Today Sen. Susan Collins announced that she’ll vote for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be on the Supreme Court, signaling that he has enough votes to get confirmed. For many of us who objected to Kavanaugh’s nomination, this was devastating.
The news came on a Friday afternoon. In Facebook posts, two thought-provoking Jewish musicians referred to the forthcoming Shabbat as a coping mechanism.
Alicia Jo Rabins (singer of Girls in Trouble and former fiddler of Golem and KOSHER) said:
I try to be strong and calm, but right now I’m crying in the car in the parking lot of the grocery store after hearing Collins announce her opinion on the 1 pm [Pacific Time] news. The cognitive dissonance of her saying she hopes he will push the court in a less partisan direction leaves me speechless. Is it evil or idiocy that speaks through these people? Does it even matter?
I won’t allow myself to despair for long, but I think five minutes is warranted. Then I’ll go buy ingredients for Shabbat dinner and think about all the people who have lit candles on Friday night in the midst of dark times, and worked for the light.
Louisa Solomon (singer of the Shondes) wrote:
Tonight, if you light shabbes candles, if you drink wine, if you are alone or surrounded by community, if you are weeping or planning a direct action … may you have exactly what you need to get through this weekend, renewed and ready to fight another day.
As I light shabbat candles with my family I’ll be thinking of all of you who are grieving in your own ways, and surviving, with me.
Shabbat shalom: a day of rest and peace to all of us in the struggle for life.
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