Joe Biden: a true "Mentsch" in need

I am writing these words only hours after President Joe Biden made his dramatic announcement that he will be dropping out of the presidential race. While shock waves move through the media and "experts" begin to pile on, analyze, dissect and predict what may or may not happen, I feel the need to say a few words "from the heart", before they too will be gone with the wind...

I will never forget Joe Biden if only for one and one thing only in his 50 years of political service for the United States. It was just after the worst day of my life as a Jew and an Israeli, and I am certainly not alone with this: October 7, 2023. That day, which will never be forgotten in the annals of the state of Israel and of the Jewish people, remains buried within us, even if we are not aware of it.

On October 7th, Simchat Torah, the murderous Hamas terrorists easily made their way over the Gaza-Israel border to murder, rape, decapitate, take hostages hundreds upon hundreds of Israelis, men, women, elderly, small babies, soldiers... It was a day unlike any other in the history of the state of Israel, the single day where more Jews were murdered than any other since teh Holocaust.

As we came out of that day, stunned, overhwelmed and in shock, we all reacted as we did- I began to work on my video clip that would be ready one month later- Carrying our Parents’ Legacy: Second-Generation Holocaust Survivors and the Hamas Massacres.

Within the chaos, bedlam, horror and undigested trauma of that day, we all looked for ways to connect, understand, assure, assist and support one another. Within 12 hours my son was in his army fatigues and on the way to his army unit up north- we would only see him back home two months later. And when we looked to our leader, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, we heard very little in the way of comfort, assumption of responsibility, true leadership in times of crisis. Amazing as it sounds, we are still waiting for that, nearly ten months later, as the subsequent war has taken all of us to places we never could imagine we would find ourselves in. During all this time, there was only one leader who will never be forgotten for what he did immediately, profoundly and effectively- that was the President of the United States, Joe Biden.

I admit, I am not politician, in fact I find this field of endeavor sorely lacking in authenticity, reliability, morality and honesty, and I truly do not know very much about it. Perhaps growing up in a family in the US where the seven o'clock evening news was nothing less than sacred, that I found myself- until this war I should say- trying to stay away from news to the best of my ability. What Joe Biden did after October 7th, however, was to come outside of his "political shell", his "role" and speak to the Israeli people from his heart; as a human being who has known much personal tragedy and struggle comforting an entire nation who was traumatized, grieving and felt abandonded by its leaders. I recall the tears in my eyes and on my cheeks when Biden appeared on television with the following words that went from his mouth to millions of us here in Israel and no doubt around the world:

"I come to Israel with a single message: You are not alone.  You are not alone.

As long as the United States stands — and we will stand forever — we will not let you ever be alone....The brutality we saw would have cut deep anywhere in the world, but it cuts deeper here in Israel. October 7th, which was a sacred to — a sacred Jewish holiday, became the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.  It has brought to the surface painful memories and scars left by a millennia of antisemitism and the genocide of the Jewish people. The world watched then, it knew, and the world did nothing.  We will not stand by and do nothing again.  Not today, not tomorrow, not ever....

To those who are grieving a child, a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a friend, I know you feel like there’s that black hole in the middle of your chest.  You feel like you’re being sucked into it. The survivor’s remorse, the anger, the questions of faith in your soul.

Starting at — staring at that empty chair, sitting Shiva.  The first Sabbath without them.They are the everyday things — the small things that you miss the most. The scent when you open the closet door.  The morning coffee you shared together.The bend in his smile, the perfect pitch of her laugh, the giggle of your little boy — the baby. For those who have lost loved ones, this is what I know: They’ll never be truly gone.  There’s something that’s never fully lost: your love for them and their love for you. 

And I promise you, you’ll be walking along some days and say, “What would she or he want me to do?”  You’ll smile when you pass a place that reminds you of them.  That’s when you know — when a smile comes to your lips before a tear to your eye — that’s when you know you’re going to fully make it.That’s what will give you the fortitude to find light in the darkest hours when terrorists believed they could bring down — bring you down, bend your will, break your resolve.  But they never did, and they never will. 

Instead, we saw incredible stories of heroism and courage of Israelis taking care of one another...The State of Israel was born to be a safe place for the Jewish people of the world.  That’s why it was born.  I have long said: If Israel didn’t exist, we would have to invent it. 

And while it may not feel that way today, Israel must again be a safe place for the Jewish people.  And I promise you: We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that it will be. Seventy-five years ago, just 11 minutes after its founding, President Harry S. Truman and the United States of America became the first nation to recognize Israel.  We have stood by your side ever since, and we’re going to stand by your side now....

I have told the story before and I’ll tell it again of my first meeting with an Israeli prime minister 50 years ago as a young senator.  I was sitting across from Golda Meir at her desk in her office.  And she had a guy named — a guy who later became prime minister sitting next to me, just before the 1973 Yom Kippur War. And she flipped the maps up and down, — telling me how bad things were and how terrible they were.  All of the sudden, she looked and me, and she said, “Would you like a photograph?”

And I looked at her — she got up from her desk and walked out into that hallway — I think it’s marble flooring — walked out in the hallway. We walked out, and there were a bunch of photographers standing in front of us.  We were standing shoulder to shoulder.  Without her looking at me, she said to me, knowing I’d hear her, “Why do you look so worried, Senator Biden?”  And I said, “Worried?”  Like, “Of course, I’m worried.”  And she looked at me and — she didn’t look, she said, “We — don’t worry, Senator, we Israelis have a secret weapon: We have nowhere else to go.”

Well, today, I say to all of Israel: The United States isn’t going anywhere either.  We’re going to stand with you.  We’ll walk beside you in those dark days, and we’ll walk beside you in the good days to come.  And they will come. As you say in Hebrew, which I’m not going to attempt to do because I’m such a terrible linguist, I’ll say it in English, “The people of Israel live.”  “The people of Israel live.” Israel will be a safe, secure, Jewish, and Democratic state today, tomorrow, and forever. 

May God protect all those who work for peace.  God save those who are still in harm’s way. Thank you very much."

A Mentsch Cannot be Faked

To all those people out there who have become hardened and cynical from years of experience in life, especially those who are close to the political world, I wish to first say that I know all about "greenwashing", "politicking", empty promises and "election talk"- we have all been around enough for all that. But to be a mentsch is something that does not go up that alley. A mentsch has evolved from its roots in Yiddish and German to become a term that signifies a person of high moral character and integrity, an individual who exhibits empathy, responsibility, "humanity". You can't fake a mentsch over time, although people try, because it comes through your speech, your action, your values, your body language. A mentsch is a mentsch because people feel you, they don't just hear you.

Joe Biden, in my mind at least, will go down as being a real mentsch at the highest levels when so many of us needed exactly that, from a person in his position and his authority. We didn't get that from our Prime Minister, even weeks and months later. Whether or not you agree with how Biden acted, decided and spoke in the subsequent 9 months is not relevant in my eyes- there are different national interests, perspectives and pressures. As the old axim goes, "A friend in need is a friend in deed". Biden was that throughout and I totally believe he still is.

Yes, Joe Biden got old, we all will be there, some of us are there right now. Being aware of where you are in the life cycle is a sign of wisdom, sticking to the chair you are sitting on oblivious to what is going on around you is a sign of narcissistic foolishness- very dangerous when you are a leader to whom people look up to and depend on.

We will all hear, see and feel many things from Joe Biden in the months ahead. The fears of who might come next are certainly founded. There are lots of fears these days, all of them, unfortunately founded. Joe Biden will exit his place in world history just down the line, and he will be remembered for all he did and did not do. He has a wonderful legacy that he is leaving.

For me, however, his legacy is very specific. It is knowing how to be a mentsch in a world that has forgotten just how much we need mentsches like him to survive this life. Thank-you, Joe Biden for letting us know that we are not alone.