One party: Two Jews

In yesterday’s published article I wrote about the Democratic Socialist Jewish candidate, Bernie Sanders.

Last night I watched CNN’s final coverage of the remaining ten candidates for the American presidency and was quite impressed with the comments and opinions of Michael Bennet, the Senator from the western state of Colorado.

Looking at his biography, I was quite surprised to learn that he is halachically Jewish, born to a Jewish mother, Suzanne Klejman, a holocaust survivor from Warsaw, Poland.

How immensely proud she must be to witness the achievements of her 54 year old son. Being a survivor of the Shoah in Warsaw, arriving in America only a few years after the end of the war, it must be a dream for her.

So now the American Democratic party has two Jewish candidates, coincidentally with both Polish-born parents. Elias ben Yehuda Sanders of Stopnice in Galicia and Suzanne Klejman of Warszawa.

Normally under American law, a President of the USA must be born in America or to American citizen parents overseas. Michael Bennet was born in New Delhi, India to Douglas Bennet, an American citizen. Thus it makes Senator Michael Bennet’s candidacy perfectly kosher.

I think the only other instance was that of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, born to two American citizen parents in Canada.

As popular as Donald Trump is here in Israel, his closeness with Netanyahu serves the political interests of both. Two birds of a feather who both need to fly away or to find comfort in a bird-cage.

Trump has to go. His ego mania is destroying the fabric of American democracy. Definitely a time for change.

I hope that decent freedom-loving Americans will go to their electoral booths with the ballot marked Bennet in hand. He is a breeze of fresh air, clean air, pure air, the air which inspires the dreams and hopes of many of the American people.

I don’t know if Senator Bennet has ever visited in Israel but whenever he does come, he will be our very welcome and honored guest.

Our election frenzy will end at the close of the day on 17 September 2019… one month to go. Parties are scrambling for votes. Smaller parties are uniting with larger parties, all demanding seats in the Knesset and ministerial posts.

Happily, Americans do not undergo similar headaches. Seats in the two houses of Congress are determined by the number of ballots for each candidate. And no one can demand a ministerial post. These are the privileges of the elected president to make appointments of his/her choice.

I have more-or-less determined who I will vote for in Israel on 17 September and my prayers for the American candidate will surely be for the success of Senator Michael Bennet and blessings of great joy to his beloved mother.

Perhaps God saved her from the destruction of our fellow Jews in Poland in order that she might live to give birth to a son who would create wonders for the American nation. God bless her and her son, the second Jewish candidate on the Democratic party ticket. But the very best one.

Hatzlacha. Much success.