What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate

The rhetoric in the last few elections has focused on foreign policy as opposed to domestic concerns.  I’m a Hispanic Jew ( yes we exist ) with Cuban heritage, so I’m going to touch on some of the main topics I’ve heard and seen in my circles.

Israel:  People seem to think that we have to vote a certain way for Israel but, even Israel doesn’t know what the right way is.  Israel is a democracy, like us, except they have a coalition government.  Israel is all over the political spectrum and people there disagree on everything , even how to handle the Palestinian issue. Do we support a two-state solution?  Or, do we fight for one state for ourselves?  These are real issues in Israel that need to be decided by the Israelis.  We can support opinions but, we shouldn’t label our politicians as pro or anti Israel because they disagree with a certain view. And it definitely shouldn’t be a deciding factor in how we vote. One of the most remembered Prime Ministers in Israel’s history, Yitzhak Rabin, ran on a platform of making peace with the Palestinians and cutting public funding for settlements.

Cuba:  This will be a bit quicker.  I can’t bring up Cuba in front of my grandmother without getting a visceral reaction followed by anger towards even the idea of easing relations between the US and Cuba.  I understand and feel for her and, even though she hasn’t shared much over the years, I know that there’s a sour taste in her mouth when it comes to her homeland.  But, here’s where we differ: the embargo hasn’t worked and there’s no reason to believe that it will.  And it hurts our own people in America.  Farmers were originally hit hard by the embargo and lifting it may help them, so why shouldn’t we give it a try?   The Cubans have also made huge strides in the medical field and maybe we can save lives.  Who knows, maybe opening communication will inspire the Cuban people to fight for democracy , if they feel they have the rest of the world on their side and/or watching.

Cubans need to find their voice and start helping themselves, much like Israel has always done.  Even if that voice is in disagreement, like in Israel.  Open communication encourages peaceful dissenting opinions and that’s okay, like in Israel!

**UPDATED 3/30/16** Interesting developments in Cuba