We must meet in the middle - The Jewish Standard

Trump’s first 100 days have been nothing short of chaotic and unpredictable. This country needs to come together in the middle more than ever. It will require thoughtful nuance on both sides of the aisle.

We need fresh leadership and new ideas. I had a conversation this past week with Dory Benami, who is considering running for Congress in California and challenging Brad Sherman (CA-32). Benami resides in a district that will always vote Democratic, but he is trying to shift the conversation back toward a pro-Israel, proudly Jewish voice. Sherman has embraced some of the left-wing Democratic rhetoric. Benami, who has been reading my opinion pieces that have been printed in this paper, thinks they have been powerful and asked to get my view of the political landscape.

I am no political expert, but I gave him my two cents, for what it’s worth. In all transparency, I am a registered Independent who is looking for middle ground. So much has changed for me since Oct. 7. As an American Jew, safety has become my number one concern, something that I never imagined would be the case in my lifetime. I commute several times a week on the NYC subway through the Port Authority, and it has been my fear that one day I will encounter a pro-Hamas rally. I constantly look over my shoulder and do not visibly wear a Magen David on public transportation, in the most Jewish city in America.

I told Benami that in my opinion, this past election was the Democrats’ election-to-lose. Everything possible was done to try to bring Trump to justice, yet he still won. From the moment that Trump left the White House in 2020, I felt that he would try to come back again and would succeed. Our country still has not come to terms with what happened on January 6, 2021. I believe Trump lost only because he mishandled covid. If not for the pandemic, he would have won again in 2020. Trump has a magnetic appeal to his base of followers, and we live in a bubble in the Northeast. Biden won as the “empath” who was going to move this country past the pandemic.

It was clear from the Biden-Trump debate in June 2024 that Biden was not mentally fit to run for another term. Americans were not fooled when Kamala Harris was ushered into the race without an open primary. Democrats need to come to terms with their failures and have an internal day of reckoning if they want to take on Trump’s agenda. The Democrats need more moderate pro-Israel voices. They managed to alienate me, a liberal, moderate Jewish voter who was once a Democrat. Making their key election issue abortion rights clearly did not guarantee victory this past November.

There is a lot of division in the Democratic party right now. Many Americans have become disillusioned with the leadership of Schumer and Pelosi, and even more take issue with the far-left progressive voices in the party — Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Bernie Sanders. I personally believe Progressives should form a third party. There is no reason why this country cannot have three political parties. There is ample room for moderates on both sides of the aisle to unite in the middle.

Another Democratic rising star I have read about is Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, who is running to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. McMorrow has said that part of leadership is recognizing succession planning and when it is time to bring in a new generation of leaders and ideas. She has challenged the current Democratic leadership and referred to herself as a “straight, white, Christian, married, suburban mom” who is willing to work across the aisle, especially on issues of economic development.

Schumer lost my support when he publicly criticized Netanyahu, the leader of the United States’ number one ally in the Middle East, on the floor of American government. I truly think there is a vacuum in this country waiting to be filled. It’s time to bring in new leadership to save our democracy and the institutions that we hold dear.

Sarah Kukin Gretah, who works as a grants manager at the David Berg Foundation, is passionate about philanthropy in the Jewish community and is a fierce advocate for the State of Israel. She lives in Tenafly with her family.

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