Opinion Editorials are posted and archived on JNonline.us . George Cantor's Reality Check column will return next week Dry Bones SOFT ECONOMY WE ARE NOT HAVING A CRASH LIKE THEY HAD IN 1929. 1 ! Editorial WHAT WE'RE HAVING NOW IS NOT CALLED A CRASH,! Black-Jewish Impact T he election of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as our 44th presi- dent, an African American only one generation away from Africa, displays a maturing of America that we can all be proud of. While claims that Obama's vic- tory shows that racism is dead in America are unfortunately greatly overstated, we can rightly be proud and optimistic that we have moved closer to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of a nation more inter- ested in character than color. We can also be optimistic that Obama's victory can help move black-Jewish rela- tions forward after having been stuck in neutral for far too long. Exit polls show that 78 percent of the Jewish vote went to Obama, a percentage much higher than in any other non-black or religious group. Fears of a Jewish drop-off because of policy concerns did not materialize since Obama bested Democrat John Kerry's 74 percent of the 2004 Jewish vote. Certainly, a black candidate has not weakened the high degree of Jewish fidel- ity to the Democratic Party. (And come- dian Sarah Silverman — who stereotyped Jewish seniors as racists who would deny Obama the state of Florida — should show more respect for her elders.) Jews have been seeking African- American artners for dialogue and coop- eration for decades, ever since the Black Power movement purged itself of whites and Jews — and black racists and anti- Semites like Louis Farrakhan divided our communities. Important partnerships have remained and new ones have been built, but the damage done by those working to make race the determining factor in the struggle against racism — an irony both farci- cal and tragic — has been significant. Branded as racists simply because of the color of our skin and our successful integration into American society, Jews turned away from engagement with those black organizations and individuals that demanded our respect and support while giving none in return. Who knows how much further ahead our nation would have been in confronting racism and dealing with complex social issues if we had not been so divided? Obama has more than a full plate of issues to deal with, but we hope he will revisit the issue of race in a straightfor- ward way as he did in his Philadelphia speech reacting to the wrongs of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his former minister. But just his example of inclusion and WHAT WE'RE diversity sends an important message HAVING NOW to all. THEY CALL A The biggest bar- MELTDOWN!! rier to recreating the black-Jewish coalition is not race, but class. Lack of a common social lan- guage and shared experience divides us more than color. Obama makes it www.drybonesblog.com crystal clear that aptitude and oppor- authentic and stands head and shoulders tunity, not race, are key determinants of above many who would tear him down. success. Quality education, ambition and Obama, by both words and deeds, pro- equal opportunity can triumph over what- vides us the opportunity to make great ever racism exists. strides in combating bigotry, challenging But to say that Obama transcends race stereotypes and working together to cre- is to stereotype blacks and give too much ate another of Dr. King's visions: that of a credence to those playing the race card. beloved community. ❑ Obama hasn't gone beyond race. He is Other Views America's Journey And Obama Englewood, NI/JTA T he Greek philosopher Heraclitus believed that reality is ever in flux. "You cannot step into the same river twice he taught, emphasizing that the only constant is change. In this political season, everyone wanted to be the candidate of change. But on election night, Heraclitus' mantle clearly belonged to U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. Likewise, the American poet Archibald MacLeish observed, "The American journey has not ended. America is never accomplished. America is always still to build." Nearly two centuries previously Edmund Burke wrote, "A state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation!' Change was the mantra of this elec- tion, and change is what brought Obama to the White House. America's capacity for change is different from the kind that exists in other countries, where change connotes a complete rupture from the past. Change in America is a time adviser of Obama. Julius continuing American revolu- was very active in the suc- tion, rooted in the principles cessful campaign and now is of the founders, a search for a a member of the transition more perfect union. team. He and Obama attended Those two ideas — the need Harvard Law School together for change, but a search for in the early 1990s and both something better rather than served on Law Review. They complete revolution — found attended each other's weddings expression in Obama's elegant — Obama participated in the Rabbi words on election night in Jewish dances at Julius' wed- Menachem which he reminded us that the ding — and have remained Genack dream of the founders is very close to this day. Special much alive in our time. Julius attended yeshiva Commentary The extremely gracious con- through high school and stud- cession speech by U.S. Sen. John ied in yeshiva in Israel before McCain, R-Ariz., reflecting his decency going to Columbia and then Harvard, and patriotism, also represented change where he met Obama. Julius later clerked without rupture. Both candidates made for Supreme Court Justice David Souter. it clear that it was a day of celebration Obama and Julius bonded in part because because on this day, America redeemed both were outsiders — one a former itself from its tortured history of racism. yeshiva boy and son of immigrants, the This election has special mean- other an African American with interna- ing for me because my cousin, Julius tional roots. Genachowski, is an old friend and long- Julius tells me that Obama has always been able to relate to the Jewish experi- ence because of his own background as well as the African-American experience of slavery and discrimination. Julius knows that part of Obama's agenda is to heal the breach between Jews and blacks and to restore the close ties that existed during the civil rights movement. Obama affirmed those ties at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference in June. "In the great social movements in our country's history, Jewish and African Americans have stood shoulder to shoul- der;' he said. "They took buses down south together. They marched together. They bled together. And Jewish Americans like Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were willing to die alongside a black man — James Chaney — on behalf of freedom and equality. Their legacy is our inheri- tance!' Julius also surely enjoyed these words America's on page B2 jkv; November 27 • 2008 B1