Sometime after the Torah reading on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (and in many places on Shabbat also), we will be asked to rise and pray for the United States of America. A prayer for the welfare of the national government and its leaders has been part of Jewish liturgy since ancient days. In fact, the importance of praying for the welfare of the ruling government was established by the prophet Jeremiah after the first exile from Jerusalem, in 586 B.C.E. He tells the exiled Jews, "Seek the welfare of the city where I have caused you to be exiled, and pray to God on its behalf, for in its prosperity you shall prosper" (Jeremiah 29:7).

For more than 2500 years, Jews in the Diaspora have recognized that our community’s physical, economic and political well-being depended upon the will of the government. Being powerless and dependent, our ancestors asked God to guide the leaders of the country to rule the Jewish population with justice and mercy.  In our history, often the justice and mercy we prayed for was only to be left alone. Remember the rabbi’s blessing for the Czar from “Fiddler on the Roof?” A blessing for the Czar? Of course! May God bless and keep the Czar... far away from us!

Since the 1950’s the Prayer for our Country in American siddurim has included a call for an end to anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of bigotry. In Mahzor Hadash (the new High Holiday prayerbook for the Conservative movement), we pray: “Unite the inhabitants of our country of all backgrounds into a bond of true kinship, to banish all hatred and bigotry and to safeguard the ideals and institutions of freedom.”

This is more than a prayer for the government of our country. This is prayer about striving for the American (and Jewish) democratic ideals of liberty and equality.

We are living through a period of deep political polarization. It is hard to imagine a feeling of “true kinship” in this election season. We have found ourselves relying on old prejudices and anxieties and we react to the “other side” (whichever that might be) with fear and derision. Yes, we live in uncertain times. Yet, rather than finding ways to solve the myriad of challenges our nation faces, many of us are retreating inward.   We have forgotten Jeremiah’s instruction; the teaching that with America’s “prosperity you shall prosper.” When we think only of ourselves, and not of the greater good, we lose sight of Jeremiah’s words.

We live in an amazing time and place in Jewish history. The Jewish community in this country is neither powerless nor dependent; rather we are vocal and effective advocates, not only for our own parochial causes, but for making America better as a whole. The Jewish vote, as diverse as it is, is considered important and sought-after, not taken for granted by either party.   New immigrant communities and other ethnic and religious groups look to the Jewish community to learn how to organize, advocate and have impact. We are proud of our involvement in the fight for civil rights and other social justice causes, recognizing early that Dr. King’s words: “injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere” echo our own tradition and experience.

We implore the Jewish community to be God’s agents by trying to rise above the ugliness that makes the news.  Let us not be open to the mud-slinging and petty politics that reflect and incite hatred and bigotry. Rather let us engage in civil, honest discourse about our future. We may disagree, but let our differences be opportunities for learning and discovery, not name calling and ridicule. This year, when we rise to ask God to bless our country, let each of us pray those words from our hearts. May those words move us from prayer to action, when, on November 4^th, we fulfill our ideals by voting. May 5769 be a year when together we work harder than ever for justice, equality and peace.

Judy C. Marx is Executive Director of American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Chapter.
Sheri S. Labovitz is President of American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Chapter.