Can We Be As Passionate About Our Faith As We Are About Politics? Please?

(*Note: I already posted a very similar entry after the election. I came close to deleting this one due to the repetition of the topic. But then decided against it because apparently this issue has reared its ugly head again.)

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a frum friend of mine living in Eretz Yisrael that showed the picture above - distorted a bit, and with a large Afro. Needless to say, I did not really get the humor; nor do I find any point in such things. Later on IM, they posed the question if I thought it was funny or not and I was frank and said "no". That's when a whole deluge of anti-Obama rhetoric came pouring out and when I still failed to agree, it was suggested that I convert to become a Muslim instead of a Jew.

Seriously? Come on now.

I have never been the type of person who gets super emotional over politics; even though when I was in college, I held some pretty novel political beliefs and even became a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Yes, it sounds scary -- but I simply feel that the richest country on the planet should provide for its citizens accordingly. I remember back in 2006 when I was laid off, I was able to collect unemployment in FL, but the maximum benefit (no matter how much you made on your previous job) was $250/wk before taxes (so I think I ended up with $234 per week...or something like that). My rent alone was $825/mo. So I looked into social service programs that would be able to help me out to keep me in my home and get food. There was basically no programs available for me because I was not on drugs, did not have children, was not in eviction court, or did not live in public housing. It was not as if I was a freeloader either; in the previous year, I paid more than $10K in taxes alone.

Ok, so back to the topic at hand, I realize that my political opinions are the minoritiy opinion in the frum world. I do not have any issue with that, and I do in fact know of other Orthodox Jews who voted for and support President Obama. So my hurt and disappointment is not about the politics -- but about the energy expended on and to such a topic. Of course we all have our passions. But we also must have our priorities. And I think to snub another Jew (although I'm not a Jew...just trying to simply things for writing's sake) because you disagree with their politics is an unfortunate thing to do. Now there is a difference between no liking someone in general and in addition to that you disagree with their political idealogies. But this was not the case in my instance -- we had been friends for a few years.

I can't pretend to know the true thoughts of others (any time I even "went there", I failed miserably), but I think what happened here is that this person felt that being anti-Obama was being pro-Israel and of course a Torah observant Jew must be pro-Israel; so the conclusion is that if you are not anti-Obama you can not be a Torah observant Jew! This Swiss-cheese logic puts up a divide between Jews that does not even need to be there. In my own humble opinion, no American President can or will be a complete friend of Israel because his primary obligation is to look out for the needs and the status of the country he (or she) is the head of. Now if Israel can benefit in some way, this is a blessing. And yes, Israel depends a lot on the United States and Americans for support. But we need to put our hope in Hashem; not any politician.

Of course I know where my loyalties lie as well. I often tell people that even if I were healthy, I would not fight in the US military, but would serve in the IDF. This is because I feel America is just a sojourn; and it will rise (or has risen) and will one day fade away. Israel and the covenant with Hashem is eternal. With that being said I am also a Black American and I grew up with intimate knowledge of the disparities in this country in regards to race. So I am unbelievably proud that this country elected Barack Obama to this country's highest office. Yet if President Obama would ever outright slight the Jews, I would be his first critic. But the political game with talks and negotiations is not any slight against the Jews. If President Obama had it in for Jews, why would he bother hosting a Passover seder at the White House (even though that was strange for my tastes...a non-Jew hosting a seder...uh....)?

Anyway thinking about this whole misshegus just makes my head spin. Political drivel is really beneath Am Yisrael...