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President Trump was spot on when he recently said that “the reason I’m here is because of President Obama and Joe Biden. Because if they did a good job, I wouldn’t be here. And probably, if they did a good job, I wouldn’t have even run. I would’ve been very happy.” He concluded, “I enjoyed my previous life very much, but they did such a bad job, I stand before you as President.”

I have been asked by a number of people to share my thoughts on school openings in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a very challenging and complex subject. Like so much of this trying and unprecedented time, nothing is simple and straightforward. There are no quick fixes or unequivocal paths. Unfortunately, whether we want to admit it or not, we are learning as we go. SARS-CoV2 is a wily and formidable foe. Recriminations and blame are not appropriate at this time. Political leaders can only do so much.

In every generation, we can find support beams of civilization who maintain and fortify constancy, consistency, and, above all else, truth. Without these extraordinary human beings, society would come crashing down.

Every now and then, an article appears that is so disturbing it burns every fiber of your being. It is just more “rubbish,” as the British call it, or “fake news,” as the President would have it. Most of the time, it is wiser to simply dismiss it and write it off. Why call attention to a grotesquely obnoxious op-ed that has its sole aim to cause trouble and highlight the theater of the absurd?

I was in Gush Katif in 2005. It was one of the most magnificent agricultural developments and enterprises in all of Israel. Some of the finest organically grown produce in the world, including The New York Times’ number-one-rated tomato, came from Gush Katif. The pioneering Jewish farmers who worked the land truly made a desert bloom. There were 21 beautiful communities strung together like pearls on a necklace. There were wonderful schools and regal synagogues. They were a sight to behold. It was a dream-come-true like the rest of Israel, and the rebirth of a nation after 2,000 years in exile.

President Trump is at his best when he travels the high road and stands on the high ground. He did just that at Mount Rushmore on Friday, July 3.