Fair Trade?
With Larry Penner’s letter, “Send Them to Canada” (Nov. 11), as a Canadian, may I make an offer? How about we take his illegals if the U.S. takes our Justin Trudeau? Seems like a fair trade to me – although I think we’d come out ahead!
Rod Corkum
Halifax, Canada
New Kings for Old
It’s remarkable how a man just a few short years ago accomplished such wonderful achievements and now is often considered a problem by his political party and his nation as a whole.
The wonderful things I’m referring to include the Abraham Accords, moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, and greatly supporting Israel in the United Nations and elsewhere. This is in addition to cutting taxes and promoting a great economy and prosperity, and making America energy independent, strengthening America’s military to the point where Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea were relatively well behaved.
In addition, he brought prosperity to the black community with the lowest unemployment on record, which he also did for the Hispanic community, the Asian community and women. Furthermore, he appointed conservative judges who follow the Constitution and refrain from making laws. (The Constitution gives the power of making laws to the Congress.)
The problems, on the other hand, stem from his sitting on his hands on January 6 when the Capitol was attacked and also his actions leading up to this year’s November 8 elections. His strong recommendations for candidates were based on who supported him rather than on who was best for America and the states they represented. Almost all of the candidates he supported lost, and inferior candidates from the other party won the election. The great loser is America.
This reminds me of an important lesson my son, who is an Orthodox rabbi in a prestigious yeshiva in Israel, taught me. I had mentioned that while the Torah clearly states a new Pharaoh arose in Egypt, rabbis discuss the possibility that the Pharaoh could have changed his mindset and direction. I mentioned that from the archeological information now available, we almost certainly know it actually was a new Pharoah, just as the Torah declares.
My son said the focus of the Torah is to provide strong guidance for Jews living in Israel as well as outside. We should be aware and realize that monarchs, presidents, and political leaders can change and that we should be aware of it and be prepared.
Charles Winfield
Princeton, N.J.
Time to Honor Meir Kahane
In the November 11 edition of The Jewish Press, Benjamin Kerstein’s Op-Ed describes Itamar Ben-Gvir as a “former disciple of Meir Kahane.” Further on in the article, Kerstein admits “Ben-Gvir may or may not prove to be a monster. In my view (Kerstein’s), he certainly has the makings of one.”
My immediate thought was, how can a disciple of Rabbi Meir Kahane be a “monster?” He/she might commit human errors from time to time, but a “monster?”
Rabbi Kahane’s columns were published every week for 30 years in the world’s most widely circulated Anglo-Jewish newspaper, The Jewish Press. Either Rabbi Kahane raised thoughtful Torah perspectives, or The Jewish Press owes an apology to its readership. My opinion is that the newspaper owes no apology. The weekly forum given to Rabbi Kahane helped save millions of Russian Jews, helped defend American Jews from antisemitism, and helped bring back countless assimilated Jews to Jewish observance. Certainly, a political perspective based upon Rabbi Kahane’s teachings would represent a program worthy of consideration.
Kerstein also expressed the concerns of Diaspora Jews about Ben-Gvir’s inclusion in the next Knesset. Kerstein adds that these Diaspora Jews “have spent decades defending Israel as a liberal, democratic country that shares Western values.”
Missing from these observations is the silence from Diaspora Jews when, in 1990, the “only” democracy in the Middle East banned democracy by undemocratically canceling the candidacy of Rabbi Meir Kahane even while all polls indicated he would win anywhere from six to 18 Knesset seats.
The November 11 issue of The Jewish Press coincided with the 32nd yahrzeit of Rabbi Kahane. The week also coincided with disciples of Rabbi Kahane being included in the new Knesset. There is now an opportunity to enlighten your readership with selective writings of what Rabbi Kahane actually said, rather than what the media said and continues to say/infer about him and those who follow him.
David Ferster
Great Neck, N.Y.
Oh, Those Oblivious Orthodox
Regarding the article, “As Antisemitic Comments Rock Social Media: A closer look at its impact on Orthodox Jewry,” by Baruch Lytle” (Nov 11), I question the validity of the research when, as acknowledged, “… many – if not most – Orthodox Jews….with no or very limited access to communities, communications, secular newspapers, TV, or Internet, outside of their own insular community . . . could be aware of the degree of antisemitism in America – or the world – today. Secular college campuses head the list, of which the Orthodox community is most likely unfamiliar.”
If they only shop in their local stores, if they keep separate from the “outside” world, if they are kept unaware of current events – this, then, accounts for their overall lack of understanding. Being extremely out of touch with the secular world prevents them from grasping the magnitude and degree of antisemitism out there.
Laurie Dinerstein-Kurs
Via Email
Election Disappointments
Election day came and went and Dr. Oz lost his political career when he lost the election in Pennsylvania. In other news, I am disappointed that Lee Zeldin did not become New York’s first Jewish governor. His campaign was in full swing as he promised to make New York safer for everyone and maybe restore the city and the tourism.
Raquel Hanon
Via Email
