At this time of year we take a look back before readying ourselves for the future. For American Jews, 2013 was a year of mixed messages when it came to issues that matter to our community.
Chief among them: the agreement between Iran and the West that eases sanctions on Tehran in exchange for a deceleration of its nuclear ambitions.
A letup in sanctions makes the pro-Israel camp nervous, as the deal leaves in place everything Iran needs to build nuclear weapons in the future.
On the other hand, the agreement is temporary, pending proof that Iran is standing down on its nuclear goals. If a permanent, verifiable accord can be worked out, and a devastating war avoided — for surely war would come to Israel if Iran were attacked — then the negotiators deserve Jewish support.
While the relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama is frosty, the relationship between Israel and the United States remains strong.
Witness the recent passage of a bill to upgrade military and energy cooperation between our two countries, as well as overwhelming congressional approval of the administration’s funding request for $300 million toward missile defense.
The only way to read this is that America continues to stand with Israel.
On the domestic front, the bedrock Jewish value of feeding the hungry and clothing the poor plays out in the tussle over the budget.
We have seen recent comity between Democrats and Republicans, resulting in a budget that would roll back the odious sequester and restore funding to social safety net programs.
While far from perfect, given the political realities of the times we are pleased to see this bipartisan achievement and hope it will ease some of the pain the sequester caused.
We also saw the inexcusably bungled rollout of the Affordable Care Act. While we support the aims of the law — health coverage for all Americans — and while improvements have been made, implementation has a long way to go.
However, to the nation’s great shame, absolutely nothing was done regarding gun law reform in the wake of the Newtown massacre a year ago. If that horrific chapter in America’s bloody obsession with guns couldn’t move the needle, we fear nothing will.
As is the case in America’s great democracy, things change slowly. That’s a good thing overall. It means the more perfect union is always under construction. As Jews in America, we continue to be blessed.
We wish our readers a happy and healthy new year.