Our Noisy Democracy

October 25, 2012 Dear Friend of Israel, On November 6, American voters will head to the polls to choose the next President of the United States, as well as senators, congressmen, governors, and municipal officials. It has been a heated election season, and the rhetoric has increased noticeably in the past several weeks of debates and ad campaigns leading up to election day. The excitement and occasional unruliness of this political season reminds me of something once said by the English writer Charles Moore. In a stirring essay on Israel, Moore praised the Jewish state as “robust in its legal and political institutions, free in its press and universities a noisy democracy.” Moore’s description could apply equally to Israel and the U.S. Both countries engage in “noisy” and ongoing public conversation on a host of issues. Sometimes this conversation can become overly partisan and bitter, and shed more heat than light. But, far from a sign of societal weakness, I look at this as a sign of overall strength. Such passionate public dialogue can only flourish in a democracy like Israel or the U.S. Under totalitarian regimes, where speech and action are tightly regulated and restricted, there is silence. And when people under these regimes do try to speak out, as we have seen in recent years, there is often increased oppression and violence. We are blessed in this country with a sometimes “noisy” political system that allows us to choose the men and women who represent us in government. As citizens, it is our privilege and responsibility to participate in that system to inform ourselves on the issues, to determine who most effectively represents our views on how the nation should be led, and then to get out and vote our conscience. As you prepare to head to the polls, give thanks to God for the blessing of living under a democratic political system. There are many today living under oppressive rule who do not enjoy that blessing. And, at the same time, never forget that political systems rise and fall like all works of man, and that God Himself is the “author of liberty.” True freedom is found in acting in faith, trusting in God, and acknowledging His sovereignty and dominion over our lives. I urge you to vote on November 6. I pray you will faithfully consider all the issues affecting our future lives and liberties and that of our friends and allies, like Israel and that you will vote accordingly. On behalf of all of us at The Fellowship, I thank you for your continued support of Israel and Jewish people worldwide. May you be blessed, even as you have blessed God’s children. With prayers for shalom, peace, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein President