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Feeling like from page A67
penetrate deeply into your heart
and soul. See if it opens you up to
a deeper curiosity of what it means
to wrestle with the mysterious
Infinite Source. Then, after the
services are over, ask a few of your
favorite teachers, friends, rabbis,
library texts or Google sites how
to explore this word or phrase in a
deeper way. Let it be an opening to
a year of digging deeper for truth,
wisdom and healing.
• Find a melody or a sacred
sound that connects you with the
long history of imperfect human
beings who are willing to repair
what's broken in themselves and
the world. It might be an ancient
melody or the loud sounds of the
shofar or the quiet moments of
meditative reflection. But that one
moment can connect you with
thousands of years of Jews praying
together for guidance on how to
improve themselves and the world
around them. That one, elusive
moment of seeing what you need
to work on in yourself and in your
corner of the world will make the
entire service worthwhile.
• Find a moment of connect-
ing with at least one other soul
who is also feeling like an out-
sider. Just like Queen Esther (who
proclaimed in the Purim story,
"Maybe helping my people is the
ultimate reason why I was brought
into this world"), so might there
be a moment at the High Holidays
when your warm eyes, your caring
handshake or hug, or your words
of honest validation for another
person will spark the stren
and vitality of someone else in the
congregation who was feeling alone
or broken before they shared these
holy moments with you.
You might find that by showing
compassion for another fellow con-
gregant, your own sense of being
alone and apart begins to lessen
or disappear. As a result of your
moments of showing your chesed
(lovingkindness), you might find
that your longstanding sense of
outsiderness can begin to heal. ❑

Detroit native Leonard Felder, Ph.D.,

is a Los Angeles-based licensed psy-

chologist and an author on how to use

Too Much from page A73

gious or that candidates shouldn't
feel free to discuss their religious
beliefs with the body politic. It is
understandable that candidates,
from time to time, will want to
express their religious beliefs — and
how their faith will inform and
influence their policymaking. And
there's nothing wrong with a candi-
date expressing his or her religious
perspective — especially when
confronted with misinformation,
innuendo and rumor.
However, appealing to voters
along religious lines can be divisive;
and it is certainly contrary to the
American ideal of including all
Americans in the political process.

Religious Pandering
It is deeply troubling when religion
is no longer just an element in
understanding the character of a
candidate but becomes a central
part of a party's efforts to win votes
or to pander to a certain religious
group or constituency. Government
should not endorse, promote or
subsidize religious views — and
particular religious views should
not be the determining factor in
public-policy decision making.
When candidates campaign, they
should be encouraging voters to
make decisions based on an assess-
ment of their qualifications, their
integrity and their political posi-
tions, not on how religious they are.
The next time a debate modera-
tor asks the candidates to discuss
their personal relationship with
God, it would be refreshing to
hear an answer similar to the one
President Kennedy gave nearly
48 years ago, when he confronted
questions about his Catholicism:
"I am not the Catholic candidate
for president. I am the Democratic
Party's candidate for president who
happens also to be a Catholic."
Religion, he was saying, is part of
him, but it does not define him; and
it should not be the primary lens
through which Americans view him.
In this season, it is important to
remind all political players that in
this religiously diverse nation, there is
a point at which an emphasis on reli-
gion in a political campaign becomes
inappropriate and even unsettling.

❑

Jewish teachings for personal growth

and effectiveness. His newest book is

ON THE BOARDWALK

248-626-7776

1432860

A74 September 25 • 2008 .1N

Abraham H. Foxman is national direc-

"Fitting In Is Overrated: The Survival

tor of the Anti-Defamation League and

Guide for Anyone Who Has Ever Felt

the author of "The Deadliest Lies: The

Like an Outsider"

Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish

(www.fittinginisoverrated.com ).

Control."