I am a Jew, Ahskenazi to be specific. I was raised in a family with a rich, proud Jewish life. My grandparents perhaps best exemplified this. Their lives were dedicated to their fellow humans.
My grandparents owned and operated a grocery in the heart of Church Hill, "Purity Meat Market." For twenty-seven years, they made sure *no one* went without food for their families. Many customers got their groceries on credit; my grandparents kept a list and those customers settled up when they could. What's more, there was more than one child that went to school with a lunch provided by my Grandma. In the late sixties, my grandparents helped (literally) build the new temple for the congregation they helped found. Named B'nai Shalom, my grandparents were the congregation's heart and soul.
Our people have a concept called tikkun olam, תיקון העולם. Literally meaning "repair of the world," we believe humanity has a responsibility to change, improve, and fix its earthly surroundings. It implies that each person has a hand in working towards the betterment of all generations. Tikkun olam forces people to take ownership of their world. My grandparents embodied that fully. Throughout my life my parents have taught me, through words and by example, to do the same. That's why i'm a socialist.
As a socialist, I also care about the betterment of humanity. I see the structure we're living in and I want to do it differently. Right now, things are done for profit first. That's why four months ago, Wall Street "punished" American Airlines for daring to pay their workers more money. "Labor is being paid first again. Shareholders get leftovers.” That's a quote from a Citi analyst concerning the pay raise.
That's only one of many examples. Wal-Mart went through the same thing a year ago. This has been our reality for quite some time. According to Pew Research, for most workers, real wages — that is, after inflation is taken into account — have been flat or even falling for decades. Meanwhile, the top 0.1% own as much wealth as the bottom 90%.
The obsession with profit first infects every part of our society, from the frivolous to that we hold most dear. The news media we consume, instead of advocating for the people, fight for ratings and "numbers." Les Moonves, head of CBS, shamelessly said last year that on their excessive Trump coverage, "It may be bad for America, but it's damn good for CBS." Bad as that is, our healthcare may be the most shameful example I can think of. Healthcare is the number-one cause of personal bankruptcy in the country. Roughly 40 percent of Americans owe money for times they were sick. Worse, U.S. adults are likelier than those in other developed countries to struggle to pay their medical bills or to forgo care because of cost. I fail to make an argument for why we should accept this. Our "representatives" are currently debating not only if we’re entitled to healthcare, but how much. This is only a snapshot, but it drives the point I'm trying to make.
As a Jew, I cannot let my fellow humans live like this. As a socialist, I cannot simply stand by. Jews are no strangers to socialism. Jewish socialism has existed in the United States for quite some time. Some congregations even teach these values today. For a while, I had forgotten what my Judaism, and my grandparents, had taught me. Becoming a socialist has brought it all back. I call on my Jewish community to join me in remembering who we are, and putting it into practice.
