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Jeremy Bannett

What time is it? A Jewish call to protect democracy in America

What time is it?

It seems like a simple question, but Kohelet’s answer is anything but simple:

“Everything has a season, and a time for every matter under the heavens:

A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build.
A time to weep and a time to laugh.
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to cast stones, and a time to gather stones in.
A time to embrace, and a time to pull back from embracing…
A time to seek and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to toss away.
A time to tear and a time to sew.
A time to keep silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war, and a time for peace.”

So what time is it right now in America?

The American Dream remains unrealized for millions whose hard work has yet to yield the promised rewards. In yearning for something different, some are willing to abandon the institutions that they believe have failed them. For many, this is a time to toss away.

Grappling with the heaviness of this moment, others do not understand what has happened to our nation. To deal with these questions, some choose to dissociate, to disengage, to despair. For many, this is a time to pull back from embracing, a time to keep silent, a time to mourn.

Others see this moment as a battle of good versus evil, a fight to defend a core set of values and a way of life that feels existentially at risk. Some see their fellow country people as enemies needing to be driven out, or marginalized, or crushed. For many, this is a time to tear down, a time to cast stones, maybe a time to kill.

The feelings of abandonment, hopelessness, and righteous fury are not partisan – they span the political spectrum.  But there is a way to remain cleareyed about the challenges facing our nation and the struggles of our fellow Americans without succumbing to fatalism and animosity. Instead, this moment can stir all of us to work to make our nation more perfect. We can instead make this a time to plant, a time to sew, a time to embrace, a time to heal.

We all feel the same anxieties and fears and frustrations. So how can we turn to the better angels of our nature?

For all of the hand-wringing about human suffering, Kohelet says several times that “there is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink and sate oneself with good things through their toil.” The author never really answers exactly how one can enjoy the fruit of their labor in the face of all life’s challenges. It seems like Kohelet’s answer is, “just do it.”

Can it be as simple as a choice? Perhaps what Kohelet is saying is that we get to choose what time it is. We choose whether it is the time to uproot, or the time to plant. The time to rip down, or the time to build. The time to keep silent, or the time to speak. We choose whether it is the time to kill, or the time to heal.

So if we get to choose, why should Jews choose to protect and strengthen American democracy?

First, it is in our own self-interest to live in a democracy. There is no denying that Jews have thrived in America better than we have anywhere or anytime else in the diaspora over the past 2,000 years, and that is because of our robust democracy and all of the rights and freedoms that it affords Jews.

Second, democracy makes it possible for Jews to work on all the other issues that we believe in. The Jewish community is deeply invested in America’s vibrant civil society – our ecosystem of nonprofits, religious organizations, and philanthropies – which empowers us to promote Jewish ideas and values. So if you care about any causes at all, you have a stake in upholding democracy.

So exactly how can Jews work to uphold democracy?

Obviously, everyone who can vote should vote. Then, help as many people as you can participate in the election. Sign up as a poll worker to ensure our elections run smoothly and effectively. Send thanks to your election officials on Election Hero Day this November 4. Use your trusted voice to counter misinformation. Stand up publicly for nonpartisan principles of our democracy before and after they are threatened. And don’t stop after Election Day – work to strengthen democracy every day by participating in civic learning, civil dialogue, and community associations.

To those concerned about engaging in this work, Kohelet says: “Two are better than one, for they get good reward for their toil… And the triple cord will not quickly be snapped.” And if you question whether this work is at all partisan, do not let today’s political debates sway you from supporting the democratic principles that should always remain sacrosanct in our nation.

Perhaps the most pervasive image in Kohelet is the sun, and it brings to mind another famous sun: the one carved on the back of George Washington’s chair at the Constitutional Convention. After the Constitution was signed, Benjamin Franklin proclaimed, “I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun.”

We can all choose to keep that sun rising. We can all choose to make this a time to plant, a time to embrace, a time to speak, and a time to build.

What time is it? The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

About the Author
Jeremy Bannett is Vice President of Programs for A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy.
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