Kashrut Unites
Rabbi Moshe Taragin’s insightful op-ed article (“Kashrut in our Modern World” Aug. 11) has helped me see kashrut in a new light.
I never thought kashrut could unify Jews of all stripes, but I’m now more hopeful that kashrut can bring a new moment of achdut.
As Rabbi Taragin notes:
“Whereas the personal kashrut experience has lost much of its drama, collectivist kashrut experience has become more intriguing. As many Jews no longer adhere to classic halachic observance, there are fewer rituals that unite us. Yet, despite this gap, many Jews still find themselves sharing kosher observance, even if their standards are different. In many Jewish cities across the Diaspora, the only time Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews come into contact is in the kosher aisles of supermarkets or in kosher butcher shops. Kashrut, as it always did, still bonds Jewish communities. In a world in which our communities are further apart, the unifying effect of kashrut is even more substantial.”
So may it continue and increase.
Sarah Kahan
Via email
Two Open Letter for the Road
Dear drivers:
On behalf of all walkers, runners and cyclists in the mountains for the summer, I beg of drivers to do the following:
Please slow down when you pass us.
Please move over and give us at least three feet of room.
Please give a small tap on the horn way back to let us know you are coming.
It is very scary to have a car traveling at 60 miles per hour, pass you 12 inches away.
Please don’t blast your horn at us up close. This can cause a serious accident. Thank you.
Dear walkers, runners and cyclists:
Please realize that many drivers think we should not be on the road at all, so try to keep as far to the side of the road as safe, and be aware of your surroundings. Thank you.
Dovid L.
Via email
‘Democracy’ They Cry
All those in Israel who cry about democracy, and especially those among them who have demonstrated violent tendencies, are the same left-wingers as those here in the U.S. who have burnt down cities and attacked innocent drivers on the roads as well as journalists trying to report the truth.
What is extraordinary is their level of abject ignorance; they espouse nothing of value, only fascism or communism. When anyone who gets democratically elected, be it by the American electorate or the Israeli electorate, or espouses a different viewpoint from theirs, they have no regard for public safety or even the willingness to be “reasonable,” (to quote the Israeli Supreme Court) and discuss fairly and openly the key points, as any normal human being would be expected to do.
Then, of course, you have all the legal nonsense Netanyahu has been put through and the ridiculous number of non-stop indictments against President Trump.
Incidentally, Jews who berate and curse Trump all the time should never call themselves supporters of Israel. He was the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House.
Chaim Abramovich
Boynton Beach, Fla.
