The Governors Josh

In the Torah, Joshua is known especially for his ability to stand up to the majority, even when ten of the twelve spies came back from their scouting mission to Canaan dispirited and afraid.

I was interviewed by the Forward yesterday for my reaction to the election of yet another Jewish Josh as a governor - this time Josh Stein, elected in North Carolina. He joins Josh Shapiro in PA and Josh Green in Hawaii. They join Matt Mayer of Delaware, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado as the six Jewish governors. So fully half of all Jewish governors and 6 percent of all governors nationwide are Jewish Joshes.

I told the reporter that I’m exceedingly proud of my namesakes - and of my name - and wish the Governors Josh well. It’s also noteworthy that while each lives in a state with significant Jewish communities, none comes from Jewish cultural meccas like New York and California. They know what it is like to be in the minority.

The Forward article goes on to state that the name Josh has lost a degree of popularity lately. When I was born it was hardly known. I was named for my great grandfather, a revered leader whose name was Joshua. Several of my cousins were also named for him, but none of them are Joshuas. Names like Jan, Jules and Jeff were considered more feasible back then. In fact, my mother gave me the middle name Jonathan just in case, when I got older, I preferred to jettison Josh for something more popular.

But I was proud to stand out, even if at times I had to stand alone.

Now there are plenty of famous Joshes. I have no idea why Josh suddenly exploded in popularity in the early 2000s - maybe it was West Wing fans swooning over Josh Lyman and Joshua Malina, or wannabe pitchers pining for Josh Beckett. Suddenly Joshes were everywhere.

And you don’t have to be Jewish, for sure, to be a Josh. The Patriots recently traded a defensive lineman, Josh Ushe, to the Chiefs, and the NFL has not one but two Josh Allens, the lesser known of whom decided to call himself Josh Hines Allen to avoid confusion with the first.

How is it possible for a Jewish politician with what is still a decidedly Jewish name to win so handily as governor in a non-Jewish state? It definitely helps when your opponent is as extreme as Josh Stein’s and Josh Shapiro’s were. But it still bodes well as a counter to all the fears of growing antisemitism in America that the people of those three states were willing to leave all joshing aside and go for their Joshes.

And that’s a good thing, in light of the fact that the new President-elect, who has been watching the Jewish vote carefully, will not be happy when he hears that fully 80 percent of American Jews voted for his opponent, a number not achieved in 24 years.

Once again, Jews have played their traditional role as counterculturists, running against the tide even when the tide becomes a wave. As much as we are central to the American narrative, we’ve never stopped thinking of ourselves as being at the margins - which is where we have always preferred to be.

In the Bible, Joshua is a trusted protege of Moses and great military leader - in fact, the Book of Joshua is the most battle-heavy book in the entire Bible, with numerous scenes of conquest and gore. It’s also hands-down the most chauvinistic of books and a favorite of Jewish nationalists everywhere. But in the Torah, specifically Numbers 13, Joshua is known especially for his ability to stand up to peer pressure and maintain his independence, when ten of the twelve spies came back from their scouting mission to Canaan dispirited and afraid.

That’s precisely what we’ll need from our Governor Joshes now.

Joshua is also the original Hebrew form of Jesus and it means “God saves.” But we’re not looking to these governors to save us, simply to stand up for us, and for truth and decency everywhere, as they already do. Even when it means standing alone.

Boston Globe

When I was growing up in Boston in 1972, unable to vote yet, I proudly displayed my “Don’t Blame Me, I’m From Massachusetts,” bumper sticker after Nixon beat McGovern in every other state. As the Watergate scandal unfolded over the next few years, we Bostonians could sit back and take pride in our ability to see Nixon for who he really was. This year, it looks like American Jews stand alone in the same way - but I would caution against doing any gloating, either now or later when, inevitably, the enormous implications of the nation’s choice will become clearer to all.

Still, it may be worth it to start designing that bumper sticker.

It’s at a time like that when we will need all the governors named Josh - and others - to stand up and counter the hate. In fact, all of us need to do that, even if so many seem to be following the crowd. We all wish our country well, but it would be dishonest to mark this moment as some triumphant return to power. The real heroes of this story have yet to be heard from, and their names just might be Josh.

As Moses said to the original Governor Josh, the spy who loved us and who cherished freedom and dignity when almost all the others cowered, “Be strong and of good courage.”

Courage can be a lonely thing. But not for my fellow Joshes.