Originally published in Times of Israel
By Jamie Beran
This week, Jews around the world will celebrate Simchat Torah. We will read the final lines of the Torah and immediately roll our sacred scrolls back to B’reishet and start again. One of the things I love most about our Jewish tradition is how the Jewish calendar and our rituals can provide such resonance and meaning in my secular life as well.
As Americans, we are on the cusp of an election. Jews and allies across the country are engaging in nonpartisan Get Out the Vote efforts and democracy protection every single day. Frankly, this work can be exhausting and a test of our resilience. It is that time of an election cycle when fatigue with politics is peaking, misinformation is rampant, and people are more dispirited by the news cycle than ever. We are also deep in the second year of a Trump administration that has thrown us into the exhausting, critical work of fighting authoritarianism.
The sad fact is that exhaustion, through a strategy Steve Bannon called “flooding the zone,” is a key part of the authoritarian playbook: throwing constant attacks on the integrity of our democracy and on the safety of vulnerable communities to keep the media and every day Americans too overwhelmed to know where to direct our efforts. Indeed, authoritarians depend heavily on voter fatigue, cynicism, and the feeling that no matter what we do, the fight never ends. Their strategy relies on the idea that a vote is enough or, even worse, that a vote is meaningless and democracy is something we can set aside.
Our Jewish tradition gives us concrete ways to tap into the lifelong work of learning Torah — we have a single parashah we read each week; we don’t need to read it all at once. And we don’t even need to agree with what we read — wrestling with the texts and traditions is a feature, not a bug, of the Jewish experience. And the same is true of our civic engagement. We are living in a time when the trust in our election systems, the impact of racist gerrymandering, the uncertainty of how to relate to data and polling, and so much more is under such questioning and scrutiny. But choosing to engage with our systems to make them better and show up to participate is more important than ever. And finding concrete, digestible ways to take action for democracy is essential for us to remain in the work when exhaustion creeps in.
For months, Bend the Arc supporters have been phone banking to do just this — calling Jews and allies in states where democratic institutions are at highest risk to offer folks a way they can make an impact and helping fill the gap of desperately needed poll workers. When the threats to our democracy feel too big, having one clear way to take action is a powerful antidote to apathy. And we know, from the thousands of poll workers who tirelessly make sure that our elections go off successfully despite the many threats to their ability to do so, that the system up close — when people who put their time into it — works. And what’s more, it’s deeply Jewish.
Pirkei Avot teaches us: “Lo alecha hamlacha ligmor, v’lo alecha ligmor” — you are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it. Jewish tradition calls us into the work of building a better world with gentleness, understanding that the work is overwhelming, and with devotion, calling on us to remain in the work — keep learning from the Torah, keep fighting for our democracy — despite our exhaustion.
This is where I draw resilience — and invite you to do the same — from our tradition. Because, of course, the fight never ends. Democracy, like our sacred text, is not a destination you arrive at; it is a continuous cycle of renewal, protection, and action. We don’t finish the work. We vote every single election to protect our rights, defend our neighbors, block authoritarianism, and secure our ability to live, thrive, and keep turning the scroll.
Jamie Beran is the CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, where she drives the organization’s vision to build an American future free from white supremacy, antisemitism, and racism. Jamie has more than 20 years of experience in the Jewish social justice sector. She is an alum of UJA Federation’s and Columbia Business School’s Institute for Jewish Executive Leadership and holds a BA from Goucher College.
