For What it’s Worth: Warren Hecht

Kristallnacht occurred on November 9, 1938. Although the word Kristallnacht has been translated as the “Night of Broken Glass,” much more occurred. There were attacks on Jews in the streets along with arrests, arson, and looting. One would have thought that those days were gone. Sadly, they are not.  On November 7, Israeli soccer fans and other Jews were chased and attacked in the streets of Amsterdam by Palestinian supporters. History repeats itself.

I have decided not to write anything about the presidential election. It is hard to be silent when I read week after week the Trumpians’ distortions and/or omissions. However, the bottom line is that it is a waste of time. Harris is going to win New York. It appears that nothing that Trump or Harris says or does is going to change many minds. The election is tight and people who are interested and plan to vote have made up their mind.

As of the time I am writing my column it is unclear who will be our next president. Therefore, I will not address the candidates directly. Instead, I will comment on how the media has covered this election. The media had an excuse in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic; they have no excuse this time.

I decided to wait until October 7 to write my column. Remembering the tragic events of October 7, 2023, has a greater effect on a person’s psyche on October 7 than any other day, even the day before. It had been hard to focus on work today even though I had not yet had gone to any events.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Yom Tov. This year was different for me due to the fact that I am still in availus and could not participate in the Hakafos during Sukkos and on Simchas Torah. It is no fun standing around while there is singing and dancing on Simchas Torah. I cannot imagine having to go through this every year. It was also a different year for the Jewish community due to what happened last Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah in Israel and what has transpired since then. There were various approaches. Some shuls seemed to act as business as usual, while others toned down the joy or had special programs, such as a siyum.

This is my last column for the year 5784. It has been a tough year for me personally and for the Jewish people as a whole. Although we’d like to believe that our parents will live forever, if someone had told me last Rosh HaShanah that my mother would not last the year, I would not have been totally shocked. However, if someone had told me that a group of Hamas terrorists would break through the Gaza border, massacre 1400 Jews, and take hundreds of hostages, I would have thought they were crazy.