I think one thing we should bring from this is that we should dial down the level of anger in our political debate. All normal people realize that our Democracy involves fierce and divisive debate. But a few nut cases can misunderstand this debate as a justification to kill people.
My old friend and partner Professor Efraim Gil was a very wise man. He survived the old Soviet Union and the Nazis' in World War II, and fought in two of Israels mid east wars. He noted that:
"At the end of the day, we Americans will elect a pretty good Democrat or Republican. We are not talking about the difference between a Communist and a Nazi."
So a new years resolution for all of us of should be avoid language that could be taken by a nut case as a call to action, even if the reference is humorous. How about taking words like "targeting" politicians out of our political lexicon.
_________________
Gil, Efraim Zvi, - September 18, 1934 - April 13, 2007
Born in Chernovitz, Ukraine, was a Holocaust survivor. Dr. Gil received his B.A. in Political Science from San Jose State University, his Masters in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati and his Doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Illinois. He was a Professor at Governors State University in Illinois for 30 years.
Dr. Gil was a life-long proponent of "communities of loving care" believing that people of all faiths could learn to live together in a way that supported each other and protected planet Earth. He retired to Boca Raton, FL in 2004 and was a member of the Carlebach Minyan at the Boca Raton Synagogue.
Dr. Gil is survived by his wife, Enid; his children, Naomi Abramovitz (Samuel) and Daniel Shimon Gil (Shoshannah Fineberg); his sister, Soshannah Kahane and brother, Rafi Schauer; his grandchildren, Claire, Cohavit, Max, Tsipora, Nehama and Ruth, as well as a host of friends throughout the world who loved him and his vision. He will be greatly missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment