AOC, Oui! Ron, Non!

My mom, a Romanian born Holocaust survivor, had a Yiddish expression that she reserved for very special occasions. She was a modest, kind-hearted woman but when something really outrageous happened, something that was in direct conflict with her moral values (the “Thou shall not(s)” plus, anything that embarrassed someone) she would say it.

“Ir zoll shamen in vays haldz arran.”

I was never exactly sure what she meant (“he should shame himself in his white throat”?) but I caught the drift.

I was reminded of the term by the recent actions of the Museum of Jewish Heritage (New York, NY) in connection with a scheduled June 12, 2022 Tikkun “Jewish Leadership Conference” event. The Museum informed Tikkun that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, one of the speakers, was unwelcome. They said DeSantis did not “align with the Museum’s values and its message of inclusivity” (Elliott Abrams and Eric Cohen, Wall Street Journal).

As a Florida resident, someone who has witnessed DeSantis’ leadership in healthcare (he followed the data and kept Florida an open state during COVID), education (he banned sex education directed towards kindergarten to third graders), law enforcement and protection of minorities, etc., I can attest that that DeSantis’ values are traditional ones and benefit all the residents of the state.

Perhaps the Museum needs to rethink its definition of “heritage”.

DeSantis’ actions during his term have been of particular service to the Jewish community. He granted money to improve security in private schools, created a moment of silent reflection upon the start of the school day, recognized United Hatzelah as an ambulance service authorized to operate in Florida, improved the standards for mandatory Holocaust education. He led the Florida Cabinet on a trade mission to Israel and signed the Antisemitism Protections Bill CS/CS/HB 741 in Jerusalem.