As I spoke about in my Yom Kippur sermon, as human beings, and particularly as Jews, we often think of ourselves as either vulnerable or powerful. But we are actually often both. And we can be both even in the same moment. 

Right now some of us may be feeling vulnerable. We are cognizant of the vicious antisemitic sentiments that are being spoken, tweeted, and reported in the press. We may be worried about what is happening in Israel. We are aware that our reproductive rights, and therefore our religious freedom as Jews, are being threatened. We know that life on Earth is being altered and damaged by climate destabilization. And we may be concerned about our democracy as voting rights are dismantled and even the legitimacy of our elections is being challenged.

It is ok to recognize and be saddened by our vulnerability. It is real and it is upsetting. 

And it does not mean we are not powerful. One of the most remarkable things about being an American Jew in 2022 is we are still vulnerable, and are very powerful, at the same time.

Some of the ways we are powerful would be unthinkable to Jews only a few hundred years ago. We can speak out in the mainstream print media, and reach millions of people. We can communicate on social media with people across the globe. And if we are citizens of this country, we can vote. 

Being able to vote and to do so with relative ease is a power that Jews did not enjoy for millennia and that not everyone enjoys today. So it is in moments like these, even as we recognize what is broken, that we can also recognize and exercise our tremendous power to help make some things better. There are important propositions on the ballot to protect voting rights and to protect reproductive rights in Michigan. There is a millage that will make public transportation more accessible so more of our neighbors can vote in the future. There are candidates who are working to prevent the worst consequences of climate destabilization. There are candidates that are working to protect our democracy.

Please vote. And don’t stop there. Please call your friends and family to make sure they are voting, please offer a ride to someone you know who may not be able to get to the polls, and please donate time and money to efforts to get out the vote. 

We cannot ignore our vulnerability. We also cannot, and must not, ignore our power.