Image by Laura E. Adkins

By Elan Ezrachi November 9, 2016

At this time of devastation and grief it is better to hug, hold hands, exercise and eat well.

But since we have already begun a new day in Israel after a restless night, I will offer these words: What you in America are going through is what we have experienced for the past 40 years. Ever since Likud took over from the hegemony of the Labor Zionist camp in 1977 we have seen, time and again, political defeats against odds, polls, gut feelings, and political analyses. There were times we went to sleep with one result from the exit polls and woke up to another result, the real one. This is true both in our national elections and it is also the case in Jerusalem.

We, the liberals, who believe in justice and peace, have become a built-in minority in a democratic system that thrives on fear, hatred, religious fundamentalism and lack of accountability. It seems like America has caught up with Israel. But we are still here and there is a lot we can do. This is the time for civil society to have its say. We must listen to the other side, try and understand their rage, fight with all the democratic tools against the evil forces and hope that God will give Trump some sense of responsibility.

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I remember how we felt when Ariel Sharon came into power. People talked about leaving Israel, and look what happened. I remember when Uri Lopulianski was elected as a Haredi mayor of Jerusalem, and look what we did in this city.

So hang in there. America is not going anywhere and there will be better days.

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