January 6 was the worst and best of times

Also in today’s column:
*Jewish reactions to the disruptions at the U.S. Capitol
*Woman Killed at Capitol Protest Was From San Diego Area, KUSI reports

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO — Because of the disruptions and criminal trespass at the Capitol by a mob of President Trump’s supporters, some may be tempted to remember January 6, 2021, as one of the worst days for American democracy.   And they would be right!  Our coverage may be found in companion articles about the demonstration that turned violent and forced postponement of the counting of the Electoral College votes by a joint session of Congress.

Ironically, January 6, 2021, also was one of American democracy’s best days because it demonstrated that racism and anti-Semitism, at least in the halls of government and in the polling places of Georgia, are on the wane.  Furthermore, the value that Americans place on racial and religious diversity is on full display.

January 6, 2021 saw verification that two Democrats–one an African-American (Rev. Raphael Warnock), and the other a Jew (Jon Ossoff)– had been elected the day before by the primarily White and Christian population of Georgia, a deep South state, in a runoff election for U.S. Senate in which they ousted incumbent Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who are themselves both White and Christian.

That election meant that the U.S. Senate will pass to Democratic control after years of domination by Republicans.  This is because in the 100-member Upper House,  Democrats with two Independent allies will have 50 votes and Republicans also will have 50 votes. However,  Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California), a Black woman of Jamaican and South Asian ancestry, will become the Vice President of the United States on January 20th,  with California’s Democratic Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Mexican American, already designated by Gov. Gavin Newsom to succeed her.  In the case of any tie votes, Vice President Harris, in her additional capacity as the presiding officer of the U.S. Senate, will be entitled to cast the tie-breaking vote, meaning Democrats will control the Senate 51-50.  Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a Jewish U.S. Senator from New York, accordingly will be transformed into the Senate’s Majority Leader with the ability to determine the composition of Senate committees and which bills shall come to the floor for a vote.

Once President-elect Biden was assured that both Warnock and Ossoff had won he announced that another Jewish man, U.S. Appeals Court Judge Merrick Garland was his choice to serve as the next attorney general of California.  With Democrats now commanding a majority (with the help of Harris), it is considered likely that Garland will win confirmation — something that was denied to him after he was nominated by then President Barack Obama to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.  At that time, Republican Leader McConnell refused to allow Garland’s nomination to even come to the floor.

The good news does not stop there because the appointment of elected officials has a cascading effect.  After California Gov. Newsom named Padilla to succeed Harris in the U.S. Senate, he named Shirley Weber, an African-American woman, to succeed Padilla as California’s Secretary of State.  And assuming that Garland is confirmed,  Biden will have the opportunity to choose a successor on the Circuit Court of Appeals.  Similarly, if Biden’s nomination is successful of California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra to become his Secretary of Health and Human Services, then Newsom will have the opportunity to designate someone to fill the unexpired portion of Becerra’s term as the state’s attorney general.

Assemblywoman Weber’s seat subsequently would be filled by a special election in which her daughter, La Mesa City Councilwoman Akilah Weber, M.D., has announced she will run, and over which Ammar Campa-Najjar, an American of Palestinian and Mexican heritage, is said to be considering making a bid.  Campa-Najjar ran two unsuccessful races for Congress in the heavily Republican district formerly represented by Duncan Hunter, who had to resign before he was convicted and later pardoned by President Trump for misappropriation of campaign funds.  The district is now represented by Republican Congressman Darrell Issa, a Lebanese American.

Another member of the congressional delegation from San Diego County is Sara Jacobs, a Jewish woman, who announced on Wednesday that she had been appointed to the Armed Services Committee, which her predecessor, the retired ten-term congresswoman, Susan Davis, also had served on.  Although not all of the county’s military installations are in Jacobs’ district, many Armed Service personnel do live in her district.  Jacobs’ other committee assignment is the House Foreign Affairs Committee, so clearly she will focus on international matters.  Given San Diego County’s common border with Mexico, this is a committee with direct relevance to our region.

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Jewish reactions to the disruptions at the U.S. Capitol

*Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego, wrote after members of Congress were sequestered, “My staff and I are safe. The Capitol complex remains on lockdown and everyone should stay clear of the area.”  Subsequently, she issued the following statement:  “During my years of service with the United Nations and the State Department, working in conflict-torn countries and in the aftermath of violent coups, I never would have anticipated the same level of violence as I witnessed today at our own Capitol. Today, human lives and the life of our democracy were put at risk by an angry mob that was encouraged by President Trump and his allies in Congress who have put power over principle for years.

“I stand with my colleagues calling for the immediate impeachment of President Trump and the expulsion of those Members of Congress who continue to stand in the way of the certification of our free and fair election. I encourage Vice President Pence and members of the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment. We all took an oath to support and defend our Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, and the time to act is now.

“I was in the House Gallery watching the proceedings of the Electoral College certification when the Capitol was breached; under guidance of Capitol Police, we sheltered under our seats, wore gas masks, and had to quickly evacuate, climbing under handrails and over seats to protect ourselves from a breach of the House Chamber itself. We witnessed guns being drawn to defend a barricaded door to the House Chamber. We heard protestors banging on the doors directly behind us. I spent the next five hours sheltering in a secure location in the Capitol complex. My Chief of Staff and Legislative Director were similarly on lockdown in our office.

“Every four years, I stand in awe of our peaceful transition of power, even when I disagree with whomever is assuming power, that far too many countries I’ve worked in have never been able to accomplish. So let us be unyieldingly clear: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the election on November 3 and will be sworn in as President and Vice President on January 20. President Trump and Republican Members of Congress who led people to believe otherwise must be held accountable for the violence and loss of life they encouraged today. They put the Capitol complex and everyone inside – Members of Congress, our staff, members of the press, and so many others – in grave danger.

“I fully support Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer’s decision to call Congress back into session and to continue with the certification of the Electoral College tonight. The violence at the Capitol – and President Trump’s unwillingness to call for it to end – can not and will not impede the important task of certifying the votes of the American people.

“In the coming days, I will be meeting with my Democratic and Republican colleagues – those who are equally horrified by the events today – about the path ahead. What we saw today may be America’s present, but I will spend every moment that I am in Congress making sure that it is not our future. ”

*Rabbis Devorah Marcus and Benj Fried, supported by Rabbi Emeritus Martin Lawson,  messaged their Temple Emanu-El congregants that “As Jews, our history is long and our memory is longer.  We know far too well what happens when that which is precious is taken for granted and treated with disdain.  Our democracy, our electoral process, these are such precious things.  We can disagree politically.  We can disagree on policies.  We can feel happy, apathetic, or frustrated with an election result – indeed all of us have from time to time.  But as our rabbis of old so wisely taught us, when our disagreements turn to hate, the end result is always destruction.  How precious was the Temple in Jerusalem?  It fell to the Babylonians and then to Romans when our people turned on each other with malice and hatred in their hearts.  Our nation stands now like the fiddler on the roof – capable of beauty and joy, but in such a precarious position, who can hear the music through the fear and the worry?  May we come together today as one house, committed to dialogue rather than division.  We pray for the safety of our elected officials and for those serving on the front lines to defend our people and our democracy.  We pray for a peaceful resolution to the unconscionable violence and for the well-being of all those are working to restore peace.  We pray for a peaceful transition of power as has been the proud custom in our country since President John Adams handed the reins of power and authority after losing the election to his rival, President Thomas Jefferson.  This is our proud history and we pray for this history to continue as it has. ”

*Rabbi Joshua Dorsch of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego commented, “Today we have seen the worst of America as a violent and angry mob stormed the capital in an attempt to overthrow the government and undermine democracy. This is domestic terrorism of the worst kind. But today we have also seen how resilient we are as a country and as a people. Only a few hours after being locked down in the Capitol out of fear for their lives, our elected officials emerged, reconvened, and fulfilled their obligation to uphold our Constitution and its electoral process.  We are better than this. I believe with my whole heart that there are better days ahead. But until then, I want to share with you a powerful prayer, written by Rabbi Menachem Creditor, which I found particularly meaningful during this scary and difficult time. … “Holy One, We call out to You in a moment of deep distress, an eruption of violence and hatred in the heart of our nation. Send Your Spirit among us, sheltering our sisters and brothers, elected leaders, emergency responders, police and law enforcement from all harm. Place in our hearts a commitment to remember the horror of today’s assault on our government. Dear God, bless the United States of America with healing, with health, and with peace. Amen.”

*Rabbi Benjamin Herman, senior rabbi at Bet Shira Congregation in Miami, commented: “The president’s tweet ‘stay peaceful’ makes no sense. The capitol has been stormed, people’s lives are in danger. It is one of the saddest days in our country’s history. People who cannot accept democratic results, who instead will threaten violence and death. I’m afraid this might be the lynchpin that pushes our democracy beyond the point of no return. In Judaism we are taught ‘incline after the majority’ (Exodus 23:2). The Talmud always keeps the minority opinion yet the majority declares the day. Protesting and persuasion are Jewish values; rioting and terrorizing because you don’t get your way are not. It is very upsetting to me that this is where our country is at today. What we need in 2021 is an opportunity for healing our country’s divide and working together. I hope that can become a reality and the horror show of today can become a vestige of the past.”

*The American Jewish Congress, headed by Jack Rosen, issued the following statement: “Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to protest Congress. Today’s anarchy is the result.  We want stable democracy.  The Cabinet should consider applying the 25th amendment to immediately remove Trump from office to end this incitement against our democracy.”

*Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League wrote: “As ADL has said again and again, extremists must be taken at their word.  First there was volatile rhetoric online, then explicit calls to violence and now people are acting on those calls in the nation’s capital and flagrantly breaking the law.  The President has promoted sedition and incited violence.  People assaulting law enforcement officers or breaching government buildings must be arrested and held accountable.  More than anything, what is happening right now at the Capitol is a direct result of the fear and disinformation that has been spewed consistently from the Oval Office.  President Trump has a responsibility to call for an end to this violence and unrest that he has sowed.  His campaign of disinformation is a clear and present danger to our democracy.  But until such time as that happens, social media companies should suspend his accounts ASAP as they would do for anyone else advocating disinformation and promoting violence.  It’s time.”

*Cheryl Cook, CEO of Avodah, a Jewish service organization, commented, “We are sad and angered by the events taking place today, and by the myriad actions and irresponsible rhetoric that led to this. While the scenes from Capitol Hill, which included Confederate flags, a giant cross, and Nazi imagery, are shocking, they are not surprising. We have seen these acts of white supremacy more and more emboldened each year. Today, we are reminded that our systems of democracy are fragile – especially when those who abuse their power feel threatened by the loss of it. We were also reminded that there are two systems of justice in this country, as we witnessed the blatantly unbalanced way today’s violent extremists were treated as compared to the treatment of Black protestors and other marginalized groups in racial justice protests this past summer. This is why leadership matters – leadership guided by compassion, integrity, a sense of justice, and a moral compass. Developing leaders driven by these values is at the core of Avodah’s work. We train our participants to be the kind of leaders we need in moments like this and in the moments that will come after this. We are committed to supporting the Avodah community of leaders who will not stand for the corrosion of our democracy, and who we trust will help build the future our country needs and deserves.”

*Irene Weiss, a survivor of Auschwitz, condemned through the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum comments made at a pro-Trump rally by Republican Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, who commented in the hours preceding the disruption at the U.S. Capitol, ““Hitler was right on one thing: He said, whoever has the youth has the future.  Fill your children’s minds with what is true and right and noble, and then they can overcome evil with good because they can actually discern between what is evil and what is good.”

Weiss responded: “Adolf Hitler, the Nazis, and their collaborators murdered almost every member of my family, destroyed my entire community, and ended a centuries-old culture.  I implore our leaders, and all Americans not to misuse this history–my history.  It minimizes the evil that was Nazism, dishonors the memory of the victims, and pains the survivors.  We should be learning from history, not exploiting it

*Hadassah’s National President Rhoda Smolow and CEO/Executive Director Janice Weinman, in a joint statement, said: “Earlier today, Americans of all political stripes watched with anger, fear and sorrow as the United States Capitol – a great symbol of our democracy – was desecrated by a violent mob intent on impeding a constitutional process. They have failed. The criminal behavior and events of this afternoon are abhorrent, as are attempts to disrupt democracy with incitement to violence. As Jews, we know the power of words and demand our elected leaders raise the level of discourse and lead with civility. We feel the heavy weight of today’s events and the chasms that divide our nation. We hope that we will continue to learn from and about others, to love our neighbors, and to move forward as one nation. We are grateful to the law enforcement agencies who stood in harms way, and that our elected representatives have safely returned to the House and Senate to continue the business of the people.”
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Woman Killed at Capitol Protest Was From San Diego Area, KUSI reports

KUSI-Television reported that Ashli Babbitt of San Diego County was the woman who was shot and killed after protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol building. The television station said her husband, whose name was not mentioned, described her as a “strong supporter of President Trump” as well as a 14-year veteran who served four tours with the U.S. Air Force. The KUSI report said an investigation into her death is being conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C.

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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com