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With Judaism's emphasis on the values of justice and the sanctity of human life, it is interesting to reflect on the discomforting situations that some Jews have made for themselves, specifically at times when they, as a religious or ethnic entity, have not found themselves under imminent threat.
One of the great things, perhaps the greatest thing, about American society is the freedom it provides for people to plot their own course. It is that very freedom and the lack of imminent danger that many see as factors hastening the erosion of Jewish identity and affiliations. We are lucky to live in a place and time when there are no major penalties for choosing one position or another. We can be religious, or not. We can emphasize our heritage and social values, or not.
It's not as if one has to fear for oneself if one wishes to do this, or to speak up against injustice in one form or another. But when presented with such freedom, it is interesting to see what happens to Jews who strike out away from historic Jewish affiliations with liberal causes and, in particular, with the Democratic Party.
Here is one very current example, involving a Jew who heads the Republicans in the State House in Texas.
Jon Oliver reports from Texas
I am all for freedom of thought and for choosing one's political perspectives with all the independence that characterizes a healthy democracy.
But I am also very much for knowing about your culture and its values, and choosing to emphasize such in a positive manner. You know, it's "use it or lose it!"
I do not regret that Jews need no longer draw together out of fear. The challenge we all face is seeing the world around us with clarity, and exercising our freedoms responsibly, and with sensitivity for those who may not enjoy unimpeded access to all the privileges and opportunities this country has to offer.
So we should not be careless about whom we align ourselves with in the process.
