Shabbat Shalom & Happy Independence Day

Dear Congregation Beth Emeth,

As we gather this Shabbat and celebrate Independence Day, we do so on the eve of a remarkable milestone in our nation's history. In just one day, the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday. Two hundred and fifty years is but a brief moment in the span of history, yet for the Jewish people, whose story stretches back thousands of years, it is enough time to recognize something extraordinary: America has been one of the greatest blessings in Jewish history.

This week's Torah portion, Pinchas, is a challenging one. Pinchas acts out of zeal, convinced that only his actions can save the community. Yet our tradition ultimately understands that zeal alone cannot sustain a people. God grants Pinchas a brit shalom, a covenant of peace. Passion matters, but it must be tempered by humility, compassion, and a recognition of the humanity of those with whom we disagree.

We live in a time when zealotry, anger, and division often dominate our public discourse. Too often, we are encouraged to see those who think differently not simply as neighbors with whom we disagree, but as enemies. We know as Jews and as Americans that such thinking rarely leads to healing.

As Jews, we do not approach the world through Democratic values or Republican values. We approach it through Jewish values: the belief that every human being is created b'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God; the obligation to pursue justice; the commandment to welcome the stranger; and the sacred responsibility to seek peace.

Those values call upon us to build a society in which every person can live with dignity and belonging. At its best, America has aspired to be such a place: a nation where Jews, people of color, immigrants, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and all who have too often stood at the margins can find acceptance, opportunity, and hope.

The Jewish poet Emma Lazarus gave voice to that aspiration in her immortal words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." For generations, those words have spoken not only to immigrants arriving on these shores, but to the very soul of America. They remind us that our nation's greatness has never rested solely on its power, but on its promise. A promise that people seeking freedom, dignity, and opportunity might find a home here.

As Jews, we know how precious that promise is. Antisemitism still exists, and its rise in recent years is deeply troubling. And still, I remain profoundly hopeful, because never before in our long history have Jews experienced such freedom, security, and opportunity while participating so fully in the life of a nation.

For nearly two millennia, Jews prayed for a homeland of our own while seeking acceptance and security wherever we lived. Today, we are blessed to live in a world in which many Jews can find both: a sovereign Jewish homeland in Israel and a vibrant, flourishing Jewish life in America. To love America or any other nation and to love Israel should not be competing commitments. Both reflect our enduring belief that people deserve safety, dignity, self-determination, and the opportunity to build societies rooted in justice and peace.

In 1790, President George Washington wrote to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, that the United States "gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." He envisioned a nation in which all could "sit in safety under their own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make them afraid."

That promise remains unfinished. Every generation is called upon to renew it. L'dor V'dor.

As we approach America's 250th year, may we recommit ourselves to the covenant of peace embodied in our Torah. May we reject hatred and bigotry in all their forms. May we choose dialogue over division, understanding over contempt, and hope over cynicism. And may we continue the sacred work of building an America that lives ever more fully into its highest ideals.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Independence Day.

Rabbi Weitzman