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Matthew Soffer

Why This NC Rabbi is Voting for Kamala Harris

As a Rabbi in Durham, NC, I’ve gotten used to a few questions this election season.  Which candidate should I support for the sake of the future of Israel? Which candidate should I support for the sake of my three children? And which candidate should I support for the sake of the values I treasure in my tradition— justice, equality, and safety? My congregation is non-partisan — we focus on issues not candidates, and I don’t endorse any candidates in my official capacity as its rabbi. That said, rabbis also serve the public and the entirety of the Jewish community. In that respect, I’d be negligent if I didn’t say, with all my might: Vice President Kamala Harris has my vote, and she deserves the votes of every citizen of conscience.

On Israel, it is so utterly clear to me that Vice President Harris is the only serious candidate. Her words and record make clear that we can trust her to work toward an end to violence in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. I believe she is the only candidate who cares about returning hostages home and putting an end to the torturous violence, starvation, and suffering of all families in the region – Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and others alike. She unequivocally believes in Israel’s right to protect itself, and she staunchly supports the rights of Palestinians to have a state of their own, free of occupation. And any claim that this election comes down to choosing between the two is delusional.

As a rabbi who prays daily for the welfare of Israel, I believe the only viable pathway to a Jewish future in the Holy Land is one that honors the dignity of Palestinians and all inhabitants of the land.  Only Vice President Harris has the drive and desire to support ending this war.

On the other hand, when I am asked whether I agree that former President Trump would be “good for Israel and Jews,” I am not sure whether to laugh or cry. According to his own hand-picked former White House Chief of Staff – retired Gen. John Kelly – Trump once told him “Hitler did some good things.” He said the Jews would be to blame if he loses this election. He syndicates white supremacy. He attacks democracy and speaks admiringly of dictators. He sent a mob of his supporters to invade the Capitol Building and overthrow our democracy. His loyalty – to Israel, to Jews, to anyone – seems to depend upon who donated the most money to his campaign or said the nicest things about him. I cannot think of any American presidential candidate in modern history who fills me with greater dread.

Not just as a rabbi but as a parent, I see this election as a choice about what kind of country my three children will grow up in. Nothing seems more threatening to their future than a second Trump presidency. Nothing gives me more hope for them than a Harris presidency.

This isn’t just politics; it’s personal to my family. My mother Bess, of blessed memory, was killed by COVID-19, on January 6, 2021, the day of the insurrection.  The searing pain of that loss is still with me, as are my memories of former President Trump’s conduct in the very moments that she took her last breath.  While she was suffocating, he was railing against the mask guidance that could have saved her life. He peddled absurd lies, telling us we could protect ourselves by consuming bleach, or putting a “light inside the body,” instead of listening to doctors and scientists.  He ignored the detailed playbook the previous Administration left on how to deal with pandemics. The result was a death rate in America that was 40 percent higher than in other countries. That’s 400,000 people who might not have died if we had a competent leader in office. Maybe one of them would have been my mom.

Former President Trump’s recklessness may have robbed my children of their grandmother. In a second term, I worry he might rob them of their fundamental rights: their right to access basic health care and reproductive rights. Their right to love who they love, openly and with pride; their right to cast a ballot and know it will be counted and respected instead of being labeled “fake” or “stolen”; their right to learn in a classroom without the constant fear that a school shooter armed with an assault weapon could take their lives; their right to live proudly as Jews, without fear of being attacked by a Jew-hating mob that former President Trump called “very fine people.”

Vice President Harris offers a voice of sanity, competence, and compassion. Her record on the issues that matter most is crystal clear, from advocating for frontline workers and nurses during the pandemic, to serving as a national leader in the fight for reproductive freedom, to opening the White House’s first Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Rabbis have been arguing about the meaning of various pieces of the Torah since it was written, but some truths are unequivocal— like the demand for us to love one another and welcome the stranger, not hate and fear each other. The Torah teaches that life is sacred and worth celebrating, and that we should be honest and upright in all of our dealings. Former President Trump insults and mocks these values, while Vice President Harris lives them and has done so her whole career.

A Vote for Harris is a statement that says we believe in each other. It’s not an act of partisanship but one of fellowship. And in this election more than any other, it’s an act of faith.

About the Author
Matthew Soffer is the Senior Rabbi at Judea Reform Congregation in Durham, NC. His rabbinic work focuses on bringing Jewish tradition to life in contemporary society, through civic engagement and spiritual activism.
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