“You shall not show favoritism in judgment… for judgment belongs to God.” — Deuteronomy 1:17

I have been a Democrat for as long as I can remember.

I was born into a family of lifelong Democrats. My parents believed that the Democratic Party stood for justice, compassion, civil rights, equality before the law, and America’s responsibility to lead with moral purpose. Those values became my values. They still are.

That is why I write these words not with anger, but with sadness.

For most of my life, support for Israel was never a partisan issue. Democrats and Republicans disagreed on taxes, healthcare, education, and foreign policy, but there was broad agreement that Israel—the Middle East’s only liberal democracy and America’s closest ally in the region—deserved America’s unwavering support.

Military aid to Israel was never viewed as charity. It was viewed as an investment in democracy, regional stability, and the security of one of America’s most reliable allies.

Today, that consensus is eroding.

Within the Democratic Party, there has been a profound shift. Legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies has increasingly given way, in some quarters, to questioning America’s commitment to Israel itself. Too often, Israel is portrayed almost exclusively as the oppressor while Palestinians are portrayed exclusively as victims, with insufficient attention paid to Hamas’ ideology, its use of terrorism, and its deliberate exploitation of Palestinian civilians.

This change has left many lifelong Democrats—and many American Jews like me—feeling politically homeless.

As I struggled with these thoughts this week, I found myself returning to Parashat Devarim.

As Moses prepares the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, he recalls establishing judges over the people. His instructions are timeless:

לֹא־תַכִּירוּ פָנִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּט כַּקָּטֹן כַּגָּדֹל תִּשְׁמָעוּן לֹא תָגוּרוּ מִפְּנֵי־אִישׁ כִּי הַמִּשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹהִים הוּא.

“You shall not show favoritism in judgment. Hear the small and the great alike. Do not fear any person, for judgment belongs to God.” (Deuteronomy 1:17)

At first glance, Moses is speaking about judges in a courtroom. But our tradition understands these words much more broadly. Every one of us is called upon to judge situations, ideas, leaders, and events. The question is not whether we will judge; it is........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)