Danielle V. Minson — Raising the Bar
Moving forward after a difficult season
The Federation is not a political organization and must avoid being partisan. But it would be delusional to share news without acknowledging the tumultuous, troubling and painful election season that ended this week.
Regardless of which candidate one supported, we were all pained at the depths to which our nation’s civil discourse fell during these campaigns and the damage done to the fabric of our society and our trust in the political process. One of the many lessons to be drawn from this troubling election season is that our society is living in echo chambers, where people increasing talk only with others who agree with them. This is a grave danger to a democratic society and can encourage some of the hateful speech that besmirched this election.
Over its nearly 120 years, the Federation’s role has never been political but has always been public. In helping to represent the Jewish people in our civil society, we aim to strengthen civil society and to advocate for the basic values of our nation, our people, and our faith. We defend the rights and dignity of all of our neighbors, especially the most vulnerable, the poor, people with disabilities, immigrants, and all who have been left behind and forgotten, remembering our most sacred values as a community and as a nation.
Moving forward, may we all be challenged with the opportunity to seek out those with different views than our own, so that, together we can restore the civil discourse and social cohesion that we all want our children and grandchildren to inherit.
