Newsmax, with 12 million readers, published my new article “Maintaining Spirit of the People Key to Harvey Reconstruction“:

Even though I spent last weekend in Germany at a convention with my European students, I followed closely the unfolding catastrophe in Houston. The reports in the media and the stories I heard from my students out there were heartbreaking. This event is undoubtedly a trauma that will stay with people for years to come.

At the same time, I think that as a society, the worst thing that Texans can do for themselves is to assume a passive, victim attitude. The reconstruction should begin as soon as possible, and the first thing to reinforce is the people’s spirits.

Money can be recouped, property can be rebuilt, but no one can mend a broken spirit except for the people whose spirits were broken. I saw the reports of Houstonians rescuing each other from flooded homes, and this is exactly the right spirit. However, it is one thing to feel empathy for your neighbor during a crisis, and an entirely different thing to feel it on a day-to-day basis, yet this is what people really need.

Today’s American society is so fractured that even the worst flooding in U.S. history did not quench the divisiveness altogether. Kenneth Storey, for example, a substitute Tampa University professor, was fired after tweeting “hopefully this will help them [Texans] realize the GOP doesnt [sic] care about them,” adding that he is “only blaming those who support the GOP.” But I don’t believe that even one of the first responders, Cajun Navy volunteers, and countless other good Samaritans who plucked people out of flooded homes and submerged cars asked the stranded, desperate people for whom they voted before helping them to safety.

And yet, unless residents and authorities alike make a conscious effort to maintain this solidarity, it will vanish as soon as the water dries. Regrettably, it is not genuine unity, but instinctive empathy that emerges during crises. Had it been real, it would have been there prior to the storm, as well.

Glenn Thrush of The New York Times pointed out that Harvey offers President Trump “an opportunity to recapture some of the unifying power of his office.” It would be wonderful if Trump could focus on unity and solidarity, but I don’t think Houston residents should wait for anyone. Shelters are normally stressful places. Thousands of strangers huddling together for weeks with no privacy and with less than minimal facilities for maintaining civil life is hardly a recipe for happiness.

Yet, if used correctly, these conditions can form bonds that would not form under normal circumstances. If I were there, I would invite people to sit together in a circle, because a circle makes everyone equally important, and over coffee, I would suggest that we all share our most optimistic vision for a life after Harvey. Afterward, I would ask, “What would it take to accomplish these visions?” I have no doubt that with some mutual responsibility and care, most people’s visions are achievable. But without solidarity, these visions will be wishful thinking.

Our daily routines and everyday hardships make us forget a very important fact: We are all dependent on each other. Other people manufacture the food we eat, and other people employ us or we employ them so we can all support ourselves and our families. Our self-esteem depends on other people’s appreciation of us, and our mood depends to a great extent on the mood of the people around us. What we know is what we are told or shown, and what we think is intimately connected to what others around us think. In short, we are interdependent physically, economically, intellectually, and emotionally. Yet, how many of us feel that our connections with people around us are positive and constructive?

Apocalypses such as Harvey are game changers. They are opportunities to rethink everything and lift society to a completely new level of connection. The state of Texas can and should use the bane of the storm as a societal boon that will make Houston a role-model city in America.

My own students and friends are planning to go to the shelters as soon as conditions permit and engage with people to encourage them and help them connect with one another. If I could, I would go there myself and do the same. Since I cannot, I’m offering a free download of my book, “Completing the Circle,” containing connection games, ideas for conversations that help people connect, and lots more. If Texas lets this opportunity for change pass, it will make the next disaster even worse.

A couple of days ago, one of my students, whose family in Houston is still stranded, wrote me these positive words: “We are Texans! Texas can get thru [sic] anything; we just gotta keep on working hard & together.” Yes, togetherness is the key to all of our success now and always.
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Chicago’s Russian periodical 7 Days published my article: “Social Networks As A Tool For Creating Internal Links”

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In Boston, the newspaper Center Makor published my article “Who Needs Education?“:

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The largest portal Newsmax published my new article “There Will Be No Winners in the Second Civil War“:

Earlier this week, CNN news anchor Don Lemon stated that the president “is clearly trying to ignite a civil war in this country.” In response to Lemon’s words, historian and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said in an interview on “Tucker Carlson Tonight”: “I think we should take the threat of civil war very seriously.”

Referencing Dennis Prager’s piece, “America’s Second Civil War,” Gingrich added, “What you’re seeing with Antifa, what you’re seeing on college campuses, what you’re seeing, to some extent, in the bureaucracy, is a real division of the country. …I wish we could all sing Kumbaya and come together but I don’t think that’s what’s gonna happen. …As a historian, my view is pretty straightforward: one side or the other wins.”

America is already so rife with extremists on both sides of the political aisle that many people see war not only as imminent, but as virtually inevitable. If that’s the case, we’d better get busy digging ourselves bunkers… and graves.

And not just in the U.S. A civil war in America will not end in America. If the country plunges into battle, many will be vying for the loot. China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and others will destroy whatever the war doesn’t, the American empire will become history, and a third world war, with multiple nuclear powers, will follow. There will be no winners because, to quote Machiavelli, “Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.”

Is there really no alternative?

I think there is, or I wouldn’t be writing here. In my previous column, I noted that President Trump needs to take a more appeasing tone in order to start building national cohesion. It’s great to state, “No matter our color, creed, religion or political party, we are ALL AMERICANS FIRST,” but doing so right after the Charlottesville murderous car ramming is the epitome of poor timing. Such statements should be part of the president’s routine, not rare occasions.

Trump excels in using social media. If he uses it to broadcast a constant stream of unifying messages, notwithstanding the cynicism of the press, he will win over the American people’s hearts regardless of their political affiliation.

I wholly agree that America requires massive infrastructure projects. But the real infrastructure of the country is its people, not its asphalt roads or railroads. The administration needs to implement ASAP solidarity programs that will create a uniform American identity. People need to learn that an ideology that undermines freedom of speech, freedom of religious practice, and freedom of the press, cannot use the First Amendment to legitimize itself.

Even more importantly, people need to learn that plurality of views is not a recipe for war; it is precisely what has made America great in the first place. When people of different approaches and views strive for the same goal, they are far more likely to achieve it. If the goal is the well-being of all Americans, the entire country will benefit from it, and this goal should top the priority list of every American.

It might not seem possible to patch up the divided United States, but
1) no one has ever sincerely tried, and
2) the other option is war.

With my students, I have developed simple and easily applicable techniques that create a sense of unity and connection even among the most unlikely populations, such as Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs, ultra-Orthodox and devout agnostics, and affluent and needy. These techniques work wonders wherever we have tried them: North America, Western and Eastern Europe, and in Israel.

Today’s world is pushing toward connection. The interconnectedness of reality requires that we learn how to work in a world where everyone is dependent on everyone else. When we think in terms of “one side or the other wins,” we cannot succeed because we are perpetuating a mindset of separation. This will inevitably create unions of extremists that will feed on hatred of the other side, which in turn will lead to war. The only way to avoid this route is to make unity mainstream.

If this seems unrealistic, think of your own body. Without the unity of radically different organs all working in unison for the common cause of sustaining you and keeping you healthy, you would not exist. Therefore, unity is not unrealistic; it is the only realistic option for society.

The sooner we make American solidarity the prime value of America, the better it is for the entire country. Any decision that Trump’s administration and Congress make from here on should first and foremost promote unity and solidarity because this is truly the only realistic option.
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The Toronto newspaper The Russian Canadian published my article “You Are Where Your Thoughts Are.“ (page 13):

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The largest portal Newsmax (12 million readers) published my new article “Trump Must Focus On American Unity First“:

For anyone not in President Trump’s closest circle, it is hard to figure out where the White House is going. I was very supportive of Trump even before he won the Republican primaries, but currently, it’s hard to see where his presidency is headed.

Soon after the inauguration, I warned that the Republican, conservative silent majority of the American public has been silent for too long and that it could erupt in unpredictable ways unless Trump begins to implement his America First plan and strives toward uniting all factions of American society. The events in Charlottesville may be the beginning of what I feared would happen unless he takes immediate action in this direction.

The presence of an “outsider” like Donald Trump within the American political system galvanizes many radical forces on both sides of the political map. Neo-Nazis are no worse than Antifa fascist militants; both are hazards to society. Now that blood has been drawn, there is no telling how far and how fast matters will deteriorate.

In May, when President Trump visited Israel, I published an open letter in the local media urging him to focus on home affairs because I felt that the American ship was veering off course. Now the country seems more like a rudderless ship than a world leader, and the executives quitting the CEO councils seem more as though they are jumping ship than protesting the president’s response to the racist violence in Charlottesville.

President Trump’s credo, that American interests should come first, is at odds with the view of Wall Street financiers and their minions, the liberal Democrats, who are devout globalists. Since these globalists control the majority of American media, it seems as though everyone is against the president. But Trump’s first commitment is to the American people. He was elected to protect and promote the interests of his country, and this is what he should do. This will earn him the public’s trust regardless of the image that the majority of media outlets are trying to portray.

Therefore, in my opinion, the first thing that Trump should do is adopt a more appeasing tone toward all Americans. Next, he should begin to place emphasis on American society rather than on foreign affairs.

Without some form of countrywide solidarity, the country will disintegrate. When I first wrote about this concept, it was easier to implement, but few thought it was imperative. Now that it is evidently required, it is much harder to do. Nevertheless, there are no alternatives.

Once the president has reprioritized America’s affairs, he should start implementing educational programs for adults and students that promote solidarity and social cohesion countrywide. You cannot expect hatred to wane by itself, so you need to make it look irrelevant. Americans excel at creating trends. Isn’t it time to make friendly trendy?

We can already see that the government initiative to legalize drugs has not been the sedative authorities had hoped it would be. As extremism rises, the only soporific “substance” that will work is awareness that America belongs to all Americans, and that Americans must care for the well-being of their countryfolk before they care about anything and anyone else.

Malls are emptying by the thousands; brick-and-mortar shops are closing all over the country; people are losing their jobs and losing their hopes. But there is plenty of wealth in America to provide for everyone, if the country wishes to do so.
I already noted that the idea of basic income for all will wreak havoc in society unless it is contingent upon participating in “unity trainings.” Why not make other benefits contingent upon this, too?

The real estate vacancies that are appearing all over the U.S. can easily become venues where people attend unity trainings. The fast and affordable internet allows for classes to be given online with a handful of instructors training millions of people. Such an initiative will cost nearly nothing, and the government and municipal resources it will save on reduced violence, substance abuse related crimes, domestic crises, and healthcare related costs will make it the most lucrative government program ever initiated.

But time is running out. Unless the White House pushes this American Unity First program, it will soon be too late to escape a complete national meltdown.
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The Jerusalem Post published my new article “Is It Too Late For American Jewry?”

It may already be too late for American Jewry, but uniting the Jews above all the disagreements is still the only thing that can save them from a catastrophe that is now vividly in the horizon.

For more than a year now I’ve been warning that American Jews are putting themselves in danger. I said back then that when America becomes fascist, it would blame it on the Jews. Now that fascism is rising on both sides of the political map, instead of wising up, “Many Jewish leaders,” to quote commentator Isi Leibler, “concentrate more on vilifying Trump than securing and promoting their communal interests. They unashamedly abuse their Jewish institutional roles to promote far-left and liberal agendas, even labeling their opponents antisemites to achieve their goals.”

Jewish leaders and celebrities are racing one another to condemn President Trump for his initial reaction to the Charlottesville ramming. Instead of standing up for unity, they are fueling division. Actress Debra Messing quoted Holocaust survivor and activist Elie Wiesel: “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” So, speaking of taking sides, I would like to quote a comment that one of Leibler’s readers posed: “Where was all of this Jewish American outrage when that leftist shot up a bunch of softball playing Senators and Congressmen a couple of weeks ago?”

“For they sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind” (Hosea, 8:7), the Torah warns. The more American Jews fuel the hatred, the more it will turn against them. If Jewish American leaders think that the way to tackle alt-right fascism is to defame the President, demonize his electorate, and delegitimize his administration, they have only themselves to blame when the anger turns against them. They are playing with fire.

Judaism has never been about war, and certainly not about hatred. We pride ourselves in the wisdom of King Solomon, who said, “Hate stirs strife, and love covers all crimes” (Proverbs, 10:12). We coined the tenet, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and our own Rabbi Akiva said that this is the whole of our Torah, our Jewish law. How can we call ourselves Jews as long as we exude such hatred?

We made unity above hatred our motto, our way of life, and now we are doing the exact opposite. The Mishnah tells us (Okatzin, 3:12): “God did not find a vessel that holds a blessing for Israel but peace, as it was said, ‘The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.’” The book Shem Mishmuel writes that “When Israel are ‘as one man with one heart,’ they are a fortified wall against the forces of evil.” So why are we fighting hatred with hatred instead of uniting like our sages suggest? Does anyone really think that patronizing half the US population will diminish anti-Semitism? What kind of lame policy is this?

The only thing that Jews must focus on is unity among themselves. And by unity, I don’t mean that they should unite their ranks against the President, but that they unite all factions of American Jewry: all the denominations, the non-affiliated, the intermarried, the LGBTQ, every single one. If Jews, who are always at the center of attention (and today more so than ever), show America that unity is possible, they will be a positive role model to follow, and everyone will thank the Jewish community for proving it.

The book Likutey Etzot (Assorted Counsels) specifies how we should relate to those with whom we disagree: “The essence of peace is to connect two opposites. Hence, do not be alarmed if you see a person whose view is the complete opposite of yours and you think that you will never be able to make peace with him. Also, when you see two people who are completely opposite to one another, do not say that it is impossible to make peace between them. On the contrary, the essence of peace is to try to make peace above two opposites.”

If American Jewry wants to create that “fortified wall against the forces of evil,” they must remove the walls they have erected toward their brethren. I’m not sure American Jewry has not missed the last train, but the approach of uniting the Jews above all the disagreements among them is the only approach that can save American Jewry from a catastrophe that is now vividly on the horizon.
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My new article “Will American Jewry Survive The Great Divide” was published in the print version of the Jerusalem Post. 

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My book in English Awakening to Kabbalah became a bestseller on the largest site Amazon.

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The largest portal United with Israel published my new article: “Tu B’Av is More than One Day of Love”

Much more than hearts and flowers! Discover the unconditional love symbolized by Tu B’Av and how it can elevate the world.

In modern-day Israel, Tu b’Av (the 15th of Av) has become a feel-good day, mostly characterized by spouses buying chocolate and flowers for each other to celebrate their romance. Basically, a Jewish version of Valentine’s Day, if you will.

But Tu b’Av has been a lot more than that for the Jewish people. It is written, “There were no good days for Israel like Tu b’Av, a day when the tribes were permitted to mingle with each other and where each and every person bestowed their goodness upon their fellow man” (Tiferet Shlomo). The kind of love Tu b’Av truly represents is an unconditional love that has to spread among all Jews and then throughout the whole of humanity. And it is no coincidence that it comes right after Tisha B’Av, which represents the polar opposite – unfounded hatred.

From Unfounded Hatred to Unconditional Love

The direct transition from Tisha b’Av (ninth of Av) to Tu b’Av symbolizes the only way in which we can attain true love – by first recognizing that our state is completely opposite to it. In other words, the recognition of an unfounded hatred that dwells in our hearts is the precondition for the attainment of unconditional love between us, as is written, “Tu b’Av is the correction and mitigation of Tisha b’Av.” (Likutey Halachot).

It may not be intuitive to us, but the whole of nature works this way. Evolution displays a dynamic interplay of two opposite forces. Whether they manifest as plus and minus, hot and cold, ebb and flow, or male and female, they create deeper levels of conflict and self-interest and then greater levels of reciprocity and connection. This is how ancient bacteria evolved from hostile competition to shared responsibility, thus forming the nucleated cell. Our bodies also exemplify this perfectly, with up to 100 trillion individual cells, integrated to create a more advanced level of life.

About 4,000 years ago, Abraham, the founder of the Jewish people, understood that this natural dynamic also applies to human society. When the Babylonians around him sank into self-interest and separation, he recognized that state as a precursor for a new degree of human connection. Abraham “seeded love for all people” (Noam Elimelech, Sefer Noam Elimelech) with the vision of a higher state and “went from city to city, kingdom to kingdom, until thousands and tens of thousands joined him… and they became a nation” (Maimonides, Yad HaChazaka).

This is the little-known birth story of the Jewish people. In fact, the word “‘Yehudi’ [Jewish] means ‘Yechidi’ – one who clings to the point of life, which is where unity is.” (The Admor of Gur, Sefat Emet).

Where is the Love Today?

The Hebrew calendar says it is time for the festival of love, but reality shows that the Jewish people are perhaps more divided than ever, with growing rifts between liberals and conservatives, Israeli Jews and Diaspora Jews, and between the various factions within Israel itself – possibly the harshest hostility demonstrated daily.

However, just as Abraham saw thousands of years ago, the hatred and separation that persist within the Jewish people today is not coincidental. It’s an evolutionary stage, a precursor to the next degree of Jewish unity.

And in our time, there is even more that’s brewing under the surface. Since the formation of the people of Israel in Babylon, the world began to feel that Jews hold onto something special and to ponder what binds them together. Thinkers, leaders, scientists and artists from various nations have written about this riddle for centuries.

“What is the Jew?” contemplated illustrious Russian author Leo Tolstoy. “What kind of unique creature is this whom all the rulers of all the nations of the world have disgraced and crushed and expelled and destroyed… continues to live and to flourish?” (The Final Resolution). Mark Twain expressed this even more bluntly, saying that, “all things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?” (“Concerning the Jews”).

So what is it that the Jews hold the access to? They hold the method for building a network of altruistic connections above the growing self-interest. And the nature of human development is such that humanity is gradually generating a greater and greater need for this method. Thus, the method of attaining true love among human beings, which is the foundation of the Jewish people, is gradually becoming what the whole world needs.

The Method for Attaining Love

For the past 2,000 years or so, what remained from the method of unity that created the Jewish people are mostly symbols, such as the customs and holidays that have become today’s Judaism as we know it. Only a handful of people in each generation continued to engage in and develop the method of unity. Over time, this method took on the name, “the wisdom of Kabbalah.”

Contrary to popular belief, authentic Kabbalah has nothing to do with mysticism, amulets, astrology and other misconceptions that have been linked to it throughout the centuries. Rather, it is about upgrading our nature from the growing self-love that leads us to crises and leaves us with a limited perception of reality to an equivalence with the force of unconditional love that permeates all of nature.

The wisdom of Kabbalah has the tools and knowledge to prepare us for the whole new level of human life and experience that the world is inevitably moving towards. And so, from Kabbalah’s perspective, Tu b’Av is not about paying compliments to each other for one day and then going back to fighting and biting. Rather, this day should be a compelling symbol for the work we have to do every day in order to rise to a new level of connection between us and to share it with all of human society. As the luminary Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag wrote, “all our work is to discover love within us, each and every day.” (A Sage’s Fruit).
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