Rabbi’s Update 11/6/2026

Dear Friends:

For the third year in a row, I spent Election Day as a volunteer Voter Advocate in an adjacent state. Two years ago I was in Harrisburg, PA. Last year I was in Arlington and this year I was in Albemarle County, VA. The role of a Voter Advocate, who is trained and credentialed for the task, is to help ensure that everyone who is legally entitled to vote has the opportunity to do so. This might involve helping someone who has shown up at the wrong precinct find the right one, or helping someone cast a provisional ballot if for example they had requested a mail-in ballot but changed their mind and wanted to vote in person, or if they had recently moved and their registration information didn’t match their driver’s license. It also involves monitoring attempts at voter intimidation should they occur, and contacting the appropriate agency or organization. My shift at Albemarle High School was fairly quiet. A small number of voters were concerned by overly aggressive electioneering in the parking lot, but when that was reported to the election officials they put a stop to it.

As with every election, some are pleased by the results and others are disappointed. But I think that both in the United States and in Israel, we can be proud and pleased that at least as of this writing, the system works. Yes, in close contests there will be scrutiny of absentee and provisional ballots and perhaps even litigation. But there was no systematic voter intimidation and relatively few claims of fraud or irregularities, let alone “stolen” elections. 

In Israel the losing parties have also made claims of irregularities. The Election Commission continues to investigate these claims but stated that even if they were found to be true they would not have been enough to sway the election. On Wednesday the certified results were transmitted to President Isaac Herzog, and he has now met with the leadership of each party represented in the new Knesset. In something of a surprise, the parties representing 67 seats in the new Knesset have recommended that Gadi Eisenkot be given the mandate to try and form a government, while only 46 recommended Benjamin Netanyahu. United Torah Judaism, the Ashkenazi Haredi party which was part of the outgoing government, made no recommendation.

Whether or not Eisenkot will actually be able to form a government remains to be seen. His party Yashar as well as Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu boxed themselves in during the campaign by pledging not to include either the Arab or Haredi parties in their coalition, and also not to be part of a national unity government that includes Netanyahu. At least one of these promises will need to be broken if the country is not to head to new elections.

Through January I will be adjusting the timing of my Thursday drop-in hours. I’m enrolled in a Certificate Program in Jewish Innovation and our class meets Thursdays from 1 to 2:30 pm Eastern time. Therefore my drop-in hours will be from 2:45 to 4:30. Please remember that these are not the only hours I am available to you -- I am happy to meet you in person, over Zoom or by telephone at a time which is convenient for you.

If you or someone you know is in need because of having been laid off, or has  lost benefits of some type and needs immediate help, please let me know. I can access limited funds through the Jewish Federation almost immediately.  The Jewish Federation has set up a hotline to access assistance at 703-JCARING.

For longer-term help, the Hebrew Free Loan Society will loan up to $18,000 interest-free. These funds can be accessed for any need, such as creating a family or opening a business or any other need. They are not just for people who have lost government benefits or employment.

As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building. 

As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by. 

Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Charles L. Arian