Letters To The Editor - October 24, 2025

Rally The Community to Bloc Vote as Jews

In his article “Endorsing Candidates from the Pulpit is Unwise” in the October 3 edition of The Jewish Press, Rabbi Michael J. Broyde’s analysis does not take into account the crucial factor that there has been a recent substantial change in the American political environment: Democratic party politicians (and Republicans as well, to a lesser extent) are deserting Israel-supportive positions in droves. It is possible that, going forward, more candidates for the U.S. Senate and even for the presidency will be as virulently anti-Israel as Zohran Mamdani.

In the upcoming New York City mayoral election, as well as senatorial elections and presidential elections going forward, we need, as a factor in our decisions, rabbinical guidance from the pulpit as to which candidates to coalesce around as a united bloc of pro-Israel voters. Additionally, we need to have pulpit rabbis explain why it is not okay to vote for Mr. Mamdani on the rationale that, like Brad Lander says, the N.Y.C. mayor has no effect on international policy affecting Israel.

Note that generally, pro-Israel candidates tend to be motivated by a desire for gaining the pro-Israel vote and probably not so much by deeply felt pro-Israel conviction.

Going forward, we are going to have to demonstrate that we pro-Israel voters are “Odennu kan, odennu chazakim” – still here and still strong. By coalescing as a united bloc around a single candidate, we demonstrate the impact of the pro-Israel vote in an election even if our candidate loses, and we demonstrate the importance of the pro-Israel vote to political candidates going forward as a coveted voting bloc worth courting.

Another problem is that an increasing number of Jews these days are avowedly anti-Israel, especially younger Jews – 43% of N.Y.C. Jews will be voting for Mamdani (including 67% of young Jews). We should develop outreach programs to the anti-Israel Jews, similar to Rabbi Buchwald’s NJOP or Rabbi Mark Wildes MJE, with the goal of persuading them to vote against anti-Israel candidates who seek to delegitimize Israel’s existence.

Here is an argument to persuade left-wing, “progressive,” anti-Israel Jews not to vote for anti-Israel candidates: A left-wing argument is that Israel is a white European, colonial settler-state. Even if that were true about Herzl and the early Zionist movement – and we are not conceding any truth to that at all – the demographics of Israel’s Jews have vastly changed so that the “white European colonial settler” accusation has been demonstrably 100% false for decades. (And that does not take into account that as an online posting demonstrated photographically, many Arabs, like King Abdullah of Jordan and Omar Sharif, look as white as Mark Ruffalo.)

We must teach anti-Israel Jews that in Arabic, the pro-Palestinian jingle goes, “From the river to the sea, Palestine is Islamiye (Islamic)” – which is real apartheid.

Lawrence A. Silverman Via E-mail

A Time for Rabbis to Speak Out

Rabbi Broyde’s narrative regarding rabbis preaching politics from the pulpit raises many cogent and valid points. He lost me, however, when he stated there are “rare times when a rabbi should endorse, but the bar is very high.”

Glaringly omitted from his piece was any reference to the current situation in New York where the Jewish population is facing an existential threat should Zohran Mamdani be elected mayor of New York City. Furthermore, the danger of this possible outcome would not merely be a blow to New York City’s Jews, but to the city as a whole. It may well signal the death knell of our once great metropolis to the scourge of socialist and communist policies. Mamdani’s pronouncements very much echo the statements of Fidel Castro prior to his taking over Cuba and placing it under totalitarian rule. Quite troubling is how the New York masses, including many Jews, are falling for his vapid promises.

Thus, respectfully, I would like to know Rabbi Broyde’s position regarding whether it is appropriate for rabbis to speak to their congregants about this unprecedented peril to New York City’s Jews. Does this predicament meet the high bar for rabbis to lead the charge to fight against the election of such a dangerous individual to such an important elected office? Is it true that silence in this case is not weakness, but wisdom? Koheles, which we just read this past Shabbat Chol Hamoed, avers that there is a time to choose from very different options. I believe one of those choices now is in fact for us to coalesce in a unified fashion to battle for the very soul and safety of our city for Jews and all people, and rabbis should be a part of this fight.

May Hashem protect Klal Yisrael from this and all other dangers.

George Weiss Via E-mail

Guns Can Keep Us Safe

I wanted to comment on a letter to the editor in the September 12 edition of The Jewish Press. The letter was written by Mr. Josh Greenberger, who stated that responsible gun ownership will save lives. I wholeheartedly agree. Yes, there should be laws about who can or cannot become a licensed gun owner, but legal and responsible gun ownership will protect everyone.

If anyone wants to read about how guns can save and protect lives and property, they should read the N.R.A. monthly magazine The American Rifleman. Every month there’s an article entitled “The Armed Citizen.” This monthly feature is a selection of newspaper articles, taken from local sources, about how legally licensed gun owners used a firearm to protect themselves, their homes and businesses from crimes and possible harm. These local stories are ignored by the major networks and media. Maybe true stories of average, law-abiding citizens using legal firearms to protect themselves and others from harm and/or to thwart a crime don’t “fit in” with the liberal bias of the major TV and news networks?

Harold Rose Via E-mail