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The JEWISH
Parsha Lech Lecha • November 11, 2016 • 10 Cheshvan 5777 • Candlelighting 4:21 pm, Havdalah 5:28 • Luach, page 23 • Vol 15, No 43
PRESIDENT
STAR
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TRUMP
Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, said: “Pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for respect for it, people would swallow one another alive.” Eternal G-d: We thank you for this blessed nation that for 240 years has translated into reality the Biblical command to “proclaim liberty throughout the land for all the inhabitants thereof.” We thank you for our constitutional government that has created and fostered the American ideals of democracy, freedom, justice and equality for all, regardless of race, religion or national origin. Almighty G-d: We know that we are living in very dangerous times, when all of these blessings are threatened from without, by forces of terror and unimaginable brutality, and from within, by those who sow the seeds of bigotry, hatred and violence, putting our lives and our way of life at risk. And so we pray, Dear G-d: Help us to form a government which will protect us with sound strategy and steady strength; which will unite us with words of wisdom and acts of compassion; and which will thereby bring peace and harmony, safety and well-being to our beloved America and to all of humankind. And let us all say, Amen. This is the benediction that Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, spiritual leader of Kehilath Jeshurun, a Modern Orthodox shul on the Upper East Side and rabbi to Ivanka, daughter of President-Elect Trump, wrote for last summer’s Republican National Convention.
Donald Trump at Hofstra University in Hempstead for the first presidential debate.
The Jewish Star / Christina Daly
2 rabbis support Clinton, spark a row
In 5 Towns, Rabbis Hain and Billet speak passionately — as do those who disagree “A vote for Hillary Clinton should be considered by people who are conservative on Israel policy,” Rabbi Billet said. “If she gets our vote and wins, perhaps we will have an opportunity to hold her accountable to our concerns.” “People like Rabbi Hain who are uncompromisingly in Israel’s corner on both sides of the Green Line and who want a strong and secure Israel are doing a service in advocating for Mrs. Clinton,” Rabbi Billet said. “If she is elected,
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Rabbis Kenneth Hain (left) and Hershel Billet, urging their congregants to attend the AIPAC conference in 2014. YouTube video
By The Jewish Star Two of the leading Modern Orthodox rabbis in the Five Towns, Hershel Billet and Kenneth Hain, published articles the days leading up to the election in which they expressed support for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump and urged a moderation in the level of angry discourse. After Rabbi Hain, of Congregation Beth Shalom in Lawrence, wrote in the Jerusalem Post that “our country, and our Jewish community, would be fortunate to have Clinton serve as our next president,” he was criticized, often in intemperate terms, in social media channels. Rabbi Billet, of the Young Israel of Woodmere, rose to Rabbi Hain’s defense in a long Facebook post in which he discussed the complexity of an election campaign being fought in the wake of “eight dark years of President Obama.”
we need strong and articulate voices from the Right who potentially will have her ear and counteract elements in her circle which might push for policies that might otherwise go unopposed. “And this above all else: The Talmud is full of disagreements. But there is respect between adversaries. Intelligent people may disagree about an election. We may strongly disagree. But we must not allow ourselves to get angry and become See 2 rabbis on page 30