There ought to be more to what underlies Israel’s policies than the Shoah’s traumatic suffering–When one writes a blog and one tries not to knee-jerk or be too superficial, one reads a lot. So much of that reading is a must, or have-to in some way, rarely does a piece stand out because it offers a penetrating idea. Avraham Burg wrote such a piece published a few days ago in the Los Angeles Times’ Op-Ed section. A former speaker of the Israeli parliament,now a businessman and author, he wrote about what it was that has made him retreat from Israeli politics–their focus on the Shoah. To him the way the Shoah has permeated all aspects of Israeli political life, interferes with the vision necessary to make the country inspire others. “The deeper we are stuck in our Auschwitz past, the more difficult it becomes to be free of it,” he writes. An individual overly focussed on a past trauma would be said not to have digested, learned, processed or overcome it. More than likely we would suggest he or she find a good therapist. The principle is the same for a country, although obviously nations can’t be referred to therapy. An individual is more than the suffering he or she has endured, so is a nation. A religion too is more than how to address suffering. Hopefully Israel will find a way to honor its history, including the Shoah, without that part of its past running the risk of becoming a stumbling block to getting beyond it, or as Mr. Burg puts it, go “from trauma to trust”. If it does, then Israel will surely find the key to its non-ending war with Palestinians and its promise of justice, tolerance diversity and democracy will shine not only for all Israelis, but for all in the region, for Jews everywhere and even for the entire world.

Isn’t there a difference between divine and human wills and if so isn’t it easy to fool ourselves?–Dear Governor Palin: During your interview with Greta Van Sustren you mentioned your faith and the fact that if god opens a door a little, you won’t mind pushing through it. I’m writing because I am not clear as to your understanding of the divine will. Was it His will you run as vice-president on the Republican ticket? His will you run for governor? And if one reads between the lines correctly maybe His will that you run for president in 2008 or 2012? How do you know the difference between what you as Sarah Palin want and what god wants? It seems that is a line of thought President Bush engaged in before deciding to go to war in Iraq. Mohammed Atta believed he was following god’s will on 9/11. It is so easy to fool oneself. To me, the more serious one is about one’s spiritual practice the more the issue comes up. Perhaps you have also found it so.
You have the right to run for anything you want to or can, but implying, or believing, or assuming that it is the will of god may or may not follow, may or may not reflect that higher will. If my concern has any relevance, I hope that between now and the time you decide when and for what to run, that it is a difference that will be so clear to you–not in terms of a phrase or a string of words to justify your decision to the public, but as an act of private humility, and ultimately also as one of integrity.

The orderly transition from one administration to another highlights something sturdy about the U.S.–Just a few days ago, Democrats and Republicans were at each other like long-sworn enemies. Then came the election and as soon as the winner was declared we became one country. John McCain’s concession speech began a process which was continued by President Bush, an American attitude beyond petty concerns, and heralding a spirit meant to signal that underneath our differences we know how to unite.
I was a child in a French Lycee when I first heard of the transition from one president to another. The teacher,a French patriot, mocked it, deriding the need for the process. That may be the view of the uninformed, but now thanks to television, a smooth orderly,peaceful transition will be seen in many countries, hopefully a symbol of democracy.
One could be cynical and say it is a game, that in McCain, Bush or Obama’s case putting on a friendly front is in their interest. But those of us who have watched U.S.politics a long time realize it is more than a front. It is not a game, but a symbol of the American system, a system where the majority may rule, but do so within limits, within the rule of law, within traditions, with respect for the popular will and regards for the constitution. That is how power is transferred in the United States,through a system based on the ballot box. Ultimately, of course, it hails democracy as the voice of the people,and reminds us that while we believe in the separation of church and state,our system is not devoid of the practice of basic spiritual values, values that guarantee what we hold dear.

To those who are scared about an Obama presidency the answer may be to give him the benefit of the doubt—According to an NBC poll 24% of the electorate feels scared about an Obama presidency. To you who are among those 24%, or to you looking for what to say to those who are scared, I suggest, give the president-elect a chance. We did not elect a savior, nor a Santa Claus, but a leader who will have to deal with the many serious problems before us. Many of you are Christian. Wouldn’t now be a time to practice the best of Christianity: tolerance, charity, understanding, patience? Give him the chance to surprise you. Despite the landslide, he knows there are those he has to convince. All this does not mean you, or I, will agree with everything he does, but even if we disagree we can hopefully see that his decisions will be, as they usually are for presidents, well intended. Give him credit for knowing what he doesn’t know, for looking for that knowledge in those who do. Give him the opportunity to prove himself, to test his mettle and his character. The presidency deserves our respect, no matter who holds the office. That ought to be so even when we are against the decisions of an administration, not because we are stuck for the duration of a presidential term, but because as Americans we believe in the freedom to disagree, and the power of the ballot box.
If I read this new president correctly, then treating him as we would like to be treated were we in a new and difficult spot may help us reap the reward of having given him the benefit of the doubt.