Letters to the Editor

A Perfect Storm

Dear Editor:

What do you get when you mix CNN’s relentless attacks on the police, since Trump’s election, to people “of color” while never portraying the great majority of police doing their jobs with grace and restraint whom the law abiding, hard working people “of color”  appreciate for keeping them safe from the gangs, drug dealers and criminals in their own neighborhoods.

This is just the beginning of the destruction of businesses, small neighborhood stores which keep infrastructure going in depressed inner cities, the majority of whose residents detest and know these thugs breaking into upscale and appliance store windows are just that, thieves who pollute the legitimate grievance of a Black man’s wrongful death. They malign his memory and the true desire for justice for people “of color” and all people everywhere. Whites tripping over themselves to make excuses for these thugs only serves to enable and encourage them. Stop it. Find a legitimate “cause” to support if you are feeling guilty for being White. Martin Luther King Jr. would be appalled.

Sincerely
Bob Katzenbaum

 

Cookies For Cops

Dear Editor:

Tomorrow I plan on bringing cookies, sodas and chocolates, along with hugs, to my local police station to say thank you for keeping us safe, for putting your lives on the line for us, for the overwhelming majority of police who act with grace and restraint, which mainstream media never reports.

So, pick a day and each week, drop off goodies, and smiles, to your police officers to show your gratitude. A small gesture, sorely needed right now, which goes a long way.

Sincerely
Sally Humphrey

 

What’s Our Excuse?

Dear Editor:

The Jews of 1930’s Germany had an excuse for remaining silent. The ZOA and only a handful of other Jewish individuals are speaking out against the murderous bigoted targeting of synagogues and Jewish owned businesses, in the name of “protesting racial injustice.” Silence, post multiple synagogue killings and record numbers of hate crimes against Jews worldwide???  To all “progressive” and “reform” Jews, now hear this: standing up to Jew hate while also standing up against injustice are not mutually exclusive. Just ask the dead murdered Jews in Germany and Europe who were forced to be silent.

Daniel Greenfield, “The Los Angeles Pogrom That No Jewish Organization Will Talk About”, “…if we do remain silent, while chanting the cause of those who vandalized our houses of worship and shops, we will have neither decency nor respect. Black Lives Matter, the radical group leading the demonstrations, is anti-Semitic, formed in 2014 as a merger of activists from the anti-Semitic Nation of Islam, and the anti-Semitic Black Panthers…BLM published a platform, (since removed) accusing Israel of committing “genocide”, as “apartheid”. It officially joined BLM with the anti-Semitic BDS campaign to boycott Israel.”

I marched with peaceful protesters in the 1970’s for civil rights and justice for all. But when the marches turned to bombings, violence and looting, the “cause” was lost in the burned out rubble. And perhaps the most significant difference between then and now is that we wouldn’t have tolerated or marched with anyone who was antisemitic, who targeted Jews or synagogues or Jewish owned businesses. And back then at least, Jews had the courage to speak up. Their moral compass was still intact, not yet muddied by morally confused and compromised “progressives”, by Jews who have lost their way, and who will be marched along with the rest of the Jews, when we are rounded up again.

Sincerely
Rachel Ansforth

 

These Troubled Times

Dear Editor:

We live in a fractured society. Racial, religious and ethnic tensions are tearing away at the fabric of American life and the American soul. And, amidst it all, we are still reeling from a devastating pandemic.

As in all matters, and at all times, our Torah guides the way.

Kol hamerachem al habrios, merachamim olov min hashomayim. Whoever extends mercy to his fellow Man, is extended mercy from Heaven.      (Tractate Shabbos 151b)

Indeed, as humans created in G-d’s image, we are enjoined to exercise kindness and compassion at all times. We must certainly strengthen these traits during times of challenge and distress.

Like all decent Americans, we are horrified by the senseless and ruthless killing of George Floyd, and we join in solidarity with the outpouring of hurt, anger and frustration expressed by responsible citizens protesting peacefully.

We are also greatly saddened by the frightening scenes of innocent bystanders and store owners under siege, threatened by violence and mayhem, and facing the prospect of lost livelihoods and uncertain futures. We are deeply distressed, as well, by the looting and vandalism that included assaults and provocations against citizens and law enforcement officers sworn to keep the peace and ensure the safety of our citizens.

So, it is at this very moment that we remember our Torah’s admonition that it is precisely by extending compassion, empathy, and understanding to the strangers, friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens in our midst – regardless of our racial or ethnic backgrounds – that we will be shepherded safely through these troubled times, and at all times. That it is by feeling the pain of others and building a sense of community that we will merit Heaven’s healing and unifying embrace.

Let us commit ourselves to that. And, in doing so, we pray that the Merciful One will guide American society and its leaders to ensure the rights and safety of all citizens. May peace among, and respect for, all sectors of American society emerge from this national trauma.

Sincerely
Agudath Israel of America