“Would You Vote for a Member-of-the-Tribe?”

  The Torah’s Joseph becomes viceroy of Egypt in this week’s sedra. Only Pharaoh is above him in importance. He wields power because of his ability to save Egypt from the starvation faced by other peoples in the region. 

   Had he run for the position of Pharaoh; would the Egyptians have elected him (not that there was such a position)? Would his fellow Israelites?

  My grandmother wouldn’t vote for Abe Beame when he ran in New York’s mayoral election in 1974 (Hard to believe, but even without her vote he was elected!). She wouldn’t vote for any Jew running for public office because if something went wrong “‘they’ would blame us. Understand she came to this country from Germany so she knew what could happen, but it is an interesting issue even so many decades later.

  Now Michael Bloomberg, a former New York mayor and a Jew, is running for President. On a Saturday Night Live! program in November there was a parody on the debate. “Bloomberg” abruptly came on stage, not standing behind a podium because he barged in, and said, “I’d love to see those Trump supporters come up with a conspiracy theory about a Jewish billionaire with his own media company. Good luck making that stick.”

  Wow! 

  “Jews are rich!” “Jews own the media!” “Jews want to take over the world!” are beliefs held by the anti-Semites today and yesterday. Had the actor said those lines at any time I know I would have cringed; how much the more so at this time when surely such a conspiracy theory is dangling over this country right next to everything else that has resulted in hate and divisions. 

  Do you want me to say if I’d vote for Bloomberg? You’re darn tootin’ I would and for one reason alone. I’d take my chances.

  Yes, I know Bernie Sanders is Jewish, but his “Jewishness” is something to discuss perhaps another time.