With Thanksgiving almost upon us, this would be a good time to express some gratitude. But first, we ought to take a quick trip around a planet in desperate need of repair.
A story in this week’s j. describes the experience of Bay Area–based writer Ruthann Richter, who traveled to Kenya with photographer Karen Ande to capture the story of children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Africa. The word “tragedy” does not remotely do it justice.
Elsewhere, in Venezuela worries about violent crime and relentless anti-Israel rhetoric from the government of President Hugo Chavez have caused many Jewish residents to flee. The Jewish population in Venezuela is now estimated at roughly half of its peak from a few years ago.
In Yemen, the tiny remnant of a once-thriving Jewish community remains at great risk of anti-Semitic violence, sparking an intense international effort to rescue every last Yemenite Jew.
Sadly, even in 2009, certain parts of the world remain treacherously unsafe for Jews, anti-Semitism rages on and the threat of violence or murder hovers over some Jewish communities.
But not here.
Here in this amazingly blessed country, Jews continue to thrive as they do nowhere else but Israel.
Here there are no stumbling blocks to prosperity or the pursuit of happiness. Here, those who harbor or express anti-Jewish sentiment are the odd ones, the shunned ones.
Here, our biggest concern as a community is making sure our freedom doesn’t allow too many of our children to wander away from the Jewish fold.
It is a serious concern, but one preferable to the horrors of state anti-Semitism, which we see throughout the Muslim world and, alarmingly, still lurking on the margins of even supposedly friendly nations, such as Russia or Norway.
So, corny as it may seem, this Thanksgiving we express appreciation for the freedom and bounty we enjoy every day in America. And we hope all our readers will take a moment to count their blessings on this holiday.
As Jews, however, we’re still on the hook to do all we can to make this world a better place. Richter helped lead her synagogue, Palo Alto’s Congregation Kol Emeth, raise $10,000 for Kenyan charities.
And as for the rest of us, what better time than Thanksgiving to donate money, time or turkeys to your local food bank. It feels awfully good to feed the hungry.
Before things get too hectic, let’s start off this holiday season with the right spirit. And we wish all our readers a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.