A Jewish Community Transcending Politics

9/12/2025

We were running late for our ferry one fall morning last year, when a man in his 70s approached me as I was about to board.

He told me he was Jewish but that it had been years since he was part of a Jewish community, and that he would like to reconnect. I told him he met the right person, as I am a rabbi and director of the local Chabad, and I would love for him to be part of our community.

“But I’m not sure I would be accepted,” he told me.

I assured him that all Jews are welcome and that our community is a warm and inviting space for all, and there's no reason he would not be welcomed.

Still not convinced, he walked closer to me and whispered: “I’m a Republican. Are you sure I’ll be welcome?”

It sounds ridiculous, unimaginable even, but it is a true story. And sadly, I’ve heard similar versions of this, in more modest and less extreme ways, from a few others as well.

Due to the political makeup of this island, the sentiment here is usually in one direction, but in America as a whole, this lack of tolerance — and the terrible consequences of it — goes both ways.

This week we saw the darkest expression of that reality with the gruesome murder of a high-profile political figure. But it exists in more subtle and socially acceptable forms across our society as well, on both sides of the political divide.

If we want to heal the deadly ills of this division in its most horrific forms, we must begin by healing it closer to home, in its quieter expressions.

This month, as we prepare for Rosh Hashana, we ask in our prayers: “Barchenu Avinu kulanu kechad” — “Bless us, our Father, all as one.”

The Zohar explains that we are all one people, likened to a vessel meant to receive blessing. But a vessel split into pieces cannot hold anything. For us to receive G-d’s blessings, we must be kulanu k'echad — all together.

One of the most beautiful things about our Chabad community is that it transcends partisan divides. It is truly a space that unites people of all backgrounds.

Anyone attending our events might be surprised one week to hear from a prominent liberal journalist, and the next week from a leading conservative commentator. They might be puzzled and wonder where we stand politically. But the answer is that we aren’t a political body. We are a Jewish community with open arms for people of all and every background to participate.

Nobody should ever question whether they are welcome in a Jewish community because of who they voted for. And nobody should be shunned or disinvited because of their political affiliation.

If we want Hashem’s blessing to rest upon us this year, we must choose to be a people that are a united vessel. Only then will we have the capacity to receive G-d's blessings.

Barcheinu Avinu kulanu k'echad.