We are currently in the Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the birthday of the world. In this time, we look back at our lives in the past year, and see where we did right, where we could have done better, and find where we can improve as humans. It’s an empowering thing to be able to move away from the errors and mistakes of the past and prepare for a better future. This is, in Hebrew, called T’shuvah, “turning around,” turning from your negative past and moving to a better future.

It’s true with individuals, and it’s true with nations, such as the United States of America. we must continue to move ourselves away from the sin of racism and racial discrimination that has undermined this country’s claim to be the beacon of freedom, democracy and justice. Too many people act as if to criticize the racism in our country is to attack America itself, as if our country is nothing BUT racism. Recently, out alleged “president” has called for a commission, called the “1776 commission,” to oppose the teaching of the racial problems in this country, such as the legacy of slavery and the history of Jim Crow against African-Americans, and to propagate America as nothing but the “sweet land of liberty,” not at all dealing with the discrimination against African-Americans, later Irish immigrants, and people from other lands hoping to find a decent life in America. (https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/516941-trump-announces-commission-to-further-patriotic-education)

This is not ow you deal with racial problems in this country, by denying them. A true T’shuvah for America would be to admit the racism and xenophobia in our country-so eagerly promoted by the strange person in the White House- and to move to live up to the words of the Declaration of Independence about equality and democracy. we need leaders, coming out of the grassroots-our fellow workers, friends, and neighbors-who can do this, and we can do it.