Why We Rise

I am praying that America will be able to begin healing from the abusive agent our corrupted GOP has become after the 2020 election, and that the refugee children and parents at our southern border can begin to recover too.

I hope for calmer times, so we all can bring the necessary work of forging a consensus around racial justice and the importance of a national effort to address climate change. If we adopt the motto of the pandemic “We’re in it together” we can do these things, and become much better ancestors to future generations Calm would also allow each of us time to walk once again in the sunlight without dragging our worries behind us.

I want a future where it’s safe to think about the future, without the dread of climate death. Without the fear of fascism, of losing my health insurance, of my friends dying at the hands of police while sleeping in their beds or on wellness checks. A future where it’s inconceivable that profit would matter more than human life. A future where we look back on our shared past and own up to the horrific legacy of racism and violence in this country and say never again and mean it. I want a future.

I choose to believe we are a seed that had been planted. It is dark all around and we can’t breathe because we are deep in the soil. The pain and destruction is the complete undoing of the seed as we grow into a new society that will be kind and equitable. Finally.

I envision a country and world where we believe, as individuals, that we are better being part of a community. Where the sum total of our differences inspires peace, collaboration and mutual respect. Where our leaders represent the greater community and work together for the common good. Where equity, in all its applications, is the human goal of a united country and world. Where we protect one another, and our planet, ensuring longevity for future generations. We cannot achieve this without conflict, but the country and world I envision uses conflict to solve problems and make progress.

An America where we: live under and readily uphold democratic ideals; consciously and compassionately take care of each other: respect the autonomy of people's bodies, hearts, minds and identities; reflect and talk openly about how we've benefited and continued systems of oppression and take action to strike down those systems; welcome with open arms immigrants and refugees; can safely hug each other.

A year from now, I hope our country has decisively turned to some very Jewish values: Community, hope, solidarity, justice. I hope we begin to build an economy and a government that respect the image of God in each person and care for the Earth, which belongs to God and whose fullness is God's glory. We must reject the politics of fear, division, hate, and distrust of democratic government. These have led to disaster for Jews and others and will again if not stopped. 

As a society, I would like us to make teshuva so that: our precious democracy is preserved., that our 1st amendment rights, be saved, society to treat people of color with respect and compassion, our governments (and individuals) to make a 180 degree turn and finally start protecting the planet, for hyper-nationalism to fade. and for all children to have a good chance for a decent life.

As a Jewish American, my heritage includes the immigrant masses who flooded through an open Golden Door and who, in the sweatshops, built strong labor unions with a vision of a land and world where human needs precede greedy wealth-building and those in need receive justice, not charity. At the age of 90+ I hope that vision will gain new strength.

My biggest hope for a year from now is that we have a strong woman of color as vice president, who has a Jewish husband, and that it is the most normal thing in the world. I want my young Jewish/Asian-American children to grow up in a country where being Jewish and a person of color is normal, and okay, and just as American as apple pie and hot dogs. Those are my biggest hopes beyond hope.

We must share the twin tenets of Judaism: charity and social justice.

I would like to see Trump not only defeated but tried an imprisoned for his crimes. I would like to see the defeat & punishment of his enablers such as Mitch McConnell. And so important for the health of our country and environment the removal of all Trump appointees. I'd like to see us rejoining the WHO and all other international agencies Trump removed us from. And most of all I'd like to see our new administration actively address itself to resolve the problems we've neglected such as racism, inequality, housing, health care for all, climate change, tax reform, our criminal system.

An America where we all work together for the good of all. That we can sit down and discuss our hopes and dreams for the America I know we can have, where everyone is valued, no one disparaged and equal opportunity exits.

I would like to see our nation run by not only a president who has all our best interests in mind, both for now and for the future, but also by an entire administration and congress with similar aims. At the moment, we are suffering from having a person allergic to the truth trying to convince our populace that his self-serving lies are believable. They are not. We deserve better, we require better, and we must demand better.

For next year, I hope and pray for a society that shows respect. True respect for life and rights- so that those with disabilities, illness and injury receive full access to our country, a land where Black Lives Matter and Latinx people are celebrated, and all immigrants are treated as full human beings with complete rights. Respect for all women and our right to control our own bodies. Respect and full protection from discrimination in every aspect of life for the LGBTQIA community. An America where Jews and Muslims can attend synagogues and mosques in person without fear of our sanctuaries being destroyed and our lives cut short Respect for the rule of law that applies to all of us- instead of laws that are suspended for the uber wealthy and overly enforced on the necks of our fellow Americans of color. An America where there is at least one nurse and social worker for every school and no police. An America where the leaders respect science and listen to experts so that we may defeat COVID and reverse climate catastrophe. Respect for our citizens over corporations so that we all may receive health care when we need it, instead of reserving healing for the privileged few. An America where essential work is respected with decent pay and working conditions, instead of today, where essential is viewed as disposable. An America where the orchestras, ballet and opera companies, and all performing artists can safely return to our stage to perform for large audiences again- with respect so that the National Endowment for the Arts budget is larger than ever before. Instead of the propaganda planned by the current autocrat, An America where our diverse culture is respected and celebrated 

With everything that has happened in the last 4 years, I see an awakening, an awareness that we are responsible for everyone, not just ourselves. In the last presidential election, a lot of people didn't like our choices, so they opted out. Either they threw a vote away or just didn't vote at all. Almost immediately, people began to get more involved in politics, especially locally. Then the pandemic hit. I was so inspired to see so many people really opening their hearts in so many ways. So many of us were truly beginning to be a community, helping in whatever way we could. I want us to get through all that is happening, but not back to the old normal. I'm looking forward to how the younger generations begin to change things. I'm also excited to see how we keep working on the social justice priorities that have become so important today.

I want to live in a country where we are all equal. I want to live in a country where the president is the president of all people. I want to live in a country that honors and upholds our constitution. I want to live in a country where everyone’s vote counts. I want to live in a country where science is valued and we use it to end Covid 19, wild fires and floods. I want to live in a country that can claim its place once again among our allies and hold our enemies accountable. I want to live in a country before Donald Trump became president where we cherish democracy and have a president who has a moral compass. In short, I want to live in a country where Donald Trump and his administration no longer exists. We aware the United States of America. Let’s defend our democracy. Let’s make sure there is no doubt what we want our country to be. We are a government “ of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Let’s make sure e everyone in every nation in this world remembers this. This is what I hope for the United States of America.

Next year I don't want to be waking up wondering what fresh new pile the President tweeted, stepped in, killed, or threatened, over the night. I want a sane, measured, mentally healthy, not driven by hate and jealousy president. I want a president who doesn't kill the citizenry-- and then expect us to forget about it. I want a president who doesn't put children in cages and give hysterectomies to their mothers. I want a president who recognizes that we have been on the wrong path for 400 years re: systemic racism and attempt to reconcile it with multiple ideas. Including --but not limited-- to putting killer cops in prison and taking away their pensions. I want a president who will lead us to join the rest of the civilized world and get us some version of national health care. I want a president to join the rest of the civilized world and acknowledge that climate change is real, and work to change it. I want a president next year who cares more about America than as his personal check book. I want UBI. I hope -- and will work very hard to create-- a very different world next year.

I hope for a restoration of the rights Ruth Bader Ginsburg one for us in the courts and for a country that is truly just for all.

The strength of our ancestors The beauty of the desert The grace of gazelles The resilience of our nation The magnanimity of Martin The eloquence of great orators The wisdom of the sages. (This is is from a Rosh Hashanah poem about Tashlich and after listing what I would cast out, this is what I would welcome in:)

We move away from division and become a nation of care and kindness again. 

1 year from now, I pray for our society to have changed as follows: I will be praying for our DEMOCRATIC President [YAY!] , all our Leaders, & our Nation; There will be enough safe effective COVID-19 vaccines readily available to all, that are saving lives @ home & globally [& rates of illness & deaths will be 0 for consecutive ongoing months; New treatments & preventive vaccines will be available for common frequent cancers; "LIBERTY & JUSTICE FOR ALL" WILL BE A REALITY, Not JUST "words" in our American Pledge of Allegiance; Climate change will be embraced by our Nation as a REALITY, with a National Mandate Plan to mitigate, fix, & prevent it; & there will be WAR NO MORE, but rather PEACE ON EARTH amongst all our Sisters & Brothers. I fight for: my granddaughters, every child, & every Human Being - for our BETTER Future Tomorrows. Wisdom from my Ancestors: Nothing lasts forever . . . STAND UP & SPEAK OUT . . . Chicken soup & hugs make everything better . . . I'm INSPIRED TO ACTION BY: 1) Martin Niemoller's quote re: his experiences during WWII/Holocaust, paraphrased here: "First they came for the Trade Unionists, but I was not a Trade Unionist so I did not speak up ... Then they came for the Socialists/Communists, but I was not a Socialist/Communist so I did not speak up ... Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak up ... When they came for me, there was no one left to speak for me." 2) Helen Keller's quote: "I am One, but I am only One. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

A year from now I hope America is healthy in our individual bodies and in our body politic . A year from now I hope America is stable emotionally, psychologically and spiritually both individually and collectively. A year from now I hope we can breathe openly and safely free from the fiery haze and and climactic wrath we have wrought and free of the virus that is gnawing away at us bit by bit. A year from now I want the school yard of middle schoolers down the street from my house to be a noisy mess of kids jostling for balls and space and jump ropes. A year from now I want my work from home desk to be gathering dust, my local coffee shop to be back in business and all the joy and spontaneity that comprises human interaction to be present. A year from now I want to hug. Anyone and everyone. 

My hope is that 5781 brings the systemic changes needed to support ALL of us. Not only does that mean legislation and leadership that reflects us, all ages, abilities, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, socioeconomic statuses, and religions. This also means an acknowledgement by each of us about each other’s humanity, to look each other in the eye and recognize a shared future. We were all children once, we all experience pain, and we will all die. With our next year of life in this shared space, I hope we step into our own dignity to deepen our understanding of this interdependence. 

A year from now, I hope that America is the place of freedom and democracy that my grandparents found refuge in and a place of dignity and respect for all that represents the values I am teaching to my children. 

A country that I can relate to once again. Where people feel free from fear albeit a pandemic, social injustice, racism, sexism, homophobia, or environmental destruction.

It's imperative that we fight to make sure this land that I love, a bastion of democracy in the world, that accepted my parents who had to leave Nazi Germany in 1938 continue to hold onto the ideals that this great nation has always stood for. We cannot allow any doubt and give the Republicans any more chances at destroying what took centuries to build. We are too close to allowing this fragile democracy to become annihilated by those who disrespect justice and morality and are motivated exclusively by their own power. We have to make sure RBG did not fight and die in vain. We have the power to restore our country to the one we are are proud of.

My hope is for a new President and administration who will restore truthful information to all of our citizens. Provide policies that will remove all forms of systemic racism.

Unfortunately, one year is not enough for substantive change. But I would like to see the virus under control, efforts to demilitarize and retrain the police, and substantive policy proposals under way to establish equality and equity, racial, economic, and social. I would love to see more live and less hate, but again, probably not in one year.

I keep hoping for a future where everyone is treated the same.

I want to see us respond to the pandemic's disruption, and the realization it's brought us of what is really important, by raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour pegged to inflation, by enacting new laws that help people vote while addressing and decreasing systemic racism and police misconduct, and by seriously addressing climate change both by decreasing fossil fuels and also increasing the regenerative agriculture that can sequester carbon and thus cool the climate. In this season of reflection we need to remember that we are stewards of the Earth, assigned to dress and keep the figurative garden, and that justice only happens when we act to make it happen.

I hope to see all the damage inflicted on our nation and the world by Trump and his supporters be undone.

An America where we: live under and readily uphold democratic ideals; consciously and compassionately take care of each other: respect the autonomy of people's bodies, hearts, minds and identities; reflect and talk openly about how we've benefited and continued systems of oppression and take action to strike down those systems; welcome with open arms immigrants and refugees; can safely hug each other.

I envision a country and world where we believe, as individuals, that we are better being part of a community. Where the sum total of our differences inspires peace, collaboration and mutual respect. Where our leaders represent the greater community and work together for the common good. Where equity, in all its applications, is the human goal of a united country and world. Where we protect one another, and our planet, ensuring longevity for future generations. We cannot achieve this without conflict, but the country and world I envision uses conflict to solve problems and make progress.

I hope and pray that a year from today we have shed our country of our biggest obstacles to unity as a people, the instigator-in-chief in the Oval Office. I further hope is that many of the problems created by him and his GOP cohorts have been appropriately put on a corrective course of action.I can not be silent or tolerate this brand of the GOP. It is Anti-American! It stands in the face of all religious teachings!

I would like to see our country led by an administration that is competent, adheres to science and facts, tells us the truth and represents all of us, I want to see a truly United States of America, not a divided one. I want to live in a country that strives for equality, provides healthcare and justice for all and protects the most vulnerable. I want to see our country immediately re-join with our Allies in protecting the global environment and fighting Climate Crisis. I would like to see a Democratic Congress putting country above Party and working together to pass legislation that serves the entire population. I would like to see the end of the Electoral College and Citizen United and ensure that we never allow any President or Attorney General to be above the law or exert authoritarian control. I would like every woman , man and child to feel safe and know their basic human rights will be protected. That is the America I want to live in.

I would like to see a nation involved in civil discourse where we can disagree about our opinions but agree on the right for everyone to be respected as equals. I would like us to practice facing up to the real history of our country., so we can begin to move toward understanding the awful cost of those mistakes and how they have been born unequally, but have still have cost all of us dearly. It hearts my heart to know how many wonderful people and their gifts we have overlooked when we should have treasured them.

One year from now, I hope our country has made substantial progress in recovering from the many plagues we are currently experiencing. What that would look like includes but is not limited to these ideas: - a widely available safe and effective vaccine that substantially reduces the COVID threat so our society can reopen - effective environmental-protection actions resulting in a sharp reversal of climate change - new leadership in DC that reverses many of the terrible actions instituted by the current administration - welcoming "strangers" into our midst again, and helping them become acclimated and contributing US citizens - addressing the many areas of gross racism and discrimination in our society, so everyone gets a fair chance to succeed - reforms in policing so that people feel they're being treated fairly and equitably, and our cities become peaceful again - the institution of common-sense gun controls - universal access to excellent and affordable healthcare, especially for those with pre-existing conditions - freedom of choice: worshipping, loving, childbearing (I know that's asking a lot, but we are powerful when we work together!)

Like the end of the Pledge of Allegiance: a land that provides liberty and justice for ALL.

I believe that we, the people, will show that we better than Trump’s insistence that only he knows what’s best — especially when it’s been documented that anti-semitism has significantly worsened under his presidency. I believe that our November votes will show we, the people, cannot accept Trump’s own immoral acceptance of 200,000 people dead from COVID-19. We will rise above Trump’s choice of party and power over people. We will have voted in Joe Biden — someone who does not see the American people as disposable obstacles to power. Yes — I must believe in the power of our fair, unobstructed votes to deny Trump his anti-democratic power grab. I believe our votes will have proven that we are bigger than his attempts to become a dictator who won’t leave office if voted out & is rallying for an illegal 3rd term. Only with Biden & Harris will America’s democracy be restored. They will face us with fairness — and we will be safe to call for fairness, too. Still, why am I optimistic with Biden & Harris in the White House? I believe in the detailed specifics of their platform and their respective records, which show they share my commitment to democracy, safety, and justice — not just for party, but for country. I believe in Biden’s deep understanding of personal loss and his commitment to preventing further pain and loss in an America — our America— ravaged by a lethal pandemic and by Trump’s exploitive attempts to gut healthcare, Medicare, and Social Security. Like all of us, I carry the memory of those who fought the Nazis and those we lost in the Holocaust as an enduring call to Tzedek and Tikkun Olam. I also carry the memory and inspiration of loved ones who advocated for justice and world repair. Their memories are a blessing and a revolution. I believe in our collective power to prevent our country from succumbing to another Trump term — a man who tells Jewish Americans that we are disloyal if we don’t vote for Trump. I believe in a safer, fairer, and democratic future with Biden & Harris. I believe in us.

I am learning to hold a vision for a possible world to survive. This vision includes that most people see through the fallacy of racism as a tool to divide us and keep all of us weak and separated. In a year we - led by Black, Native, and Brown people - have come together to have a solid vision and undeniable energy towards working across difference for a better world, a world rooted in care first, and the genius of the people we have been told, for centuries, are less than us. Where we know that liberation is co-liberation and we all want to be free. Let us hold this vision and work towards it in small and big ways, and trust in the unfolding.

I hope that America will honor and respect all of its citizens and those who come here looking for the promise of a better life.

It may be a cliche at this point, but R' Tarfon's words from Pirkei Avot still ring true: "It is not given to you to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it." We must fight fascism like never before. Fortunately, this time we're not alone.

First, health for all, with the pandemic under control and a safe, easily available vaccine. Second, a new President and Vice President with transparency and the undoing of all the fear and divisiveness from the current administration. Third, a new Supreme Court Justice chosen by the new President.

My grandson will vote for the first time this November. I hope he sees that he has helped us become a country that respects the earth and the living creatures on it. A nation where each of us matters. A congress that works for all of us, not just for the rich, or for their supporters. I hope he can look at our president and Vice President and their cabinet and be proud to see a diverse group of patriotic Americans who surround themselves with experts, not sycophants. I hope we will be on our way to coming together to fight the racism that is our ongoing sin.

We Rise because my father liberated our people in Auschwitz and his efforts and countless others, should not have been in vain... we must stop the hatred. We Rise because people who are different should not have to live in fear of their losing their lives because of their difference. We Rise because we have come too far as great nation to let people who are morally and ethically empty take it away from us.

I hope and pray and dream that this country will be under the leadership of a qualified leader, Joe Biden and a Senate with individuals of integrity and conscience. The work of environmental justice to which every other kind of justice is linked will be the priority. The 100 pieces of legislation that Trump overturned, reversing the environmental progress of decades, will righted so that all people will have clean air and water and protection from corporations that don't care about anything but profit. As we have been taught, if we destroy this beautiful life-giving place, "there will be non to come after."

I hope that a policing across our country gets a radical overhaul. There are good police, but the climate in the country has became so violent it has to stop. I hope that we can restore out environmental protections and stop the corporations that have been allowed to take our natural resources and our commons for fractions of what they are worth. I want to see enforcement that makes them pay, and makes them restore environments where they have despoiled or polluted, and people who have been harmed as a result. I want to see college and trade schools paid for by tax dollars and guaranteed government jobs. If businesses want "the best" they should pay. I want to see every person in this country have access to healthcare no matter their income level. I want to see paid sick leave and maternity leave guaranteed. I want our country to be a country that treasures the people, places, and cultures that make it whole.

Trump will no longer be president. Rioting in the streets will have ceased. A safe vaccine will be available. Unemployment will be down.

A year from now I can explain to my kids that we voted against a bully. We voted for love, equality, coalition building, and healing the deep divide that has injured our great nation. I vote to heal world for my kids and yours.

I hope for a world in which kindness prevails.

My grandfather , his mother and 9 siblings ,were Jewish refugees from Hitler's Poland. The pain of being the only family survivors never left them, and continue to carry down generations. None of them could even comprehend the evil upon them until it was too late. This country, as a brave United whole, rescued untold millions from that same fate, not just Jews, but many other ethnicities, and anyone Else who dared speak up or criticize the fascist regime . I never want to carry the pain and burden of allowing this to happen again.

I hope, a year from now, we have a country that has rewound four years of damage. I hope Joe Biden is president, and that he has spent his first 365 days reversing everything Trump put his hands on. I hope all those who were swept up in the mania of hate, finger-pointing, greed and deception are out of commission. I hope all members of society feel more confident that they are safe, they are represented by our government, and the government has their backs. I hope I can hug people again.

I hope that, a year from now, we have made significant progress in eradicating the REAL disease in our country and the world: systemic racism. As Jews, we must uphold the values of tikkun olam, repairing the world. And we must not be silent in the face of fascism and evil.

I hope America is addressing all the injustice being illuminated by climate change, COVID, police violence and capitalist corruption. I hope the progressive, liberation messages of Judaism and other faith traditions have proven more powerful and persuasive than the oppressive negative messages entwined with them. I hope to see my ancestors quest for justice and human dignity closer to realization.

I hope to see a society that can again agree on basic facts, on science, and on respect for all, regardless of religion, ethnic heritage, sexual or gender orientation, and amount of time in this country - multi-generation or new immigrants.

I wish for a world where we humans embrace one another as partners, co-guardians, gratefully sharing in the vast abundance of our planet. A new world, unlike any we've known, without boundaries or borders. It smells of cut grass and sea air and freshly baked bread. And every moment is known by every one of us to be the gift that every moment of our precious lives is, in fact.

I'm fighting for my dear daughter and all of the young women who will be impacted by a repeal of the rights we have fought for for so long I'm fighting so that having breathable air in California is something that future generations can depend on I'm fighting because if I don't fight, we lose our democracy I'm fighting because the parallels with Nazi Germany are becoming obvious - those were the equivalent of Brown Shirts in Portland I'm fighting because I don't want future generations to ask me what I did when I knew what was at stake

I can only dream of an America in a year that includes Joe Biden as president, and a Congress where members work together. They'll be implementing changes to save our planet, restoring programs we had and undoing the damage Trump did. We will have healthcare for all - without high deductibles that makes healthcare practically impossible for some, and disincentivizes doctors from staying in practice. Motivated by the BLM, elected leaders and Black-led and ally organizations will be deep into productive discussions to change public policies so that structural racism can be eradicated. Our public schools will be adequately funded, no matter the neighborhood, with history curricula rewritten to tell our nation's story accurately.

A year from now the Biden Administration will announce that the safe effective vaccine, available for all American citizens, will be provided free under the new Health Care for All law. The minimum wage is $15 and billionaires are paying their fair share of taxes. Investments in education in low income neighborhoods are productive. Mandatory educational curricula includes racial, religious and cultural history. The DHS’s Domestic Terrorism initiative aims to flush out and dismantle white supremacy/white nationalist organizations. A humane immigration and refugee program is reinstated at our borders. A clean Dream Act passes, and ICE is gone.

A year from now, I hope to see the seeds of change beginning to sprout as we regrow into a more inclusive and compassionate America. I want to see people living in diverse community, with access to healthcare, education, and livable wages. I am fighting for a country where everyone belongs, thrives, and can share their diverse stories to make a more connected America.

By next September I would hope that the majority of Americans will once again see our country as it has been until trump; a flawed democracy that has the tools already available to remedy inequities; racially, wealth distribution, age and gender, etc. Balancing the rule of law will be civility, veracity, compassion, patience w/one another. I'd like to awaken in the morning without seeing texts that denigrate, threaten, obfuscate, and lie.

I hope that America looks like the country it has long claimed to be. A country that cares for the most vulnerable in its borders and lifts up the voices that have too long been silenced. I hope America is pushing forward with defunding the police, a Green New Deal, and Medicare for All. I hope America takes a long hard look in the mirror and changes for the better.