By Emily Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief
Whether I like it or not, I am an American.
I was born on an American Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas. I was taught to admire the United States military; my grandfather, uncle and father all served many years in its various branches. There is a giant American flag hanging in my room, the now tethered edges having once waved in the winds of Iraq during my uncle’s tour.
Therefore, it goes without saying that despite my growing disdain for this country, caring about its future has been ingrained within me from a young age. The democratic values upon which this country was established have shaped the person that I am today and afforded me immense privileges in my life.
I often wonder if American Jews are willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to give back to the country that many don’t realize has given them so much.
Every year, my high school would hold a Yom Hazikaron ceremony for IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians killed in battle and terrorist attacks. 24 hours later, we would celebrate Yom Haatzmaut and the State of Israel.
As a highschooler, I had never left the U.S. and, quite frankly, felt zero connection to Israel. I thought of Israel as the scribbled map on the whiteboard of my Chumash class at 4:15 PM on Monday evenings. I would mourn on Yom Hazikaron as a human and celebrate Yom Haatzmaut as a Jew who was told to love the land of Israel. Yet, I would attend these events as an American, wondering if my community held any appreciation for the risk and sacrifice so many of my family members made for the country that housed those ceremonies.
My high school never had any sort of commemoration for Memorial Day and never any ceremony for Veterans Day. Lucky for them, the Fourth of July is in the summer, so they had an easy way out of celebrating that one.
The absence of observance of American holidays struck me then; now, being a student at Yeshiva University, I feel no different. Besides the occasional one sentence remark made by YU President Ari Berman, there is little to no appreciation in this school for all those who have sacrificed so much so we can live comfortably in this country.
My grandfather is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He flew a U.S. Air Force plane for three tours in Vietnam. I remember sitting on his lap, seeing him shake from the Parkinson’s disease he got from the chemical that he was exposed to in Vietnam. During my childhood, my uncle went on tours of both Iraq and Bosnia, our family constantly worrying about him. While my mother was pregnant with me she was not allowed to know my father’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, he was serving as a military doctor in Yemen, Qatar and Djibouti. They and so many others risked their lives so that we can live every day safely in this country.
With the upcoming election, it has become increasingly clear that the Jewish vision for the future of America on all sides of the political spectrum is, in my opinion, extremely distorted, or rather, nonexistent. One person said to me in a discussion about the election, “Right now, the only important thing is Israel.”
As a Religious Zionist who believes that every Jew should be living in the land of Israel, I almost could not bring myself to write these next few words:
This is America. Not Israel.
I understand the immense importance of instilling a love and appreciation of our homeland in our children (having never gotten that from my high school myself). However, when one is voting for the president of the United States of America, their primary concern should be the United States of America.
America is currently in a dire state. In general, Americans have lost a sense of appreciation for the land in which they were born, which has given them opportunities millions across the globe dream of having. Our elected officials are not immune to this issue either. Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both have controversial visions for the future of this country which will affect its actual wellbeing.
I will be voting for neither of these presidential candidates because I have concerns about both of their visions for the future of this country that I once adored. While I will admit that Israel did play a large role in my decision to write someone in when voting for the future president, I will not lie that it was not my only priority. When the Jewish community votes for the president of America based solely on what’s happening in Israel, they forget that that president’s policies on America are going to matter too. My family members sacrificed too much for this country for my vote for its leader to be based solely on Israel.
Taped to my bedroom door at home is a picture of an American soldier who was wounded fighting for this country and defending its values. Take a look at it. Notice how the caption reads, “This photo of Staff Sgt. Israel Del Toro, wounded in combat in Afghanistan, should be put on the office door of every elected official in Washington to remind them of the sacrifice of their troops.”
American Jews should consider hanging it on their walls too.
Photo Caption: The newspaper article of a wounded American soldier taped to my door
Photo Credit: Emily Goldberg