I am pleased that the Philadelphia Inquirer posted my May 9th letter addressing the duplicity of DJT, our 47th president.

To the Editor:

There was warranted concern after President Donald Trump expressed doubts when asked if he believes he needs to keep his vow to uphold the Constitution. However, close observation reveals he completed no such vow. Yes, Trump parroted the necessary words during his inauguration — a promise to defend our Constitution — but when called upon to take the oath, his wife, Melania, held two Bibles, one belonging to the Trump family and one used at the inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln. Her husband placed his hand on neither.

True, placing one’s hand on a Bible is not required at a presidential inauguration. Two others who did not, John Quincy Adams and Theodore Roosevelt, were strong defenders of the rule of law — unlike Trump. Yes, we are a nation founded on the importance of the separation of church and state, which is why Adams placed his hand on a book of American law, rather than a Bible. However, the presidential oath is seen by most Americans as a biblical promise of devotion to the Constitution, a living document devoted to the opportunities, protection, and well-being of all citizens.

Trump’s decision was both calculated and intentional, his actions speaking louder than words, and marking a refusal to consummate his verbal promise. The only true vow our 47th president has made is one to himself: to enhance his own wealth, power, and control over others. His inauguration foreshadowed the endless violations our country now endures by one who does not see himself as our president, but as our god-ruler, the maker and keeper of the laws he selects. One who intended no vow to uphold our Constitution, but instead signaled the opposite — a total disregard for our rule of law and the determination to kill it.

Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer May 9, 2025 

I am grateful to the Philadelphia  Inquirer for publishing this tribute.

If you have lost a loved one, do you ever feel a painful aching loss, not physical, but strongly there? In Jewish tradition, when a family member dies, friends visit to support and comfort the bereaved in a ritual known as shiva. This aching loss was my experience at the shiva held at the home of Phyllis W. Beck, the trailblazing first female member of the Pennsylvania Superior Court who died on March 3. There were countless shared personal experiences, including how Judge Beck offered wise counsel on professional direction, ever supporting successes. My heart seemed to weep, as myriad kindnesses to me flooded my memory. This included how she—somehow, someway—always found what I wrote, regardless of how little known its publishing source, and contacted me with sensitive endorsement.

As shiva progressed, I recalled that during my bat mitzvah year, our Baltimore congregation’s beloved rabbi, Uri Miller, discussed a little-known interpretation of the ritual with our class: Those we love do not realize their soul and spirit have left a body that no longer can serve them. Experiencing loved ones who speak about them, but not to them, informs them their lives on earth are over, and frees their soul and spirit to move onward. It seemed Beck, highly uncomfortable with praise, was with us in spirit and able to endure a full evening of expressed love.

As time passed, I felt as if an apartment were being created inside of me, where she brought her coffee and addictive creamer, cherished photographs, an array of takeout menus for long future dinners, and a birthday cake with the right number of candles. Beck was always 49. My pain eased. For I understood: Death does not end cherished relationships. They continue, even more precious.

SaraKay Smullens
Philadelphia

In these dangerous, draining times, you may find the evidence-based self-protection measures offered for social work and mental health colleagues helpful. We must do all possible to remain strong together.

Read the full commentary on socialworker.com

by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD

First and foremost, happy Social Work Month! We are each deeply fortunate to be part of our proud and historic profession. Our profession is one that asks a great deal of us and often has been labeled as “an impossible” one. A key reason is the resources necessary for our clients are rarely available to the extent they are needed, and far too often those in positions of power are highly insensitive to their importance for a healthy society,

For these reasons, societal burnout permeates, exacerbating other forms of burnout originating from work stress and those that may also exist in our personal relationships. Signs of overload we experience express themselves physically through exhaustion, as well as illness.

To alleviate this overload, through the years, I’ve researched key ways to provide relief in preserving and protecting strength, leading to more productive and attuned relationships with our clients. One direction of study relates specifically to our Social Work Month theme this year—Compassion and Action—where findings point to the relationship between compassion, empathy, and action. Before my investigation, I saw the concepts of empathy and compassion as one in the same. However, research led to understanding key differences, ones that understanding can help us to preserve energy…