Honor Where Honor’s Due
Gedaliah Borvick’s 4/14 article Unfulfilled Expectations presents an unfairly negative view of Winston Churchill’s contribution to the formation of the State of Israel.
As colonial secretary, Churchill visited Eretz Yisrael in 1921 and set in motion Jewish dominance of the electrical grid, roads, post office and other infrastructure. Although his strong rhetoric against Nazi persecution of Jews in Germany and opposition to the White Paper was largely ignored, his creation of the Jewish Legion in 1944 was indispensable to the creation of Israel.
Jews in Eretz Yisrael were, due to Churchill’s initiative, able to create a Jewish army, which fought in Europe against the Nazis and became the foundation of the force that established Israel’s victory in the War of Independence.
No wonder that in 1966 Randolph Churchill accepted the Herzl Award on behalf of his late father from the Zionist Organization of America – its highest honor. When he established the Jewish Legion in 1944, he was confronted by a critic who said this would inevitably lead to a Jewish state, to which he replied, “So be it.”
Let’s not forget his merit.
Harvey (Chaim) Herbert
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Eating Meat Isn’t the Ideal
Many chumrahs have a corresponding kulah. In this case, understanding the Rambam as an obligation to specifically eat meat rather than simply describing one way that people enjoyed the holiday compels a kulah on tzaar baalei chayim, which the gemara recognizes as d’oraita. And what a kulah it is in the face of the brutal methods routinely employed in modern factory farms unknown to previous generations.
Of course, people consume meat trivially too during the week and otherwise, and in great volumes. Rav Soloveitchik described meat consumption as a taavah, a lust, for which the Torah provides a concession, but should not be confused for a Torah ideal. As such, in the face of the substantial animal suffering we cause, we should be asking ourselves about our actual motivations here. For the individual who feels an obligation to eat a kezayit of meat to be yotzei one narrow interpretation of a rabbinical ruling, that’s one thing, but it seems transparent that there are less principled motivations at work.
Daniel Hagler
Teaneck, N.J.
All Earth Day All the Time
Let us celebrate Earth Day, April 22, all year long. Besides recycling newspapers, magazines, glass, plastics, old medicines, paints and cleaning materials, there are other actions you can take that will also contribute to a cleaner environment. Leave your car at home. For local trips in the neighborhood, walk or ride a bike. For longer travels, consider many public transportation alternatives already available: MTA, NYC Transit subway, bus and Staten Island Railway, MTA Bus, Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads, Staten Island Ferry, NJ Transit and PATH, along with other private transportation owners, offer various options, such as local and express bus, ferry, jitney, subway and commuter rail services.
Most of these systems are funded with your tax dollars. They use less fuel and move far more people than cars. In many cases, your employer can offer transit checks to help subsidize a portion of the costs. Utilize your investments and reap the benefits. You’ll be supporting a cleaner environment and be less stressed upon arrival at your final destination.
Many employers continue to allow employees to telecommute and work from home full or part time. Others use alternative work schedules, which afford staff the ability to avoid rush hour gridlock. This saves travel time and can improve mileage per gallon. You could join a car or van pool to share the costs of commuting.
Use a hand-powered lawn mower instead of a gasoline or electric one. Rake your leaves instead of using gasoline powered leaf blowers. The amount of pollution created by gasoline-powered lawnmowers or leaf blowers will surprise you.
A cleaner environment starts with everyone.
Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
A Win for Democrats?
With all due respect to conservative analysts, the Dems are out maneuvering us again. For sure, Bragg’s case against Trump will fail, and even in the unlikely event some part sticks, it will not prevent Trump from running again.
So why is the huge for the Dems?
- They want Trump to be the candidate, and all this victimizing only bolsters his campaign. The Dems cannot possibly win on issues, should DeSantis or Haley be the candidate. So, their only possible road to victory is once again to make the race all about Trump.
- And once Trump is the candidate, the litany of charges of payoffs to prostitutes, insurrections, etc. will play strong with the millions of politically unengaged voters.
So, this is a double win for the Dems! Sad that Fox News and Republicans scream injustice, yet miss the powerful benefits to the Dems of Bragg’s fishing expedition.
Michael Marcus
Hollywood, Fla.
