By: Michelle Ruby
Director of Israeli Teen Emissaries & Education
I don’t consider myself to be a political person, and by that, I mean I am not a consumer of political content. Like many of us, I am annoyed by the barrage of ads and phone calls endorsing candidates or issues on Colorado’s ballot. On Sunday night, I sat with my 20- and 23-year-old daughters, and together we learned about the issues and candidates as we filled out our ballots.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have also had meaningful conversations with our 18-year-old Shinshinim as they prepared to vote in the Israeli election. As Shlichim, Israeli emissaries representing their country in our community for the year, they are allowed to vote from abroad and did so last week at the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco.
It has been such an interesting experience for me to compare our different political systems, parties, and issues, and to watch these young adults navigate the process of making decisions they feel good about. There is a sense of pride that comes with participating in a democratic system, but for young voters, and especially for the Shinshinim who are voting for the first time, it can be difficult to learn to stand on your own rather than simply vote the way your parents do.
I remember being in that situation, wanting to do what my parents did because they were my compass for what was right and what was wrong. The challenge in my house growing up was that my parents belonged to different political parties: one was a Democrat and the other a Republican. I saw some of those same concerns among the Shinshinim as they considered their own views, especially when their parents believed a different party was the best choice for Israel’s future.
This week’s Torah portion, in my opinion, is actually a terrible example of how to resolve differences. In Lech Lecha, we find Abraham and Lot in a situation of great conflict. Lot, until this point, had been by Abraham’s side, following G-d’s request to “Go forth to a land that I will show you.” But their shepherds are constantly fighting over grazing rights and land ownership. Abraham decides the best solution is to separate. He gives Lot the first choice of land, and Lot chooses the fertile region near Sodom, while Abraham goes in another direction.
Abraham chooses a path of peace through separation rather than a path that would require hard work, disagreement, resolution, compromise, and sacrifice. I get it. Sometimes we need to take the path of least resistance for many reasons. After all, it can be exhausting to be constantly immersed in conflict.
The challenge lies in choosing our battles. As a parent, that is often a daily task. As a citizen, the opportunity to participate in elections comes much less frequently, but the decisions can be just as difficult. It reminds me that the real value is in the process. We don’t have control over the outcome, but we do have both the privilege and the responsibility to participate.
As both Israeli and U.S. elections take place over the next few weeks, I hope we have many opportunities to engage in respectful discourse, listen to perspectives different from our own, and feel confident in the decisions we make. Ultimately, I hope it will carry our countries into a future filled with justice, unity, respect, and shared opportunities for a better life for each of us.
Please email Michelle Ruby at mruby@jewishcolorado.org with questions or comments.