The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.
This morning I watched one of the most funny videos that I have seen regarding this election season (see above). The video (4 minutes or so) stars comedian Sarah Silverman. It has several expletives, if you are sensitive in that regard.
In the short, Sarah discusses the importance of this election, and explains how Florida is a "make it or break it" state for the Obama/Biden ticket. In her plea, Sarah urges younger Jewish people to take "the great schlep" to Florida to urge their grandparents (zaydas, bubbys, etc) to vote for Obama. In fact, their is even a website dedicated to this cause: http://thegreatschlep.com/site/default.html
As part of her statement, Sarah tries her best (and funniest) to explain how African Americans and Jews are actually quite similar in several salient features (caring about their grandchildren, appreciating bling, etc). Of course, if Sarah Silverman were not Jewish, this video would not be viewed as being as funny as it is. Certainly - some may feel this anyway - but she definitely makes a very important point. This election does hold much in the way of the future of the United States.
I am Jewish, live in Philadelphia, and I am definitely voting for the Obama/Biden ticket. Like many "older" (not by as many years as would like) Jewish people, in this case who live in Florida, I was a Hillary Clinton supporter during the primaries. My prior hesitation regarding Obama was not at all about his skin color or his name. My fear stemmed from the connection that Obama had to Reverand Jeremiah Wright and the Trinity United Church of Christ. To clarify, it was the church's support and praise of Louis Farrakhan in an issue of Trinity's Trumpet magazine. I was able to read the issue myself on the internet. Farrakhan has a history of making many antisemitic comments during his lifetime - in addition to hateful comments regarding gays, Israel, and the United States.
I have a sense that some Jews may have been initially been hesitant to support Obama, as a result of the Trinity-Wright-Farrakhan connection. I have come to believe that these are definitely not the beliefs of Obama, and that he initially joined Trinity United Church as a way to make connections within the Chicago community. I also don't believe that all Jews who are still hesitant to vote for Obama, feel this way (as Sarah Silverman says) because of his "funny name" or skin color. Perhaps my belief is wishful thinking. Well - whatever the hell the case is - it is a funny video with an extremely important cause.
1 comment:
Your comments and insights are so true. I watched the Sarah Silverman video over and over. It really shows the limitations of people in general who don't think for themselves, who base their views on a very narrow understanding of the world. Keep up the good work. Always a pleasure to read!
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