July 3-4, 2026 • 19 Tamuz 5786 • Pinchas (Num 25-30)

The 4th of July, 1776, as an act of rebellion, triggered a war. The Star Spangled Banner is a song about war (have you ever seen the full version?)

Was it inevitable? Was it necessary?

Was it as revolutionary as we like to think?

A thoughtful discussion on this week’s New Yorker Radio Hour podcast asked the question, “What did the American Revolution look like from Britain?”

More provocatively, host David Remnick asked, “In the long-run, are we better off than we would have been had we remained part of the Commonwealth like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand?”

I would like to suggest a Jewish angle to this question for your Shabbat table:

Which country has been better for Jews and Jewish life: the USA, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand?

Some points to consider:

Social freedom: Despite the past discrimination (eg, Jewish immigrants having to forsake Shabbat in order to keep a job, being barred from universities and jobs, and so on), Jewish life in America was almost always better than elsewhere and the First Amendment has been the special sauce, expanding our freedom.

Religious freedom: Under the Canadian Charter system, if a traditional Jew in Montreal or Toronto runs into a condo association rule banning structures on balconies, the law shields........

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