What’s Next

For many of us, the results of yesterday’s election represent one of our greatest fears. 

Trump's constant demonization of Jewish people, women, people of color, and immigrants seeks not only to split our communities apart but also to upend the very foundations of our democracy. His language, steeped in division and exclusion, has one clear aim: to pit us against each other, undermining the unity and mutual trust that keep our society strong and free.

We’ve seen this playbook before, and we know what potentially lies ahead with initiatives like Project 2025. If we recognize these tactics for what they are, an erosion of political freedom and solidarity, then part of the solution has to be to refuse to be divided.

Even as the political differences feel too wide, as we’re scared, and as misunderstandings and disappointments inevitably arise, the hard work of staying in relationship, of finding common ground, is the only path we have towards safety.

The stakes are too high to do anything less. 

As we head into 2025, it is our responsibility to work against policies that harm our communities: mass deportations that tear families apart, discriminatory laws targeting our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors, restrictions that deny individuals their voting rights, and threats to public health and education that impact us all.

This Sunday, we’ll connect with other Minnesotans who care about our neighbors and democracy, and begin our understanding of the future with a post-election debrief call. On Monday, we’ll continue our learning and community building with a post-election Havdalah. Then we’ll do what we’ve always done.

We’ll mobilize our action havurah teams, educate against authoritarianism and antisemitism, advocate for our unhoused and immigrant neighbors, and create space for a better world, because we know that a just and compassionate world is possible, and we’re not giving up. There’s no better time to join us.

In solidarity,

Beth Gendler