By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

I fell for it, which is not the first time something like this has happened. It was hard to ignore because of the numerous news reports on the web: President Donald Trump was telling our military to prepare for war with Nigeria. My first reaction was, “Why would we be going to war with a country in Africa?” My next was, “Why is the man who claims he deserves the Nobel Prize for peace talking about going to war with a country in Africa and who previously mentioned fighting a war with Venezuela?” 
Now, I could waste space here explaining why the claim that Nigeria is persecuting Christians is false or that our president’s problem with Venezuela is mostly based on his dislike of its current government, but I’m not. I confess that it’s difficult to ignore this topic because these wars would be illegal, inappropriate, a waste of American resources and a senseless waste of the lives of the soldiers who would die in battle. However, it’s also clear these matters are being used as distractions from the internal problems our country is facing. 
Freedom of the press: Our democracy depends on reporters willing to write and newspapers/websites/tv stations being willing to publicize what government officials want to be kept hidden. I’m not talking about information that would endanger U.S. operatives across the globe (although Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth already did that when he released information in a Signal group chat). I’m talking about information we need as citizens to make educated decisions. That’s why I’m proud of the 40 journalists who turned in their press credentials rather than sign a document – issued by Hegseth, the same person who released classified information – that basically said they would only be able to write material that was considered acceptable by the government. The press protects us from governmental malfeasance – from both parties – and no such promises should ever be made. That’s their job, to uncover what politicians and others don’t want us to see. Those restrictions are dangerous to all American citizens. 
The government’s shutdown: As I write this, the government’s shutdown looks to be the longest ever. What I write here is relevant, though, even if the shutdown is over by the time you read this. There are so many parts of this to consider, but I’d like to look at one aspect in respect to the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and that’s feeding the poor. The fact that this administration chose to freeze the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, benefits belies its claim that the U.S. is a Christian nation. (The idea that our nation has any specific religion goes against our Constitution, but that’s a subject for a different column.) According to news reports, approximately 42 million Americans rely on that program for food. The recipients are white, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Republican, Democrat, young and old. Fortunately, some states have chosen to fight for continued funding and, as of this writing, two federal judges have said those payments must be made. The Trump administration has given into those demands in a limited way, but the fact that this program was not being funded goes against religious values.
Punishing those who don’t vote the way the Trump administration prefers: The New York City mayoral race will be over by the time you read this. Right now, I have no idea who won and it’s irrelevant for what I want to discuss here. The president is certainly allowed to tell people for whom he wishes them to vote. That is perfectly acceptable. What is not acceptable is suggesting (well, more than suggesting) that federal funding for New York City will be severely restricted if people don’t vote for his choice. What matters here is that the president is once again threatening people who don’t follow his desires. That is completely inappropriate. The reason voting is anonymous is that people are supposed to vote according to their conscious, not because they are worried they will lose their jobs, their friends will be mad at them or their religious community would prefer the other candidate to win. 
These are only three in a long list of things the current administration would like us not to think about. That list includes its attempts to restrict voters’ rights, to place severe restrictions on those who can legally immigrate to our country, to ignore due process protection when it comes to ICE officials, to reject birthright citizenship, to erase aspects of American history they find distasteful and way too many more to list here. I don’t want a war with Nigeria; I don’t want a war with Venezuela. I do care about what kind of country the United States is and will become. We used to stand for something – freedoms that people so greatly admired that they were willing to risk their lives to start anew on our shores. Slowly but surely, this administration is changing and destroying those American values. If there is a heaven, the founders of our country are looking down in despair and crying over the destruction of their dreams.