opinions & letters
Trump for
Sale T
here seems to be no limit to former president and
current candidate for president Donald Trump’s
narcissism. Nor does there appear to be any limit to his
quest for cash.

In a video posted last week on Truth Social, Trump
promised that he would soon make a “major announce-
ment.” Speculation regarding the announcement ranged
from his possible return to Twitter, a run for speaker of
the House or the formation of a third party to compete
with Republicans and Democrats. But the consensus was
that the “major announcement” would have something
to do with Trump’s announced candidacy for president
in 2024.

But that wasn’t it. Instead, the very next day Trump
announced an online store to sell $99 digital trading
cards of himself as a superhero, a sheriff, an astronaut,
a fighter pilot and a mix of other fantastical figures. The
45,000 Trump action figure nonfungible tokens (NFTs)
sold out in one day. The estimated haul was $4.45 mil-
lion, plus a percentage of any later sales on secondary
markets. But not a penny of sales proceeds will go to the
Trump campaign. Instead, the revenue will go directly
into Trump’s pocket.

His NFT sale announcement was classic hucksterism,
peppered with traditional Trump self-aggrandizement.

Ranging from claims that his years as president were
“better than Lincoln, better than Washington” and prom-
ising buyers of his NFTs that they would be entered into a
series of small-print limited sweepstakes to meet Trump
one-on-one, golf at one of his properties or receive a
ticket to a gala at a Trump resort, the sales schpiel had all
the charm of a Ronco late-night TV pitch for a Vegematic.

Trump critics were gleeful. Supporters were embar-
rassed. Critics claimed to be vindicated as Trump’s
NFT-gate served as further evidence of the man’s self-ab-
sorption and lack of seriousness. Supporters struggled
to contain themselves and to avoid criticizing Trump
himself for the NFT misstep. Instead, they pummeled
his “advisers” and urged the firing of whatever clowns
orchestrated the whole plan or wrote the embarrassing
copy of the Trump sales pitch.

We join the critics. While there is nothing wrong with
Trump trying to make money, we still expect a level of
dignity and restraint in how the man seeking the highest
office in the land conducts himself. We know that Trump
has never felt constrained by convention. And we know
that he views himself exempt from behavioral or other
limitations observed by most others who seek public
office. But the over-reaching nature of this effort — with
Trump literally promoting himself as a cartoon character
just to line his own pockets — seems to go too far.

Nonetheless, given the mounting legal challenges
Trump is facing and the extraordinary legal fee charges
he will be receiving in the months ahead, maybe it’s not
such a bad idea for him to do anything he can to make
some money. JE
Ban Gas-Powered
Leaf Blowers
By Rabbi Beth Janus and Seth Lieberman
R eds, yellows and oranges burst out and dance
around us as fall arrives in Philadelphia. But
soon after this vibrant display of beauty, the roars of
gas-powered leaf blowers seize our attention.

Several weeks ago, we read the story of creation
from Genesis. Here we learn one of our first com-
mandments, “The Holy One of blessing took the first
earthling and placed them in the Garden of Eden, to
serve it and to care for it.” Living on a healthy planet
is crucial for our wellbeing and the survival of all of
God’s creation. This obligation to serve and care for the
Garden of Eden, with its Tree of Life, prompts us to ask
how we are caring for our current corner of the planet.

When our beloved trees lose their leaves, do we
respond in a way that shows care for our Earth?
Too often, we respond with gas-powered leaf blow-
ers. As they work, they unleash carbon monoxide,
nitrous oxides and carcinogenic hydrocarbons into
the air that surrounds us, dramatically contributing
to climate change. Our holy texts provide Jews with
a vital moral perspective. During this time of climate
crisis, our voices need to be amplified.

Climate scientists tell us that we need to reduce
emissions drastically if we are to achieve the goal
of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

After 1.5 degrees, irreversible events will occur.

These catastrophic events will affect us all but
especially those with fewer resources.

While curbing climate change can seem over-
whelming and complex, there are concrete steps
we can take immediately that will have a measur-
able effect. Alongside Washington, D.C., Seattle
and more than 170 municipalities in the country,
Philadelphia can join the growing consensus that
phasing out gas leaf blowers will significantly
reduce carbon emissions.

A 2011 study by the car review company Edmunds
found that using one gas leaf blower for 30 minutes
generated more hydrocarbon emissions than driv-
ing a Ford Raptor pickup truck from Philadelphia
to Juneau, Alaska! Transitioning to electric blowers
immediately reduces the harm.

The Jewish value to protect the earth is clear, but
it is just one of the reasons to ban these polluting
machines. We also share the value of protecting
our community’s residents. The Mishnah teaches us
in Bava Batra 2:8,9 that we must distance animal
carcasses, graves, threshing floors and tanneries
from a city because all of these harm air quality and
residents’ health.

Gas blowers emit up to one third of the oil and
gas used to power them. These emissions cause
asthma, cancer and cardiovascular conditions for
those who live in places where they are used. They
are especially harmful for the workers who strap on
the blowers and must breathe their fumes all day
long. Many of these workers are low-wage immi-
grants who have little choice in what they do to
earn a living.

The simplest and quickest solution is to transition
to electric leaf blowers. We are used to seeing pow-
erful electric vehicles, and the same technology is
widely deployed for both commercial and consumer
leaf blowers. Because of the widespread ban of gas
blowers, the technology is readily available and pos-
itively reviewed by publications such as Wirecutter.

Electric blowers are significantly quieter than gas
ones, and their engines generate zero emissions.

Because the cost of operating battery equipment is
low, the costs will be recouped on average within 10
months. Phasing out gas blowers over a few years
allows landscapers time to plan.

As United Nations Secretary General Antonio
Guterres said at the COP27 conference in November,
“Human activity is the cause of the climate problem.

So human action must be the solution. It is a moral
imperative. We need all hands on deck for faster,
bolder climate action.”
Our Jewish values can power our actions to
address causes of climate change. Join our campaign
to ban gas powered blowers in Philadelphia … we
can protect ourselves, the planet and landscape
workers. Sign our petition at QuietCleanPhilly.org. JE
Rabbi Beth Janus is a Reform rabbi living and working in
Philadelphia. She is a member of the Germantown Jewish
Centre’s Green Team. Seth Lieberman is a member of
the Germantown Jewish Centre’s Green Team and runs
Leadership Breakthroughs, a firm developing scientific and
medical leaders. He is a cofounder of QuietCleanPhilly.

letters Archbishop Sends Holiday Greeting
Together with the people of the Archdiocese of
Philadelphia, I extend prayerful best wishes as
you prepare to celebrate the Festival of Lights in
all of its beauty.

As you light the menorah and recall the glory
of the Temple’s rededication, may you be filled
you with joy and hope. May this Chanukah also
strengthen the bonds of love and affection you
share with family and friends.

Shalom Aleichem! JE
Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez., Archbishop of Philadelphia
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