It’s Not Yom Kippur in Anatevka

Remember when the rabbi in “Fiddler on the Roof” was asked about a blessing for the Czar? The answer was “May God bless and keep the Czar” (pause) “far away from us.” My grandfather famously — and correctly — applied the line to a disagreeable relative. His favorite show, though, was a certain Shaw adaptation.“Well, it was no ‘Fair Lady,’” he’d opine, and that gold standard remains a mantra my husband and I still laughingly use after movies or plays that are less than enjoyable.

The musical is only fiction, albeit informed by history. When it comes to a blessing for our czar wannabe, our current president, I find it hard to think of one. The only Jewish prayer that comes to mind is the vidui (confession) prominent in our worship on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which arrives Sunday night and lasts until sundown Monday.

The alphabetical Hebrew acrostic Ashamnu* is communal testimony we recite while symbolically pounding our chests to demonstrate our sincerity. We like to think we’re not all guilty of all the sins included but simply participating in the spirit of joint forgiveness and taking responsibility as one people. However, the list sounds like it was written with Donald J. Trump in mind.

We betray: For the sin of concealing early information about an illness that has already killed over 200,000 Americans and keeps going.
We steal: For the sin of using taxpayer money for private business gain. At least.
We scorn: For the sin of criticizing anyone who doesn’t agree with him, as in experts.
We act perversely: For the sin of ignoring and obfuscating medical guidelines and not setting an example.
We are cruel: For the sin of denying asylum, separating families and detaining young children in cages. At least.
We scheme: For the sin of ensuring that his best interest is the only objective to be met.
We are violent: For the sin of fomenting violence and doing nothing to prevent it.
We slander: For the sin of tweeting and speaking ill.
We devise evil: For the sin of all of the above.
We lie: For the sin of simply opening his mouth, tweeting and approving untruthful campaign ads.
We ridicule: For the sin of nicknames and mocking the disabled and others.
We disobey: For the sin of disobedience to the Constitution, courts and Congress.
We abuse: For the sin of disrespectful treatment of women and power.
We defy: For the sin of negating alliances and diminishing relationships with global partners.
We corrupt: For the sin of using personal interest as the sole criterion for government appointments or contracts.
We commit crimes: For the sin of much of the above and getting away with it.
We are hostile: For the sin of creating negative chaos instead of boosting and uniting Americans.
We are stubborn: For the sin of always thinking he’s correct, even with a diametrical change of course.
We are immoral: For the sin of all of the above.
We kill: For the sin of contributing to the deaths of COVID 19 victims, as well as Kurds and other casualties of ill-advised policies.
We spoil: For the sin of denying and contributing to climate change.
We go astray: For the sin of all of the above and not taking responsibility for any of it.
We lead others astray: For the sin of inciting racism, antisemitism and conspiracy theories.

As we finish our confessions and wait for the Shofar to sound its last tones during the concluding service of N’ielah, we will have taken responsibility, reaffirmed our pursuit of justice and, we hope, invigorated our spirit for the New Year. That’s a lot to expect from a pallid Zoomed Yom Kippur.

But not as implausible as expecting an apology from Donald Trump, which is about as likely “as…as a fiddler on the roof.”

* Translation from Mishkan Hanefesh, Machzor for the Days of Awe, CCAR Press.