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Jew Hatred is the World’s Oldest Sin
Dear Editor:
Are you a racist? Jew-hatred is the world’s oldest sin.
Here are a few simple indications you may be one.
– You deny or minimize the Holocaust.
– You deny Israel is the Jewish homeland.
– You blame Israel for Oct. 7, 2023.
– You say Israel occupies Palestinian territory.
– You accuse Israel of apartheid or genocide.
– You call Judea and Samaria ‘the West Bank’.
– You call Israeli citizens ‘settlers’.
– You recognize a Palestinian state.
– You manage to link non-related issues to Israel.
Sincerely
Len Bennett, Author of ‘Unfinished Work’
Deerfield Beach, Fl
Bernie Sanders Has a Holocaust Problem
Dear Editor:
Senator Bernie Sanders was never known for expressing much interest in the Holocaust, which may seem odd for someone who lost family members in the Nazi genocide. The latest news concerning Sanders and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum sheds some additional light on that subject.
The New York Post reports that Sen. Sanders has not attended even one of the 18 meetings of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council—which oversees the museum—that have been held since he was appointed to the council back in 2007. Not one.
The museum is less than two miles from Sanders’ office in the Senate building. How long would it take the average taxi to get there?
Most the 65 council members are appointed by the president; ten are appointed by the Senate (as was Sanders). Many of them are chosen as political favors or because they are donors, not because of any particular expertise in matters related to the Holocaust.
Sanders is the son of Polish Jewish immigrants, although until he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2015-2016, he avoided acknowledging his roots. In pre-2016 interviews, he referred to his parents as “Polish immigrants.”
Facing increased media scrutiny, Sanders found a politically useful way to cite the Holocaust—he began pointing out that members of his father’s family were “wiped out by Hitler and his white nationalism.” Sanders frequently speaks about antisemitism among white nationalists on the far right, but rarely mentions antisemitism among Islamist nationalists and others on the far left.
Having the U.S. government involved in a Holocaust museum always carried with it the risk of politicization. The Bernie Sanders no-show appointment to the museum’s ruling council illustrates that risk.
Senator Sanders should resign from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. That would not be politically advantageous for him. But it would be the right thing to do.
Sincerely,
Prof. Rafael Medoff
Anti-Semitism and Fear of “Unrest”
Dear Editor:
A rabbi who was scheduled to give a benediction at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in San Diego last week was disinvited by the event’s sponsor, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), because his presence would be a source of “potential disruption.”
The incident was reminiscent of the controversy in England last fall, when the police banned Israeli fans from a soccer match in the city of Birmingham. Police officials said there was a “high risk” of “violent clashes” and “hate crime offences” if Israelis were admitted.
Those kinds of arguments have a long and sordid history.
Racist theater owners in Baltimore used the “fear of unrest” excuse to prevent African-Americans from sitting freely in their theaters in the 1940s.
The American League for a Free Palestine, better known as the Bergson Group, shattered that policy in early 1947 by leasing Baltimore’s Maryland Theater for performances of its Zionist play, “A Flag is Born,” and permitting open seating for all.
The alleged threat of disruptions was a major argument in the defense briefs submitted by southern states in the famous case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
North Carolina, for example, claimed that racial integration would result in a “likelihood of violence,” even forcing public schools to be “abolished” if desegregation proceeded.
Likewise, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus prevented African-American children from entering Little Rock Central High School in 1957 on the grounds that “the presence of these Negro students in the schools could lead to violence, bloodshed, and disorder.”
The Supreme Court explicitly rejected the argument that fear of unrest justified discrimination.
The American Federation of Teachers branch in San Diego apparently has little regard for the court’s landmark ruling when Jews are involved.
Sincerely,
Prof. Rafael Medoff
Stop Medically Assisted Suicide
Dear Editor:
There is an urgent and critical need for concerned citizens to take immediate action by contacting our elected officials in Albany to oppose the legalization of medically assisted suicide in New York State. This legislation represents a profound moral, ethical, and societal turning point—one that would fundamentally alter the value we place on human life, particularly the lives of the elderly, disabled, and vulnerable.
Governor Hochul has indicated she will not sign this bill into law unless specific amendments are added. Those amendments are now moving through the legislature in the Assembly as bill A9515 and in the State Senate as bill S8835. These amendments must also be opposed. This is not a minor policy adjustment—it is a matter of life and death, and it deserves the full attention and engagement of the public.
I strongly urge every resident to personally call their representatives. You can reach your State Assemblymember at (518) 455-4100 and your State Senator at (518) 455-2800. When calling, it is essential to fully identify yourself with your full name, address, and ZIP code. Clearly and calmly state that you oppose medically assisted suicide and that you want them to vote NO on both the legislation and its amendments.
This proposal is not compassionate—it is dangerous. It risks normalizing state-sanctioned death instead of strengthening care, dignity, and true compassion for those who are suffering. Please be respectful and courteous in every interaction but be firm in your request. Silence now would be a tragic mistake.
Sincerely
Mrs. R. Weissberger
Brooklyn, NY