It was the year of "Jewish power." Our enemies thought we had too much power, Israelis felt they had too little, and an Israeli president decided to abuse his power to prey on underlings.

A former United States president and a pair of political "realists" echoed centuries of anti-Semitic canards to suggest that the pro-Israel lobby was not just wrong in their eyes but sinister, controlling our leaders' decision-making and stifling debate on the Middle East. For many of us, it was a shock to learn that the skill our leaders have shown in American-style civic engagement would be held against us as anti-American.

In Israel, citizens yearned for leadership that would exert power not for its own sake, but to make the courageous moves that would shake up the Middle East stalemate. Reeling from a war last year that cost Israel lives and prestige, they watched nervously as the Palestinians engaged in their own civil war. And when the Israelis' regard for their politicians could sink no lower, a sex scandal in the president's office added to the outrage.

The challenge for American Jews was to celebrate our contributions to American politics and culture, while also putting those contributions in perspective. Yes, we are proudly pro-Israel and are grateful that so many of our leaders support America's democratic ally in the Middle East. Ethnic lobbying is a grand tradition in the United States. But we refuse to be scapegoats because current Middle East diplomacy doesn't match the one-sided visions of "realists" and "idealists."

Israelis too are struggling to celebrate their country's own successes while facing the grim realities of its conflict with the Palestinians. They know they can do better — they continue the tireless search for the leaders and partners to make it so.

The new year is a traditional opportunity to weigh our blessings and challenges, our failings against our strengths. The prayers we say, the acts of tzedaka we perform, and the reconciliations we make with people are means of closing the gap between the real and the ideal — the world as it is, and the world as it should be. That too is power — the power to recognize how far we've come, and how far we still have to go.

From all of us here at New Jersey Jewish News, a shana tova umetuka — a good and happy new year.