The promised land

Growing up in a Jewish household in the 1970s and 1980s, I heard a lot about Israel's 1967 6 Day War. Many Jews expected a second holocaust with Israel being wiped off the face of the earth when the war started. Instead, Israel not only defended herself but was able to push back her enemies and take back East Jerusalem (leading to today's geopolitical problems, but that is another issue). In the decades before the war, Jews could look, but not touch the Western Wall of the old temple, one of Judiaism's holiest cites. Now they could. I have heard stories of the emotion of the day when Israel took over East Jerusalem, the tears of joy and happiness but never quite understood it. That is until yesterday.

Yesterday, the first day after Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States, and the nation's first African American President, the news was filled with stories from older African Americans happy to finally reach the reach the promised land. After years, decades, centuries, many African Americans see the election of one of their own by the white majority as a sign that they have finally made it to main stream America. They see a leader they can point their children to. Instead of being like the thug on the corner, they can be like the man in the White House.

More interestingly, I found similarities to the story of Exodus from the Bible in this election. Just as the Jews wandered around for 40 years so have the African Americans. It has been 40 years since civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated. As he said the day before he died, "And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land." Like Moses having to let Joshua lead the Jews into their promised land after their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Barack has led Martin's to theirs. Hearing the stories of many who lived in segregation or were part of the civil rights movement express their joy in living to a day they never expected in their lifetimes reminded me of the stories I heard from my parents' generation about Israel.

Though President-elect Obama's election is just a symbol, it is a strong symbol of hope that fulfills a dream. However this symbol shouldn't take away from the hard work that needs to be done, he does provide hope, which is something that, hopefully, community leaders will be able to build upon. But I'm not here to rain on their parade. I'm here to enjoy their celebration and hope that we all will be celebrating with them as Americans unifying behind our new President.