Questions of Moral Accountability
Regarding “Follow the Money” (Letter by Larry Penner, April 12): Donald Trump attending a wake for a murdered police officer, while laudable, does not in and of itself indicate good moral character.
President Joe Biden attending a mega-money fundraiser does not in and of itself indicate a lack of moral character.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are private citizens. Who is Larry Penner to judge how two private citizens spend their time?
While $100,000 is certainly a good deal of money to pay to have one’s picture taken with the three, if a presumably private citizen has the money and wishes to spend his/her money in this fashion, who is Larry Penner to tell a private citizen how to spend his/her money?
Nat Weiner
Bronx, N.Y.
Invisible Transparency
I read Marc Gronich’s Albany Beat column about our missing State Budget (“Republican Hopefuls Vie To Replace Gillibrand,” March 22). It was supposed to be adopted on or before April 1. Adoption of the budget on time is what the State Legislature and Governor get paid to do. This budget continues to be negotiated behind closed doors between Governor Kathy Hochul, State Senate Democratic Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, and Democratic State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. Only they, their key aides and many of the infamous Albany State Street lobbyists representing various special interest pay to play groups will be privy to the final version.
Republican State Senate minority leader Robert Ortt and Republican State Assembly minority leader William Barclay, along with most members of the State Senate and Assembly, are left out of the process. So much for honest, above-board, transparent and open government promised by Hochul, Stewart-Cousins and Heastie.
Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
A Word for Donald Trump
To all those who are concerned about Donald Trump, let me remind you that he was by far the most pro-Israel U.S. President ever. As Israel continues to struggle for its very survival, we need him now more than ever.
Jeffrey Borell
Via Email
An Open Letter to Senator Schumer:
I have followed and supported your political career from the days you were my congressman. I recall your attending our shul’s annual dinners (Congregation Beth Tikvah of Canarsie). We enjoyed your declaration of “Am Yisrael Chai.”
To tell you that I was terribly disappointed with your recent statements about the Israeli government in general, and Prime Minister Netanyahu in particular, is an understatement.
I cannot fathom your rationale for coming out with that statement at this time, when Israel is fighting an existential war after a barbaric and savage attack on its innocent civilians.
Put aside for the moment your disagreement with PM Netanyahu’s political outlook. Not only was your statement seen as an unprecedented interference in the domestic politics of an ally but it posed greater danger to Israeli soldiers and the hostages. At a time when Israel is involved in tough negotiations to free these hostages (including American citizens), your statement only served to make things worse. If I was a Hamas leader, after seeing your statement, I would stop negotiating and raise my demands. After all, the highest-ranking Jewish senator had come out against the Israeli government and its prime minister, warning that it will become a “pariah state.”
The story of Purim, which we have recently celebrated, is very pertinent to your situation. When Queen Esther hesitates to approach the king and beseech him to reverse Haman’s design to annihilate all Jews in his kingdom, Mordechai reminds her that it was G-d’s design to put her in such a position.
G-d put you in a position of influence and power – don’t lose your Jewish soul for a momentary political gain!
Rabbi Yigal Kornblum
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Learns From History (1)
A thought experiment: Early in December 1941, the U.S., having broken the Japanese code, became aware of an impending Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As a result, U.S. forces in Hawaii were able to shoot down many attacking Japanese Zeroes and drive the rest back to their waiting aircraft carriers. Some lurking submarines in the harbor were also sunk or driven away. Imperial Japan, having demonstrated its anger at the U.S. oil embargo, declared the matter finished, and warned the U.S. against any retaliatory response.
The next day, FDR addressed a joint session of Congress to declare Dec. 7 one of great victory for the American military. Now it was necessary to avoid a wider war and make greater diplomatic efforts. Embattled Britain, hoping for exclusive U.S. focus on its aid in Europe, also urged America to “take that win” and move on.
Of course, the above is retrospective fantasy. No other nation but Israel would be expected not to respond to such a vicious attack that could have produced widespread death and destruction. It needs to deliver a meaningful, if measured, blow directly to Iran. Hitting the launch sites for those 331 drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, would be one such appropriate response. The implicit warning for even more serious targeting to come ought to deter Iran from further escalation. It clearly fears a wider war, especially with the U.S.
For its part, the Biden Administration needs to take a good hard look at its disastrous Middle East policies. Unenforced sanctions on Iran have provided it with the financial windfall that enables them to fund its nefarious activities worldwide, and directly led to the current multi-front war Israel now faces. Its failure to respond to some 200 Iranian proxy attacks on American Mideast forces since Oct. 7 only greatly emboldened Iran. Not massively obliterating Houthi endangerment of Bab al Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden maritime transit has been absolutely appalling. Wobbling in the face of feared electoral pushback has unreasonably imperiled Israel’s necessary destruction of Hamas.
So, Israel, don’t listen to this timid White House but respond in kind to Iran and restore your desperately needed military deterrence.
Richard D. Wilkins
Syracuse N.Y.
Lessons From History (2)
“You got a win. Take the win.” Those were Joe Biden’s words of advice to Bibi Netanyahu after 300 missiles and drones were fired at Israel by the murderous lunatics in Iran. Biden’s sage advice was based on the facts that emerged after all the ordinance had been fired, that being that the IDF had intercepted and destroyed 99 percent of the barrage and there had been only one fatality, a Bedouin child.
So now, Biden, the United Nations and others are advising Netanyahu to proceed with caution and not to “overreact.” Yes, the inmates have indeed taken over the asylum and diplomatic, meaningless and insulting blather now reigns. Biden’s warning to Iran prior to the unprecedented assault was encapsulated into one word: “Don’t.” Iran’s mullahs paid as much attention to this “warning” as they have paid to all other of this administration’s warnings.
Students of history can clearly see the parallel between these happenings and Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of Adolf Hitler at Munich in 1938. Once Hitler smelled the weakness, his future course was clear and quite determined. We needn’t revisit the catastrophe that ensued, but we would do well to remember it when dealing with maniacal fanatics who are intent on their long-desired bottom line, the total destruction of Israel and the death of every single Jew living there.
But there’s another, equally disturbing facet of this Iranian aggression. The world, especially the “bad guys” in China, Russia, North Korea and, of course, Iran, now have concrete evidence of Biden’s weakness and lack of spine. Our president just told Netanyahu that the United States would not join with Israel in a counterstrike in response to Iran’s act of war. Biden’s “warning” to Iran (“Don’t”) was as effective as the admonitions to career criminals here in our country who’ve been arrested 99 times and warned not to commit the 100th crime. Ironic, how the failures of far too many city and state officials have emboldened thousands of criminals to become repeat offenders. These officials are the Neville Chamberlains of 2024.
Republican House Speaker Johnson has stated yesterday that a military aid package to Israel was “still sitting on Chuck Schumer’s desk.” Is Schumer waiting to see if Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and a few dozen other Democrats won’t be highly offended by the assistance to our Middle Eastern ally? The celebrations in Dearborn, Michigan and a few other enclaves in America were quite explicit about their support of Iran’s act of war.
And while this attempted mass slaughter was repulsed thanks to American and Israeli technology, the man who would have no hesitation to stand firmly with Israel at this time, Donald Trump, is hamstrung by the insidious machinations of Democrat-run city and state officials determined to prevent his election in November. These obvious, despicable witch hunts and show trials, reminiscent of Stalin’s purges in the 1930s, are proof positive that the Democrat Party has become, over the years, a malevolent, mean-spirited gang of leftists who will stop at nothing and go to any lengths to silence and destroy all who disagree with their hard-left crusade to transform America into a socialist-communist utopia of leaders and robots.
Donald Trump, likely with help from the Supreme Court, will, eventually prevail and be elected, but my question is: can we, the American people, hang on until January 20, 2025? If Biden’s lack of backbone regarding the monsters in Tehran isn’t a loud enough wake-up call, what, may I ask, is?
Myron Hecker
Via Email
No Moral Authority to Govern
I just read the article about the disgusting order to dismantle the murdered boy’s community while the family is sitting shiva. The disrespect shown the “settlers” and especially the boy’s family is a chillul Hashem. The religious parties should call for rabbinical support to issue an ultimatum: either Gallant and Fox go, or we leave the coalition. Any government that goes along with the secular left has no moral authority to govern.
Richard Kronenfeld
Phoenix, Ariz.
Thank You to The Jewish Press Community
Once again, we would like to thank The Jewish Press and its many readers for helping to make a tremendous success of our “Erev Pesach Felafel Campaign” for poor Israeli families.
Thanks to the generosity of Jewish Press readers, this year we were able to send around 100 fine large Jewish families to our local falafel store for a falafel, French fries, and a drink!!
Truly The Jewish Press is unique in the impressive number of readers who not only read about the Falafel Fund, but also responded!
We truly thank you, The Jewish Press management and the generosity of your readership, for making this erev Pesach such a wonderful time for so many fine, frum, very poor, Jewish families.
With Sincere Appreciation,
Tzvia Ehrlich-Klein
Jerusalem
p.s. Any checks we receive too late for the Felafel Fund will be put towards the Emergency Felafel Fund for similar poor families (particularly if they have children/husbands fighting in the army). (By mistake I erased my list of names with email addresses, so, if you donated but did not receive a Thank You letter, please email me your name and email address: [email protected].)
