I happen to be in California. Just had a deja vu  – riots in the streets of Los Angeles. Well organised, destructive, and heavily financed. Who are the rioters? They are not well-meaning misguided youthful idealists defending the rights of illegal immigrants. They are hardened professional demonstrators, anarchists, hard-core anti-Trumpers, who are financed by powerful financial interests made up of deluded billionaires and a trail traced back to Iran.

Why is it happening? Because it can! A weak Californian government is not only allowing it but egging it on. It serves their interests of pinning the blame on the President. Weak government…rings a bell…Australian Labor government…soft on antisemitism…following the socialist-left script on Israel… equating highly volatile speeches by local imams on killing the Jews, with duly elected Israeli government ministers. (Actually, not equating at all – murderous Imams versus Israeli ministers? No question. The Israelis are clearly the dangerous ones that need international executive condemnation (sanctions). Very Wong and Weak and Wayward!)

I was always a little puzzled by the teaching of our wisdom-masters that “one should pray for the welfare of the government, because without it, people would swallow each other alive.” (Mishna: Pirkei Avot). Meaning, Law and Order’. Without strong policing of social laws that protect the people a government fails its citizens and promotes anarchy. And we are witnessing the early stage. It doesn’t take much to lift the lid and allow crazies to mass murder in malls and schools, and burn cars and property.  But then we don’t want to look too right wing and tough on law and order, do we?  We are after all a modern sophisticated government, and we must look good alongside Canada, New Zealand and the UK. Right?  

We are witnessing weak and trembling governments around the world that are afraid of powerful minority interests, who seek perceived populist policies irrespective of ethics or effectiveness, and who pander to those who shout loudest (which today means social media influencers).  This is happening in California, Europe, UK, and of course in Australia.

The Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad, once made the surprising statement that ‘we must live with the times’. His Hassidim were flabbergasted. “Has our Rebbe become a ‘modernist’?’ they asked. So, they sent in his older brother to check exactly what the Rebbe meant. The response was: to live with the weekly Parsha – the Torah reading for that week. The spiritual blueprint for the week.  This week it describes the lighting of the Menorah in the Mishkan (Tabernacle).  Interestingly, the Menora had to be moulded from one single piece of gold – a complex work for a gifted artisan. But the job was done. The Menorah provided light. A Hassidic adage has it: where there is light, people gather together.

We too, have to mould our endeavours as a Jewish people from one single source of spiritual gold– our collective pride and adherence to our own laws and principles – the same Torah that civilised the world. We have to be One. We can’t have left wing US eastern seaboard Democrat Jews and mid-west Republican Jews. Reform Jews and Orthodox Jews. We just have to be Jews! We have managed for 3500 years with one source – the same Torah. Let’s get back there.  We are an ancient people who has survived davka because we don’t take on foreign badges.

One nation. Forged from one precious source. Providing light where darkness reigns. Live with the times.