My parents and grandparents came to the United States from the Soviet Union about 40 years ago. They sacrificed all that they had so that I could one day be born in the greatest country in the entire world. Growing up, my father would often tell me about his first few years in the United States, having to decide on some days whether to take the subway home or to buy himself dinner, as he could not afford to do both. His stories always ended with the same few words: “It was all worth it, because you were born an American.”
My grandfather, a famous artist back in Russia who was not allowed to paint the images that he dreamed of, had a very specific hope: to come to America and to be free to live an openly proud Jewish life. Back in Russia, he often painted in the dark and in secret, terrified that the authorities would catch him painting what was not allowed and punish him. He dreamed of a life in the United States, with the liberty and freedom to believe in whatever he chose to believe in, and for his children and future grandchildren to be able to do the same.
Now I have the honor to live a life full of advocacy for the things that mean the most to me, being a proud Jew and a proud American. No matter what happens in our world, I will never let my parents’ and grandparents’ sacrifices be in vain. It is my job to not only continue the legacy that was left for me, but to fight to show others the beauty and strength that comes with being a proud Jewish American.
We are living in difficult times. Anti-Semitism is on the rise and our country is more divided than ever. But we must not give up. We owe so much more to all those who came before us, and all those who will come after us! We owe everything we have to those who fought and died for the freedoms that we enjoy today, and I will never allow those around me to give up on the future of the greatest country in the entire world.
All of us must look in the mirror and ask ourselves, why are we voting? And who are we voting for? Is it for ourselves and the strange attachment that we have to the Democratic Party despite its many empty promises over the last few decades? Or is it for our future children and grandchildren, and the future of our amazing country? Has the Left given you what you voted for? Or have they disappointed you, like they have disappointed many? It’s time to take our country back. And to vote only for those who support us. Not just with their words, but with their actions!
It is time for us to come together! It is time for us to use our voices and our hearts to mend the spirit of our country back together and to make sure that we leave a better country behind for all future generations. There should be no hate left in our hearts, only spirit and pride in our great nation – a nation that welcomes all people, no matter where they come from or what they believe in, a nation that has given so much hope to so many around the world, and a nation that I love with all of my heart.
Join me on Thursday, December 5, at the Chanukah/Christmas Dinner Party at the Young Israel of Holliswood at 7:30 p.m., hosted by the Queens Village Republican Club, and let’s celebrate our great USA!
Elizabeth Pipko, Founder & President of The Exodus Movement, featured on Fox News, is an international model, former Trump campaign staffer, and fiercely proud millennial Jew.
