Lessons from Chicago

“Put not your trust in princes or in mortal man who cannot save.” (Tehillim 115:3) Election season tends to test our faithfulness to our core belief that the Master of the World indeed runs the world. We must always look past any elected official to the One Who holds the hearts of kings in His hand. Nevertheless, we are obliged to exercise our right to choose our leaders, and we can only do so thoughtfully. At this fraught time, many in the Jewish community were therefore watching the Democratic National Convention very carefully, especially after the Republicans’ strong and utterly unself-conscious embrace of Israel and the Jewish community. Here are some possible takeaways:

First, the Democrats delivered a critically important message for America, Israel, and the Jewish People. While it was disturbingly clear the extent to which the organizers were walking on eggshells throughout the convention, they ultimately delivered a strong message that clearly distanced the party from the flag-burning haters of pro-Hamas demonstrations. There remains no room for naivete or complacency, as we have much to worry about in terms of messaging and policy going forward, “globalize the intifada” protesters who “have a point,” and the continued championing of the two-state solution, as if October 7 never happened. But we needed the nominee on the stage and the assembled crowd of delegates to show strong and hearty support for Israel and the Jewish people — and they did. If we want them to keep showing that kind of support, we need to acknowledge it.

Second, much like their miserable polling failures on President Trump in 2016, the dire predictions of a repeat of the violent DNC of 1968 may have been more a reflection of the dreams of some in the media than the reality in America. In this case, some in the media have spent the last ten months providing the “context” for October 7 by promoting a false narrative of Israeli genocide and vicious discrimination that has fueled the pro-Hamas movement among younger Americans, while others have been telling the story of an anti-Semitic takeover of the Democratic Party. Both were disappointed that instead of pandemonium, they heard tens of thousands chanting “USA! USA!” Once more, we saw that serious people need to be selective about whom in the media they should take seriously.

Third, this week can teach us Jews the practical and mature wisdom of choosing unity. A few weeks ago, the Democrats were fighting what appeared a hopeless battle for victory in the upcoming election. But when President Biden stepped out of the race, it took them less than a day to rally around Vice President Harris. They were in a battle against the Republicans and knew they did not have the luxury of squabbling among themselves. In fact, instead of just avoiding infighting, they rallied behind their leader, made some tough choices, and came together with a mission to succeed and appear unstoppable. Israel had also chosen unity after October 7, which was very beneficial on a practical level, but it has all but dissolved into factionalism and politics. There is much to learn from the unity that is driving the Democrats’ stunning reversal.