Friday night ended the observation of the Jewish High Holy Day of Yom Kippur, a 24 hour period in which many Jews willingly fast, no liquids, no food. For some it is a religious obligation, some a family tradition, some a cultural event, and in my family a little bit of guilt, mostly provided by the females in my house. (Yes, Ma, I did fast, but I had to take three bites of a banana this morning with four sips of water for a pill…I know my mother and aunts have their hands pressed across their perspective blossoms making the, (are you certain fish face.) If you were in Temple/Shul among the high notes sung by the Cantor or the deep reuniting voice of the Rabbi’s sermon you could hear the hissing, the yelping, the other worldly sounds emitting from peoples stomachs, all communicating with hunger pains, feed me, please feed me.
On Friday, In Puerto Rico, millions of American citizens, Jewish and not Jewish were on week two of almost having nothing to eat, eating every other day, sipping three or four gulps of water, or just walking around as zombies might, still in shock, still in awe, still devoid of food and water. All of this was happening as a guy named Trump was playing Golf. All of this was happening as a guy named Trump was lashing out at Puerto Rico because of his failed attempt at another Trump Enterprise going Bankrupt in Puerto Rico, the Island Nation of Puerto Rico was going bankrupt also, thus using any money they had on hand to provide their citizens with food, health and shelter, (not to pay the Trump bankers and attorneys), as the FEMALE mayor of San Juan had the audacity to call Trump out on his laziness and lack of concern for over 3 million Americans, as Puerto Rico had the audacity to vote for Hillary and most as one of Trump’s White Supremacists, Stephen Miller, reminded Trump, most Puerto Ricans are Latin, you know brown like the Mexicans!
I know, Puerto Rico is notTexas where Trump won by a huge margin, I know Puerto Rico is not Florida, where the Russian hackers were able to change the outcomes of the polling stations, I know, Puerto Rico is an Island in the middle of a large Ocean. I am certain also, many Trump supporters have no idea Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth, a US unincorporated nation, or that in fact many of Trump’s supporters believe Obama must have made it a state during his Imperial Presidency, so saving the lives of those people is unAmerican and maybe un Christian. My Book of Life is now open for next year. I did my due diligence as a Jew, became introspective, sought at-one-ment or atonement, my stomach gurgles and growled, but then I had Break The Fast, a chance to begin again satiated with food and liquid. i do not live in Puerto Rico and if I did I might think my Book of Life is empty, painful, and frustrating.
