Letters To The Editor - August 21, 2026

Hardships from Standard Time Year-Round

In his reporting, Avi Woolf (“Should Orthodox Jews Lobby Against Permanent DST?” July 24) quotes an article in these pages by Rabbi Gil Student from years back that makes this point (worrying not just about permanent DST, but also the reverse case):

“Making Standard Time the year-round default would mean that Sabbath-observant Jews will need to leave work early on Friday afternoon for six months out of the year. Rather than having to excuse yourself for early Fridays during only the winter, you would have to do so for half the year. This turns a seasonal inconvenience into a permanent employment liability. Thankfully, New York State has laws protecting Sabbath-observant individuals from discrimination. Observant Jews will be less protected in other states, and even in New York such prolonged early absences may risk otherwise promising careers.”

But not all observant Jews who read The Jewish Press are from New York. Here in Ohio, making Standard Time year-round would mean many hours of commute time on Fridays, which means I’d have a problem taking off that much time to get home in time for Shabbos on Friday. I take the bus, and it takes me 2½ hours to get home as it is.

Janet Gerstein

Cleveland, Ohio

Enough with the Apologia And Defensive Posturing

My opinions resonate with two observations made in the July 31^st edition of The Jewish Press. Reader Robert Kantowitz was spot on with his analysis of why governors would not opt into programs that foster school choice (“The Uphill Battle for School Choice,” Letters). Basically, Mr. Kantowitz’s pessimism is based upon the strategy of “following the money” and the political power which generates and perpetuates that money.

That being said, a course of action should make use of the political power of the 26 states currently controlled by Republican governors. These states need to follow the example set by Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida, who initiated the Family Empowerment Scholarship which provides $7,500-$8,000 per child annually for students opting to attend private schools. Even as parents lobby for tax breaks and government aid in blue states, Americans in red states should be vociferously demanding that their conservative elected representatives immediately enact legislation similar to Florida’s scholarship program. These opportunities are game-changers which should be pounced upon!

Yigal Gross, in his “Perspectives” article (“The Wicked Son’s Lesson for Israel Advocacy”), very intuitively articulates the need for the Jewish people to be more proactive, more on the attack when presenting Israel’s role on the world stage. To quote Mr. Gross: “When was the last time you heard someone talk about Israel and not immediately reach for a defense? When was the last time you heard someone articulate what Israel is and why it matters, in their own words, and on their own terms?”

Enough of the defensive arguments that Israel is a better democracy than Saudi Arabia or that Arab Moslems vote in the Knesset and sit on the Supreme Court. We should not take pride that the Arab block votes in the Knesset on whether halacha will be used to determine “Who is a Jew?” Nor do I think that Yitro’s advice to Moses was to appoint non-Jewish judges to interpret the law.

The ingathering of the Jews in our lifetime has a purpose. It is for the Jewish people to model a society in Eretz Yisrael based upon Biblical morality. We are the default position for the world. This world includes Western democracies where antisemitism is rampant, a world which no longer believe in borders, in voter ID, in two genders, in telling the truth, in avoiding slander and lashon hara, in capitalism and in the protection of private property. But a Jewish state of Israel says no to all of these “woke” ideas. Now you know why G-d gave us a Torah instead of a constitution.

As for Mayor Mamdani, his rhetoric disrespects the Jewish religious obligation to perform the mitzvot in Eretz Yisrael. The mayor’s problem is with G-d and the Bible. This obligation to live in Eretz Yisrael is equal to all of the other mitzvot combined, and its validity does not depend upon how many Jews have or have still not yet reached this level of observance. As Mr. Gross so succinctly declares: “You cannot go on offense with a case you haven’t made to yourself first.”

David Ferster

Great Neck, N.Y.

Mamdani’s Omission of Jews From Judicial Panel Was Not an Oversight

Re: Jewish Groups Press Mamdani Over Lack of Jewish Representation on Judicial Panel (www.JewishPress.com, July 31):

The Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary is a panel that will advise and make recommendations to him on judicial candidates for New York City Family and Criminal Courts as well as for interim judges for Civil Courts. As many as 50 percent of lawyers in New York State are Jewish, yet Mamdani could not find one to fit his panel, a committee that every mayor has appointed since 1978. Politics were clearly at play in the selection of a lawyer for a cop-killer for appointment to the 18-member panel. However, the sole Jewish candidate recommended had her name removed from the list because she represented Ghislaine Maxwell, a confidante of Jeffrey Epstein.

This is a lesson for socialist Jews and their fellow travelers. Warming up to Mamdani won’t save you from antisemitism. The mayor hates us all. He views all Jews the same. In his view, none are fit to make recommendations for judgeships. While Jews are estimated to make up about 10 percent of New York City’s population, we were the victims of upwards of 50% of hate crimes, according to NYPD statistics shared by the group Stand With Us.

Unlike in Nazi Germany, Jews can still sit as proud members of the Bar in New York. Representation is important. Let us continue to stand up for our rights and the rights of all New Yorkers. Thank you to The Jewish Press for highlighting this issue.

Chaim Yehuda Meyer, Esq.

Brooklyn, N.Y.