By: Howard Kleinhendler. The election is finally over. In what was by far the most expensive contest in Presidential history, the two candidates basically clung to their core constituencies and emerged with a result that was predictable to many for some time, albeit quite sad to others. To those who supported Governor Romney, there is solace in the fact that he ran a respectable campaign and gave it his all. But now, it is imperative that we all move forward.

Whatever your view about President Obama, one thing is clear: he is here for another four years. There is no room for the personal attacks and empty rancor that right wing diehards have mounted against the President for the past four years. Political discourse is healthy and encouraged. It’s the backbone of our democracy and is deeply rooted in our Bill of Rights. But hatred, sheer hatred of a man who occupies the highest office in the world, is not merely uncalled for, it’s juvenile. It has to stop now.

While Romney may have outwardly portrayed a more accommodative stance towards Israel, the fact is that America has a strategic interest in assuring Israel’s security that goes beyond political affiliation. It has been and continues to be a cornerstone of American defense policy since the days of Harry Truman. While Obama may give off a sense of disdain for Netanyahu, which deeply concerns American Jewry, Israel today enjoys unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation with America. In other words, when you get beyond the rhetoric and look at the facts on the ground, when you leave the White House and enter the Pentagon or the CIA, you find that the US/Israel relationship is stronger than ever.

There are two paths that face the Orthodox community that so strongly supported Romney. One fosters a denial of reality and pretends that Obama’s policies can be wished away or fought with vitriol and cat calling. The other promotes reconciliation. It calls for an outstretched hand to a man that has decisively won a second term in office, and seeks to convince through reason, to sensibly compromise and to admit – yes, admit – that the harsh attacks of the past were overstated and not well thought out. It proposes a new era of friendship and cooperation between the White House and the Orthodox community. And, in the end, it best serves the community’s interests.

Lakewood just endured a storm of unprecedented force. Stuck without power for days, frustrated by long gas lines, the likes many have never seen before, and burdened with cleanup efforts, we in Lakewood acted exemplary. Neighbors helped each other get through those hard days, whether it was by sharing a generator or giving someone a lift when they ran out of gas. It didn’t matter what politics you held or what religion you practiced. For those few days we were all one Lakewood community helping each other. That was a silver lining that will remain long after Sandy is forgotten.

Many of us are an emotional bunch. We wear our mind on our sleeve and speak what we perceive to be the truth. That is a blessing. But disagreement should not be confused with hatred. Reality cannot be viewed through a fog of wishful thinking. As Governor Romney stated so eloquently in his concession speech, it’s time to wish the president well and pray for his success. For when we come together after the electorate has spoken, we all emerge as winners.