Besieged in Brooklyn
The recent anti-Israel demonstration outside Young Israel of Midwood, described in last week’s Perspective, “An Atrocity Grows in Brooklyn” (May 22), was deeply disturbing and frightening for many local residents.
Hundreds of police officers were deployed as protesters gathered near the synagogue waving Palestinian and Hezbollah flags and shouting hostile slogans directed at the Jewish community. For many of us who live nearby, the scene felt less like a neighborhood protest and more like a threatening confrontation outside a house of worship.
What makes this especially alarming is the realization that antisemitism is no longer something distant or abstract. Many of those participating appeared to be young activists and college students living in these very communities alongside Jewish families. Residents who simply wish to attend shul, walk to the store, or send their children to yeshiva are increasingly feeling vulnerable in neighborhoods that once felt safe.
As a parent, it is painful to think that our sons learning in kollel or bais medrash must now also think about personal safety and the possibility of harassment or intimidation simply for being visibly Jewish. No congregant should feel unsafe entering a synagogue. No community should have to fear threats outside its schools, shuls, or shopping areas.
Political disagreements over Israel can and will exist, but there is a clear line between protest and intimidation. Threatening Jewish residents, glorifying terrorist organizations, or targeting synagogues creates fear and division that no civilized society should tolerate.
Brooklyn’s Jewish community has always been proud, resilient, and deeply rooted. But recent events are a reminder that vigilance and communal unity are more important than ever. Everyone deserves the basic right to walk the streets of their neighborhood and attend religious services without fear.
Raquel Hanon
Via e-mail
Shapiro’s Legitimate Critique
I wish to respond to Mr. Margolies’s letter to the editor (April 24). The letter shows a lack of understanding of historical facts and tries to conflate two disparate issues.
First, let’s look at historical facts. During World War II, The Allies received intelligence reports that Nazi Germany was building a heavy water plant in occupied Norway. This plant, located in Narvik, Norway, would have enabled the Nazis to develop nuclear weapons. The U.S. recruited, trained, and equipped native Norwegians who staged a quick, precise, and surgical strike, totally destroying the Nazis’ ability to develop nuclear weapons. Fast forward to 1981, when Israel staged a quick, precise, and surgical strike against Iraq’s nuclear facilities, severely damaging Iran’s abilities to produce nuclear weapons. Then, in 1986, President Reagan launched quick, precise, and surgical attacks in Libya, in retaliation for a Libyan-sponsored terrorist attack in Berlin, Germany, which had murdered American soldiers at a disco. One of Col. Gaddafi’s sons was killed in the attack. It’s interesting to note that after the 9/11 attack, Col. Gaddafi contacted President Bush (through diplomatic channels) and offered his help in bringing whoever was responsible to justice.
The present “war” has been going on since February and there is no end in sight. This alleged war is more similar to the “police action” in Korea and the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan. All three were years-long conflicts with stated purposes that yielded nothing.
Mr. Margolies should think about the possibility that Governor Shapiro is not “against America fighting a war to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, to secure unrestricted access through the Strait of Hormuz, and to stop them from funding terrorist groups…” Those are admirable purposes, but so far, nobody has been able to clearly state how much nuclear material (heavy water, enriched weapons-grade uranium or plutonium) Iran has or where it’s located. It’s very possible that Shapiro doesn’t want to hear about American servicemen dying in an unending conflict, with what seems to be a total lack of reliable military intelligence and specific targets.
Mr. Margolies should not try to conflate two very disparate issues. It’s one thing to respectfully discuss the pros and cons of Gov. Shapiro’s comments and stance on Iran. That’s fine. But for Mr. Margolies to somehow try to tie those comments and stance to Shapiro’s perceived future political aspirations (and to make his own disparaging comments on those perceived aspirations) just doesn’t work.
Harold Rose
Via e-mail
Ending the Gaza Blockade Invites the Next War
The foreign politicians who have chosen to criticize Israel’s treatment of the extremists detained after participating in the so-called Gaza flotilla are wrong. The flotilla participants understood the risks and consequences of deliberately challenging a lawful Israeli maritime blockade designed to protect Israeli civilians.
The flotilla’s stated goal was to open Gaza’s ports to unrestricted maritime traffic. Yet history has shown why Israel maintains the blockade. Weapons, dual-use materials, and military technology intended for Hamas were repeatedly smuggled into Gaza despite international restrictions. Those materials were used to construct Hamas’s extensive terror tunnel network and to help prepare for the October 7 massacre. Hamas leaders have repeatedly and publicly vowed to carry out another October 7 attack.
Hamas started the war in 2023. Ending the maritime blockade would make it far easier for Hamas to rearm and prepare future attacks against southern Israel. Given those realities, Israel has strong security grounds for not ending the maritime blockade. The result would be Hamas rearming for another terrorist invasion of southern Israel. Israel has every reason to prevent these boats from reaching Gaza. Israel’s blockade is key to preventing future wars.
Moshe Phillips
National Chairman,
Americans for a Safe Israel