Non-Jews Have Hebrew Names Too
In last week’s feature on Jews having English first names, not one of the rabbis addressing this issue mentions that many American gentiles had (and have) Hebrew first names. Examples include Abraham Lincoln, Elihu Root, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), and revolutionary general Israel Popham.
(Even some top Nazis had Hebrew first names, including Josef Goebels and Joachim Ribbentrop!)
So, if gentiles can sport Hebrew first names without feeling shame, why should it be a problem for Jews?
Besides, many gentile first names are derived from Hebrew first names: Matthew from Mattitiyahu, John from Yochanan, etc.
Andre Monzain
Scarsdale, NY
What’s Wrong With An English Name?
Most of the rabbis who replied to the question of having English names last week recommended using one’s Hebrew name. But isn’t Moshe an Egyptian name? Isn’t Batya, the name of Pharaoh’s daughter, an Egyptian name?
My name, Bert, is a shortened version of many European names and was given to me instead of Berel – “too feminine,” said my father. I was named after my great-grandfather, Berel Shaya, also known as Dov Yeshaya. Is Berel Shaya illegitimate since it is a Yiddish name, not a Hebrew one?
The culture in the United States demands that a Jewish child have an English name. Jeopardizing a child by only giving him a Hebrew name does not make sense. Some may say that it’s safe today to only have a Hebrew name, but considering the rise of anti-Judaism, is it really? Yaacov is Jacob is James. What’s in a name? I sign with my English name.
Bert Zackim
$22 Trillion Debt – Thanks To Both Parties
Some Valentines Day gift from Washington. First it was the Democrats who doubled our national debt from $10 trillion to $20 trillion over eight years under President Obama. Now it is the Republicans under President Trump who have added $2 trillion to the debt over the past two years.
Will we ever learn from past mistakes and attempt to reduce both borrowing and long-term debt instead of allowing them to grow yearly? The new $22 trillion federal debt is only going to continue growing by $1 trillion a year. This inheritance could bankrupt future generations.
Larry Penner
Great Neck, NY
The Right Has Its Anti-Semites, Too
In “Are We Inside Or Outside Jews?” Susan Weintrob discusses anti-Semitism following a common pattern in The Jewish Press by citing the BDS movement, the Labour Party in the UK, several Democratic congresswomen, and leaders of the Women’s March. She make no reference, however, to Steve King, the Charlottesville protests, or the Pittsburgh shooting.
Anti-Semitism is tragically unique because of its ability to find a home across multiple ideologies. It also takes on different forms, including unfair criticism of Israel and imagination of Jewish manipulation of society. White supremacists in Charlottesville yelled, “Jews will not replace us!” The Pittsburgh shooter chanted “all Jews must die!”
Ms. Weintrob’s article unfortunately is one of many in The Jewish Press that forgets the perpetrators of such heinous words and actions. Her story was certainly meaningful. However, anti-Semitism should be consistently exposed and condemned no matter which ideology it hides behind.
Alan Weintraub
A Dehumanizing Shidduch System
Thank you for publishing the op-ed opposing pictures of girls on shidduch resumes. Asking for a girl’s picture is unfortunately only part of a larger dehumanizing shidduch system. The resume shuffling has to stop. These young people are not applying for a job at Goldman Sachs.
Besides, we all know that photos can be touched up, and that one photo cannot possibly capture a person’s inner essence, character, or middos. As we say in Eishes Chayil, “False is a woman’s beauty and vain are her charms; it is a G-d-fearing women who should be praised.”
A. Stein
Hillcrest, NY
Likes Rav Schachter’s Column
Rav Hershel Schachter’s weekly Halachic Corner column is vital in that it offers practical halachic decisions on contemporary issues.
In last week’s column regarding davening on an airplane, Rav Schachter stated: “it is still not proper to gather a minyan together near the washrooms, disturbing all the other passengers and the stewardesses.”
Would this apply even if there is a chiyuv on the plane, i.e., an avel or someone observing a yarzheit who needs a minyan to say Kaddish?
Keep publishing important, timely columns such as this one.
Dr. Paul Brody
Great Neck, NY
Baruch Goldstein Committed An Abominable Act
In last week’s paper, letter writer Joshua Bernstein defends Baruch Goldstein, arguing that there is nothing wrong with intentionally killing innocent civilians during hostilities.
As evidence, Bernstein cites several Biblical examples, including the killing by Shimon and Levi of the inhabitants of Shechem, despite the fact that only one citizen, Shechem, had violated Dina. Bernstein adds modern instances: the bombing of Berlin during World War II and the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan.
One can parse Biblical episodes in many ways, but Bernstein appears ignorant of the Ramban’s commentary on the massacre. The Ramban levels withering criticism at Shimon and Levi, accusing them of murdering innocents! The Ramban adds that had Shechem’s citizens been spared, they might have become G-d fearing individuals. That, says the Ramban, is why Yaakov did not bless Shimon and Levi when he blessed his other sons.
Yet, the above is almost beside the point. The fact is that our society has deemed the targeted killing of innocents as a war crime or a crime against humanity. We recoil in horror upon hearing stories of such evil behavior. And the primary perpetrators are powers that have no regard for human life. These include ISIS and al-Qaeda.. Is this the kind of company Bernstein wishes to keep?
Furthermore, the Geneva Conventions prohibit this behavior, and Israel is a signatory to these agreements. These rules are the most cogent expression of expected civil behavior among modern nations.
I am not arguing that one must avoid civilian casualties at all costs. There are times when these are inevitable. But if they are inevitable, they are nonetheless tragic, and they must be avoided wherever possible. The specific targeting of civilians, which Bernstein endorses, is an abomination.
Avi Goldstein
Far Rockaway, NY
Omar And Tlaib Need Lesson From Pelosi
Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib both appear to support terrorism, having associated with members of Hamas and Hezbollah. Perhaps these associations should not be surprising since they come from highly anti-American, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and anti-democratic traditions.
Be that as it may, since these traditions still seem to affect their behavior, it is up to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take these women aside and teach them how members of Congress are supposed to behave. Until she does, the Democratic Party and America will continue to suffer.
Arthur Horn
East Windsor, NJ
Double Standards?
In your online report, “2 Hamas Terrorists Dead, More Injured After Toxic Gas Fills Gaza Smugglers Tunnel,” you write: “it’s not the first time that Egypt has employed this method of stopping Hamas terrorists from using cross-border tunnels.”
As far as I am aware, there has never been any international outcry, nor calls for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, over this “murder of innocent civilians” as would almost certainly have been the case had Israel been the perpetrator. These would probably have been accompanied by shocked comments that “Israel is using Nazi methods to exterminate the peace loving Palestinians.”
Do I detect a hint of double standards? Or am I suffering from Jewish paranoia?
Martin D. Stern
Salford, England
Anti-Israel = Anti-Jewish
People who claim to be anti-Israel and support boycotting Israeli products, divesting from Israeli companies, and sanctioning Israel are actually Jew haters who cloak their true hatred in anti-Israel rhetoric.
Israel is a democratic country in a sea of totalitarian Muslim countries, and yet some people still insist on hating it. Muslim countries themselves hate Israel because it is a Jewish country, and religion is key in the Middle East. There is also, of course, jealousy of Israelis’ high standard of living and all of Israel’s accomplishments in science, engineering, medicine, education, agriculture, business, and military affairs.
Meanwhile, the first two Muslim congresswomen here at home are apparently on record opposing Israel’s right to exist and have expressed typical anti-Jewish views that echo those of the Jew haters of the world. We must be more careful in whom we elect to represent us.
Donald Moskowitz
Londonderry, NH