8 | JANUARY 13 • 2022 

A

s we mark the one-
year anniversary 
of the Jan. 6, 2021, 
attack on the U.S. Capitol, 
some in our country question 
the health of our democra-
cy. Can we be 
sure that peo-
ple will accept 
the results of 
the 2022 mid-
term elections? 
Will we see 
more politi-
cal violence? 
A recent poll conducted by 
the Washington Post and 
the University of Maryland 
revealed that about one-third 
of Americans agree with the 
statement “violence against 
the government can at times 
be justified.”
 Clearly some dangerous 
lines have been crossed, 
and our institutions have 
responded weakly. The health 
of American democracy 
seems threatened.
My mother’s German 
cousins remembered lis-
tening to the radio as the 
new Chancellor greeted 
the nation. They thought, 
“Germany is a refined and 
sophisticated nation; how 
many weeks will that buffoon 
last in power?” 
My mother’s German cous-
ins got out of Germany in 
time, or I never would have 
heard them reminisce about 
that night.
Should we be concerned 
that the same thing could 
happen here, in America?
I sent that question to an 
assortment of historians, 
political thinkers, activists 
and rabbis. Here are the 
responses I received, edited 

for brevity and sorted from 
most reassuring to most 
unsettling.

NOT TIME TO PANIC
Dov Zakheim has held many 
posts in a distinguished 
career as military, 
political and eco-
nomic adviser, 
among them 
Undersecretary 
of Defense in 
the second Bush 
Administration. 
He is also an 
Orthodox rabbi who has 
written extensively on the 
political challenges faced by 
biblical figures. His response:
“You ask a troubling ques-
tion, but I think upon consid-
eration you will see that the 
situation is nowhere near as 
dire as some may think. 
“To begin with, it makes lit-
tle sense to compare the U.S. 
and Germany. Germany had 
a legacy of virulent antisem-
itism reaching back to the 
First Crusades. 
“On the other hand, the 
United States was founded as 
a democracy where Jews, at 
least officially, had a rightful 
place — witness Washington’s 
letter to the Jewish communi-
ty of Newport. 
“Surely there is antisemi-
tism. It will never go away. 
But does the government 
— at any level — support it? 
Clearly not.
“I happen to believe that 
God blessed this country like 
no other. You may not share 
that belief.
“But American democracy 
is not in danger — mildly 
threatened, perhaps, but not 
more than in the past. 

“Nor are Jews in danger.” 
Yitz Greenberg, rabbi, 
author, activist, theologian 
and historian, 
currently senior 
scholar in resi-
dence at the non-
denominational 
Yeshivat Hadar, 
responded: “The 
United States is 
not so fragile a 
democracy as to be drawing 
the 1930s German analogies 
at this time. If, God forbid, 
the democracy collapsed 
(highly unlikely), there is 
Israel now, with instant access 
for any Jew in the world who 
is threatened (unlike the 
1930s). 
“It is not time to panic.”
Howard Lupovitch, asso-
ciate professor of 
history at Wayne 
State University 
and head of the 
Cohn/Haddow 
Center for Judaic 
Studies, wrote: 
“In my mind, 
there are two red 
lines. The first is between vio-
lent versus non-violent man-
ifestations of antisemitism — 
not so much the frequency or 
intensity but whether we are 
still protected by law enforce-
ment and government. In 
other words … when is it no 
longer possible for us to call 
on or rely on the police for 
protection?
“The second is the point 
where what has hitherto been 
largely polemical antisemi-
tism becomes more systemic, 
as in anti-Jewish laws, which 
we have not seen since the 
Johnson-Reed Act nearly a 
century ago. 

“I do not in any way dim-
mish the surge of antisemi-
tism especially during the last 
five or six years — symptom-
atic more than anything else 
of a former president who, 
for personal gain, advocated 
violence and peddled hate, 
outrage and fear; and was 
aided by the false urgency of 
the 24-hour news cycle and 
social media.
“All of the concerns about 
those undermining democ-
racy by gaming the system 
notwithstanding, democracy 
prevailed in the last two elec-
tions. Things may look dif-
ferent after November 2024 
or January 2025, but, for now, 
the guard rails are still there.
“In short, I am — and we 
must be — ever vigilant, but 
it not (yet) time to panic.” 

DEMOCRACY IN 
DANGER?
Marc Kruman, professor 
of history at 
Wayne State 
University and 
founder/director 
of the Center 
for the Study 
of Citizenship, 
writes, “I agree 
that our democ-
racy is in danger. For those of 
us who are deeply committed 
to democracy, this is a deeply 
concerning moment. 
“Black and Brown people 
are more likely to take the hit 
first in this country. You can 
see that in the tendency to 
minimize the power of Black 
people through redistricting. 
I don’t see that as crystalizing 
in a focus on Jews yet. 
“Talk about a fraudulent 
election, endlessly repeat-

PURELY COMMENTARY

opinion

Should We Be Concerned about our Democracy?
Jewish thought leaders respond to the question.

Louis 
Finkelman
Contributing 
Writer

Dov 
Zakheim 

Yitz 
Greenberg

Howard 
Lupovitch

Marc 
Kruman

