Organization (WZO) and the Israeli Jewish National Fund (KKL). The principles, positions, and potential budget decisions incorporated in the agreement are nothing less than a disaster for the National Institutions and ignore completely the role of Diaspora Jewry in the World Zionist Organization
• Agreement of the Right-wing and Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) in the World Zionist Congress – The “take over” by extreme forces of the National Institutions, removal of the non- Orthodox religious streams, and Reckless use of funds of the Jewish People and the Israeli Public
• The right-wing and Haredi parties in the World Zionist Organization this past Friday signed an unprecedented agreement bestowing them with a full takeover of the National Institutions including Keren Kayemet L”Yisrael (KKL-JNF) and the World Zionist Organization. This will be disastrous for our Movements that have worked to prevent egregious funding for Jewish Settlements over the Green Line
• The agreement gives unprecedented strength to two Haredi parties in the National institutions including full control of all of the educational activities of KKL with an annual budget of 94 million shekels, and through the establishment of two new departments in the WZO for activities directed at Haredim with tens of millions of shekels per year allocated
• The agreement completely ignores the Jewish Agency for Israel and will further the rift between the Jewish communities in North America and Israel. This is in continuation of the damage already caused by the steps of the Government of Israel regarding conversion and the Western Wall
• The agreement causes critical damage to the standing of the Reform and Conservative Movements, despite the fact that we make up over 20% of the delegates to the World Zionist Congress
• The agreement excludes representatives of the pluralistic religious streams in direct response to the demands of the Haredi parties
• The agreement gives unprecedented amounts of funds to be transferred from KKL to the WZO. This includes a long list of budgets for land purchases (for Jewish Settlement in the West Bank) of millions of shekels.

Please contact with any questions: Rabbi Josh Weinberg – jweinberg@urj.org

It is important that we can organize our efforts, and would ask that you please share your contact and who you are speaking with, with Molly Blumenthal: mblumenthal@urj.org

I’ve been a student of leadership throughout my life and especially during the Obama and Trump years. Though certainly there’s no one single style of effective leadership that applies for all people and organizations, I believe that there are virtues and character traits that make for great leadership. Consider the following as we approach the election.

Great leadership requires not just vision and high moral rectitude, but the love of truth, the love of humanity, empathy, compassion, wisdom, humility, gratitude, generosity, respect for the dignity of every individual, respect for the needs of the community, and a sacred commitment to further the common good.

Great leaders develop high emotional intelligence, work through their emotions with passion to inspire others, and lead by example.

Great leaders are courageous, lead from the front, and take risks. They take action only after careful consideration of the facts and all points of view. They articulate clearly and eloquently the choices before them and seek to influence others about why the choice they take is the best option even if it’s imperfect. They do not let the perfect stand in way of the good, and they embrace compromise when necessary to achieve noble and meaningful ends. In this way they frame reality and offer a coherent vision for the present and future.

Great leaders constantly are learning, developing, and honing their skills. They respect tradition  and are open to innovation and change. They embrace experimentation and don’t fear failure because they know that from failure they have the opportunity to learn.

Great leaders delegate responsibility to able colleagues and followers knowing that they themselves cannot do everything and that there are others who know more and are better able in areas in which they personally lack knowledge and skill. They credit and take pride in others privately and publicly for their work and accomplishments. They never steal credit. They rely upon team-work and encourage everyone to do their best for the sake of the greater good. They are neither self-absorbed nor self-serving.

Great leaders take responsibility when things go wrong, do not blame others, and don’t complain. They persevere after failure and learn from their mistakes. They work hard and diligently and take time for themselves, their families, and friends. They encourage the people with whom they work to do the same because they understand that people need balance in their lives and time to care for their bodies, hearts, minds, and spirits. They know that only with such balance are people happier and capable of doing their best work.

Great leaders inspire trust for all the above virtues and character traits.

Of all the excellent books on leadership that I’ve read, I recommend these two volumes:

Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2018). Dr. Kearns Goodwin, an outstanding presidential historian, considers the leadership models of Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodor Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson that distinguish these leaders among our greatest presidents.

Lessons in Leadership – A Weekly Ready of the Jewish Bible by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Jerusalem: Koren Publishers, 2015). Rabbi Sacks gleans from the weekly Torah portions key principles of leadership that distinguish Judaism’s commitment to ethical leadership throughout our 3600 year history as a people.

Rabbi Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, an inspiring and prolific author and speaker, announced last week that he is being treated for cancer. I wish him a r’fuah sh’leima bim’heira, a complete and rapid healing.

Americans are coming together to save our Republic, right now. And it means something.

Donald Trump’s authoritarian presence behind the Resolute Desk is amongst the gravest threats America has ever faced from within. And Americans have risen to meet this threat.

What this moment has done for all of us—for all those who have sat on the sidelines of history or never were presented with something that held as much gravitas—is that it has given us, for one fleeting moment—the moment we’re living right now—a sense of common purpose. Common purpose of which we will be able to recall forever: that when our country and our Republic were on the brink of collapse, when our fellow Americans needed us, we took a blow torch to our past differences, our former conflicts and our old rivalries, and we fought together.

For Carville’s inspiring piece see https://thebulwark.com/a-crusade-for-something-noble/

Send this to everyone you know. Samuel Jackson has it exactly right!

[Note: My colleague, Rabbi Philip Bentley, has written a thoughtful blog in response to Justice Scalia’s judicial philosophy of “Originalism” as embraced by Judge Amy C. Barret. It is worth reading as Rabbi Bentley describes properly how Judge Barret’s radical judicial philosophy is contrary to the spirit of the development of Jewish law itself, as well as the development of American law. I highly recommend that you take the time to read what he has written – see link below. The following is the opening to his blog.]

“Recently there has been a lot of talk about Scalia’s judicial philosophy of Originalism, because it is also embraced by Amy C. Barrett who is currently engaged in Senate hearings on her SCOTUS nomination. Leaving aside the impropriety of rushing this nomination ahead of an election, I have a problem with Originalism – the philosophy that judicial decisions must be based on what the Framers intended to say. Aside from the difficulty of achieving that, I find it a questionable approach to interpretation of the law.

This comes from what I know of the Jewish legal tradition that is well over 3000 years old. If Jews tried to apply Torah law as if we were still a semi-nomadic agrarian society, I doubt there would be any Jews left in the world. Adaptation of those laws begins within the Torah itself. We do care about what Torah law means but we have been amending practices constantly over the millennia to adapt to changing times and circumstances.

What follows is a chapter from a not-yet-published book on the paradox of God-given laws and how their application has evolved. As I understand it, justices do take into account the social impact of their decisions, but setting legal precedent based on the late 18th century in a novel form of government in a society and economy very different from ours seems wrong to me.”

For Rabbi Bentley’s complete blog see https://pearleafblog.com/