What Went Wrong in New York and New Jersey

By Yosef Shidler

People are going to spend forever talking about what went wrong.

If people cheated.
If things were fair.
If something could’ve been done better.

But let’s take a step back. Instead of getting lost in all the noise, maybe it’s time to look at what really happened beneath the surface — and what it says about where we’re holding as a society.

Because this wasn’t just about one race or one candidate. It was about two neighboring states — New Jersey and New York — and a shared pattern that reveals something much deeper about the mood of our country, and the values people are voting on today.

Part I: The Energy Shift
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been watching the conversations unfold on Instagram Threads — and it’s been fascinating.

Threads, now surpassing Twitter in daily use, has become the new online town square. But the tone is noticeably different — more progressive, more emotional, more reaction-driven. People frustrated with other platforms have migrated there, and it’s taken on a very specific cultural direction.

And from that alone, it was easy to see where things were headed. Any post about Mickey — no matter how small the account — got hundreds of likes, waves of supportive comments, and surprising traction. There was strong, unified momentum in her favor. Whether or not one agrees with that direction, the energy was undeniable.

It showed something real: that people are mobilized by feeling, not facts — by belonging, not balance. And if we ignore that, we miss what’s really changing around us.
Now, many are debating fairness — and yes, questions about process and timing exist, especially where votes were counted early in certain counties. But even without that, one thing is clear: the cultural tide had already shifted long before ballots were tallied.

And yet, amidst that, one thing truly stood out — our community showed up.

The Jewish community in Lakewood, and across New Jersey, came out stronger than anyone else.

Not for politics, but for values. For family. For education. For moral boundaries that we believe are essential to a healthy society.

Many of us were deeply concerned about things like the growing push to bring confusing gender and identity ideologies into our children’s classrooms. We see that not as “progress,” but as dangerous — something that undermines clarity, innocence, and the foundations of family life.

We came out to stand for something different — not out of anger, but conviction.

Part II: The Broader Picture — Radical Voices Rising
Across the river, the story was similar in New York City.

Many in the Jewish community came together in opposition to policies that would make life less safe, less stable, and less morally grounded. The idea of weakening law enforcement or redefining social norms strikes at the core of what keeps society functioning.

And yet, despite this, candidates with extreme positions keep gaining traction.
You see it not only in New York — but across the country.

In Virginia, for instance, a candidate ran for office after publicly talking about shooting Republican children. That’s the kind of rhetoric that once would have ended a career on the spot. Today? People lined up and voted for him.

It’s hard to wrap your head around that — but it tells you where we are.

We’ve entered a new era where character matters less than messaging.

Where people no longer care who says it — only that someone says it loudly enough.

And yes, in some ways, the shift toward unfiltered speech began years ago. The old rules of caution and restraint were broken. Politicians realized that they could speak with no filter, no fear, and still be celebrated. That spirit — of bluntness, of “say it like it is” — spread to everyone.

But what started as honesty has turned into chaos. Now both sides of the aisle are racing to see who can go further, louder, more shocking — as if outrage itself has become the currency of credibility.

And that’s what we’re seeing unfold: a generation of voters who have tuned out reason, tuned out nuance, and are simply desperate for anyone who promises change — no matter how extreme.

Part III: The Jewish Role — United in Values

Here’s what makes me proud: Jews weren’t on the ballot. But we made our presence felt.

In both New Jersey and New York, our community came out with clarity — not against people, but against ideas that we know are spiritually and morally harmful. We didn’t let confusion silence us.

We were united — across neighborhoods, backgrounds, and opinions — around something simple and powerful: that there are truths that don’t change. That children deserve clarity. That communities deserve safety. That morality isn’t up for a vote.

And even if, practically speaking, we didn’t align with the final results, we stood for something eternal.

Rabbi Efraim Goldberg wrote recently on Aish.com about Avraham Avinu — how he stood firm for truth even when the entire world stood on the other side. And yet, at the same time, he remained the most open, kind, and welcoming person there was.

That’s the balance our community strives for, too.

We can — and must — stand strong in our beliefs while staying kind, compassionate, and open-hearted.

We can love our neighbors even when we don’t agree with them.
We can defend our values without hatred or isolation.
That’s what makes the Jewish people different — and that’s what makes us a light in a time of confusion.

Part IV: The Deeper Message
Watching all of this unfold, it’s easy to feel disheartened — the chaos, the shouting, the lack of moral compass. But as Jews, we’ve seen worse storms, and we’ve never been defined by despair.
The Rebbe taught that when the world feels darker, it’s not a reason to retreat — it’s a call to add light.

So maybe this week isn’t about which candidate lost or which policy passed. Maybe it’s about recognizing that our world is hungry — not for politics, but for meaning. People are desperate for stability, for truth, for hope.

And that’s where we come in.

Each of us can be a quiet voice of reason in a world addicted to noise. We can strengthen our communities, bring moral clarity to our children, and show — by example — that Torah values still build healthy, thriving societies.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not political movements or platforms that decide our fate. It’s Hashem.

He has carried us through every generation, and He’ll carry us through this one too.

So yes, we’ll stay active, we’ll stay united, we’ll stay clear.

But we’ll do it without anger. Without despair. With faith.

Because when the shouting fades and the headlines move on, one truth will still remain:
The ballots may count votes, but Hashem decides outcomes.