Finally, Cracking Down On Campus Incitement
Re: Another Promise Kept: Pro-Hamas Campus Agitator Arrested, Green Card Revoked (jewishpress.com, March 9): The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate, is welcome news and long overdue. For Khalil and others to rally in support of the murdering butchers of Hamas is not free speech. The terrorists who commit their barbaric atrocities do not grow in a vacuum. They are emboldened by those who support them. The abhorrent message of hate-filled rallies are also felt here in the U.S. Columbia University itself has experienced violence as a result. It is no one’s right to disturb or destroy the lives of others, whether it’s through guns or speech. It’s time to differentiate between true free speech and speech that is intended to, and does in fact, incite violence. Rallying in support of terrorists is an evil and nefarious act in itself and should never be tolerated.
Josh Greenberger
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Hamas Barbarians Killed The Two-State Solution
As prominently reported in the last several issues of The Jewish Press, Hamas’ raucous celebratory public displays of inhuman barbarity including the sick, hands-on strangulation of two baby captives, killed more than innocent civilian hostages. It finally put to rest any notion of the pie-in-the-sky fantasy of a two-state solution whereby an Israeli and Palestinian state could exist side by side in peaceful coexistence. Even the barbaric Nazis, who with their willing collaborators perpetrated the most horrific genocidal atrocity in human history, tried to minimize, cover up, and hide their beastiality, not flaunt it publicly for all the world to see like Hamas proudly did.
The radical left kept the two-state fantasy alive throughout successive Democratic administrations while actively working to undermine Israeli security. First Obama and then Biden resurrected a bankrupt Iran, which was a sworn enemy not just of Israel but also of America, as in “Death to Israel, Death to America,” and poured billions of dollars into Iran’s economy, enabling it to develop its nuclear program and fund its proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. They publicly expressed disdain for Netanyahu, like when Obama famously made him enter the White House by a side door in 2015. They also sought to put “daylight between Israel and America,” and weakened previously unequivocal American support in the U.N.
The result of all this was the October 7 massacre, the Gaza war, the hostage crisis, and combined attempts by Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah to destroy Israel. More recently, there were timid or vacillating American responses, where more pressure was exerted on Israel to make concessions to end the conflict, while only mealy-mouthed words were muttered to Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
Fortunately, the American electorate overwhelmingly elected Donald Trump to again lead our country. And with a strong, determined, and visibly present Trump taking over the reins of government, there is suddenly a sea change in the outlook for the future for Israel, America, and also the world. Trump, in barely over one month in office, has acted with head-spinning speed and decisiveness, and is doing precisely what he promised to do and what the people voted for him to do. Among other things, he has again publicly affirmed his firm support for Israel and against Iran and its proxies.
Max Wisotsky
Highland Park, N.J.
In Response To Dr. Yaakov Stern
In response to Dr. Yaakov Stern’s letter, “Why Should Israel Follow The Rebbe?” (Feb. 21): As chassidim of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, it is integral to our belief that our Rebbe is not our mentor, but rather the Nasi Hador, and whose wisdom is the Daas Torah for all Jews to follow. This isn’t unique to Chabad – most chassidim feel the same about their Rebbe. Otherwise, they would be a chossid of someone else. Having come from a litvishe background, I understand this may seem a bit different.
Regarding the question of why we should listen to words only from living rabbis, I’m confused. Our entire Torah and mesorah are based on the holy words of rabbis who have passed on. Close to 100% of the actions we take every moment of the day are guided and ruled by rabbis of yesteryear.
Specifically, years ago, the Rebbe addressed, al pi halacha, this exact situation – Israel, hostages, terrorists, prisoners, and the foolish talk of giving parts of Israel away, G-d forbid.
Finally, since your response didn’t address the Rebbe’s points but rather questioned the Rebbe’s qualifications, I’m wondering if there was something in the Rebbe’s approach that the Dr. would disagree with or if the entire questioning was just to undermine Chabad and the Rebbe.
Dovid Feldman
Via Email
Concerns About Some Appointees, Not The President
In response to the reply to my letter (“A Pro-Israel Administration? Not So Fast,” Jan. 31) by Max Wisotsky, whose opinion I respect (“Trump Is President of the United States, Not Israel,” Feb. 14), clarification is clearly necessary. I regret any implication that may be drawn from my letter that I’m criticizing President Trump personally or his policies. I share PM Netanyahu’s opinion that he is Israel’s greatest friend, as well as that of other writers who have said he is the most pro-Israel president in American history. My concern is about several appointments. Although this time around he has nominated a stellar cabinet, it appears that history is repeating itself with regard to sub-cabinet appointments, particularly at the State Department.
While Marco Rubio, whom I respect, is a strong supporter of Israel, as was Mike Pompeo, and the President clearly indicated that he didn’t want disciples of Charles Koch in the State Department, the people he put in charge of staffing at the undersecretary/assistant secretary level are violating his wishes. Following the confirmation of Michael DiMino, the nomination of Elbridge Colby has occasioned division among Trump’s Jewish supporters. After initially expressing support for the President’s Middle East policies, Colby appears to be edging away toward what some observers suspect is his real position, namely, agreement with Charles Koch’s view favoring acceptance and containment of a nuclear-armed Iran (as if one could equate the mullahs in Teheran with the leaders of the old Soviet Union, who were at least rational actors) and coddling the People’s Republic of China.
I also believe the President erred initially in sending his golfing buddy to negotiate the ceasefire with Hamas, rather than a non-Jewish professional diplomat who could gain the confidence of both sides as the late great Dr. Ralph Bunche did in negotiating the armistice ending Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. Besides coercing Israel into accepting the one-sided Biden Administration proposal, Witkoff, who has business ties to Qatar, America’s frenemy and Israel’s outright enemy, further demanded that Netanyahu desecrate Shabbos to accept the proposal, whereas the Prime Minister’s aides suggested waiting until Motzoei Shabbos.
At least it’s encouraging that in the wake of Trump’s second thoughts about the plan, a new report on March 2 showed that Witkoff then proposed a much more favorable ceasefire, which Israel immediately accepted, lasting through Ramadan and Passover, with all remaining hostages to be released on day one. Naturally, Hamas refused.
I’m also developing retroactive qualms about the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court after she joined Chief Justice Roberts, the quintessential Republican establishment George W. Bush appointee, in effectively legitimizing federal government pressure on Internet providers and other communications media to censor non-Leftist opinions by denying individual victims of censorship standing to sue the perpetrators. (Full disclosure: While I have neither the inclination nor the resources to file suit, I fall into that category because my blog at the Times of Israel was shut down after a year and a half and 51 posts on orders from NewsGuard, the Leftist censorship agency, for allegedly spreading disinformation, even though I actually made every effort to cite legitimate sources for any statements of fact I cited.) I’m concerned that Justices Roberts and Barrett will act similarly in reviewing appeals of the spate of lower federal court decisions ordering the Trump administration to reinstate fired federal employees as well as restoring the USAID slush fund for allegedly promoting wokeism and supporting terrorist organizations.
Please don’t lump me in with the President’s detractors. I would gladly support him if he were eligible to run for another term.
Richard Kronenfeld
Phoenix, Ariz.
Ashamed Of Zelensky’s Treatment In The White House
I never felt so humiliated as a citizen of this country as seeing a head of state representing Ukraine being bullied by the president and vice-president of our country.
Of course, you will state that it is OK for Trump to do this as long as he supports Israel. Did you expect Zelensky to kiss Trump’s ring and bow to him like he is a king? President Zelensky refused to bow to him. It reminded me of Haman and Mordechai, where Haman expected Mordechai to bow to him and he refused to do so. This was an insulting moment for our country. Even President Reagan would not have done this to another democratically elected world leader in his time.
Dory Frank
Los Angeles, Calif.
