Published in the Atlanta Jewish Times, April 15, 2020
Last year I wrote that the Hebrew’s ten plagues was the first recorded use of applied terror to achieve political goals. The plagues brought about the Exodus from Egypt, and after the wandering, the ancient State of Israel.
Therefore, it’s ironic that Passover 2020, our holiday that celebrates the plagues, is being canceled by a modern-day one. Many seders this year will be held on the Zoom.com platform. Jews will remotely read from the Haggadah, eat their traditional foods, and sing Dayenu. A zissen Pesach and Chag Sameach to them too.
I wonder though if God is punishing the world for globally damaging the environment and retreating from the ideal of liberal democracy? Is the Lord leveling the United States for electing the soulless Trump who divided the country and led us into a national catastrophe?
Our Commander-in-Chief threw away President Obama’s sixty-nine-page strategic plan to combat the virus and fired the standing pandemic team. In January our intelligence specialists began urging the president to act.
Trump meanwhile stared at Fox News and ignored them. His gut told him he could manage this hot mess with his usual combination of lies, distractions, and projecting blame on others.
We are sadly living in an aberrant time. A new normal is coming but it won’t arrive until the virus is checked and the morally bankrupt Trump and the Republicans are driven from power.