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David Sable
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Where Are You?

Whatever happened to Jewish Values?

How is it that we seem to have lost our soul, as a people, by denigrating ethics and morals and replacing them with ever more strict religious practice.

To be fair….it’s really a minority of our fellow Jews who do that…but right now they are holding sway in Israel and because of their unified and loud presence it often seems, to the outside world, that they represent us all.

Sordid and Sad

What makes it all so sordid and sad is that secular politics have played a big role in this schism and whether it’s perceived support for Israel or open checkbooks and lax or no oversight of unlawful/bad behavior it’s confusing to see so many seemingly observant people supporting immoral; unethical; often criminal people.

Torah Achat… One Law For All

As the situation deteriorates, even more, it’s easy to quote the Prophets….Gd doesn’t care for your sacrifices…..only your just and good behavior…..doesn’t leave a dent. We are told, multiple times, in the Torah, that there was only one law allowed for all…the stranger…you….anyone….so much for that admonition. And of course, there are any number of laws and lessons that seem to be completely antithetical to the behavior of so many both in the US and in Israel…particularly as it relates to ethics and morality.

So again I ask…..Whatever happened to Jewish Values? Are they not real? At the core of our religion? At the inspirational core of so much in the Western World?

Torah…The Service of Gd…Deeds of Kindness

Simon The Righteous, one of the last surviving members of The Great Assembly would say, as related to us by Ethics of The Fathers (Chapter One…Paragraph 2):

“The world stands on three things; Torah….the service of Gd and deeds of Kindness.” Call them our core Jewish values.

Clearly it is easy to pervert all three pillars with a narrow reading that is rooted in and nurtured by observance only. And, many do.

Yet, a simple…clear headed reading of Simon, points directly towards a bigger understanding of his words…a more encompassing interpretation and a deep and powerful connection to Jewish values…ethics and morals.

Three pillars holding up our human existence:

  • Torah — GDs revelation to mankind. The source for three major religions. The center of humane law. The Ten Commandments. The chronicler of stories about people…unvarnished…even the heroes. Concerned with the stranger….the non-citizen….and others outside the close in Jewish circle…with the constant reminder and admonition that once you were slaves in Egypt.
  • Gd – keep it simple…all of humankind was created, according to the text (see above) in the image of Gd. None more important. No color better. No language more accepted. No politics superior.
  • Deeds of kindness – one of my favorites. True ability to create a differentiation based on values. One leading Orthodox Rabbi I know, has said that the single most important measure of conversion to the Jewish faith is assumption of good deeds.

Bottom line…if you haven’t felt it yet. More important than politics and our perceived benefits from one politician or another…is the application of the filter of Jewish Values.

You must disassociate

We cannot support politicians in Israel or abroad who don’t adhere strictly to Jewish Values and all that entails. Whatever party you align yourself with… you must disassociate yourself from the criminals….psychopaths…unethical…immoral players no matter how good you think they will be to and for the Jews….. because they aren’t.

They taint us with their lack of Jewish Values….their inability to understand the simple truths of Simon the Righteous….and behavior that manifests itself in hate and violence.

Justice, Justice shalt thou pursue.

Not very complicated when viewed through the Jewish Values lens.

The world is in crisis. Time to step up……

WHERE ARE YOU?

About the Author
David is one of the most sought-after advisors; consultant; speakers and mentor in the global marketing community. David is also a prolific writer and published children’s author…”What Would You Wish For”; a designated LinkedIn Influencer, where he ranks among the most widely read business leaders in the world and a Social Activist working for an end to gun violence; hunger and in-equality. As Global CEO and Chairman of Y&R, David propelled Y&R to a top five global creative firm at Cannes, developed new resources and practice… Healthcare; BtoB and an in-house innovation accelerator called The Spark Plug….. expanded the global footprint of VML, and ultimately helped unify Y&R and VML into one marketing powerhouse: VMLY&R. All while evangelizing the spirit and competitive advantage of innovation and collaboration. David’s involvement in the advertising industry has spanned more than 40 years, clients ranging from Fortune Ten to day old start-ups, beginning at Y&R as a trainee in 1976. After his initial stint at Y&R, David worked at Wells Rich Greene before relocating to Israel, where he co-founded an agency, Mimsar, that focused on the then-nascent hi-tech industry, which was the foundation of “The Startup Nation.” Upon returning to the U.S., David joined the Y&R network once again, mentored by the late Harold Burson at Burson-Marsteller, and Cohn & Wolfe, where he led major accounts in Business to Business, Financial as well as Consumer. In 1990, he returned to Y&R to lead the global portion of the agency’s international Colgate-Palmolive account driving the first ever coordinated global launch of a toothpaste. There, he helped pioneer Y&R’s cross-agency team approach on the USPS account, transforming it into an award-winning industry benchmark. In 1996, David became a founding partner of one of the first digitally-focused omni-channel startups, Genesis Direct. In 2000, he took that experience to Wunderman…mentored by the late Lester Wunderman, ultimately serving as its Vice Chairman, helping them transition into WPP as a digital/data powerhouse, before returning to Y&R as Global CEO. Amongst the accounts he led and drove were Microsoft; Dell ; IBM; Altice; Citi-Bank; AT&T: Kraft and Pfizer to name just a few. David is active in the industry as former Chairman of the Advertising Council’s Board of Directors and, for many years before, a Director-at-Large of the 4As. He has served as Jury President at Cannes three times and was a member of the Titanium jury. He now serves as a keynote speaker at major global events, motivational speaker and advises industry leaders worldwide. In 2013, Fast Company named David one of the 10 Most Generous Marketing Geniuses. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of both UNICEF/USA and the International Special Olympics, as well as the Executive Board of UNCF. David is also a Board Member of American Eagle Outfitters’ one of the most successful retail clothing brands on line and off and was Executive Producer on MTV’s highly acclaimed REBEL MUSIC series. David and his wife, Debbie, have two daughters, two sons-in-law, five treasured grandchildren — Henry, Teddy, Gemma, Goldy and Sadie.
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