Our Sacred Honor
October 11, 2016
In his Kol Nidre sermon, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch considers the US presidential election and Judaism’s demand that we speak about — and act upon — the moral challenges of our time.
“Beyond all of the critical issues – the economy, race relations, climate change, security in an age of terrorism, widespread inhumanity causing millions of desperate refugees to wander the world, the reemergence of international tension not seen since the end of the Cold War – we should consider the core principles at stake in these elections,” he says. “Every political choice we make is fundamentally a moral choice. Ultimately, politics is about conscience and character.”
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is the senior rabbi at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. A vibrant Reform congregation on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Stephen Wise has served as a catalyst for progressive Jewish thought, support for Israel, and committed social action in the local community and beyond for more than 100 years. Learn more at swfs.org.
