Letters To The Editor - September 4, 2026

The Good and the Bad of AI

I found Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein’s article, “AI and the New Frontier of Torah Study”(Aug. 7), to be an excellent review of the different types of computer systems that utilize complex programs to accomplish the required tasks. The article was very educational and informative on a basic level without being too technical. Plus, it did not get into a mussar schmooze about the pitfalls of AI.

As Rabbi Klein points out, “The responsibility to understand a sugya, evaluate evidence, weigh conflicting sevaros, and ultimately engage in the mitzvah of talmud Torah remains uniquely human.”

Over the years, I have often read Rabbi Klein’s articles on names in Tanach and different words in Lashon Kodesh (Hebrew) and found them interesting.

On a personal note, I have a technical background as an engineer, and if I were not retired, I would need to deal with the large amounts of cooling, including air-conditioning and direct water-cooling, that AI computer systems require due to their huge electric power demands, as well as the reliability and resiliency issues.

Nechemiah Kryksman

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Celebrating and Strengthening Sephardic Heritage

Devora Mandell’s “Sephardic Rabbis Gather to Shape the Future of a Living Tradition” (Aug. 28) was a wonderful and timely celebration of Sephardic Judaism. The gathering of more than 150 rabbis, educators, and communal leaders demonstrated that the Sephardic mesorah is not merely something to remember – it remains a vibrant force that must be strengthened and transmitted to future generations.

This is especially meaningful to those of us who have watched the Syrian Sephardic community flourish in America. For generations, Syrian rabbis and communal leaders have built an extraordinary network of synagogues, yeshivot, Torah classes, and communal institutions while maintaining a strong attachment to our traditions. Leaders such as Hacham Yaakov Kassin and the rabbis who followed him established standards that continue to influence Sephardic Jewish life today.

At the same time, one of the great strengths of Sephardic Judaism is its diversity. Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian, Moroccan, Iraqi, Persian, and other Sephardic communities share a broad religious tradition while preserving their own customs, melodies, foods, and communal identities. In Brooklyn, institutions such as Shaare Zion and Har HaLebanon reflect different parts of that heritage, just as Sephardic communities have developed throughout New Jersey, Florida, California, Israel, and elsewhere.

These distinctions matter. As Rabbi Joseph Dweck emphasized at the conference, preserving the particular customs of individual communities is an important part of preserving Sephardic identity itself. Sephardic Judaism should not have to imitate another form of Orthodoxy in order to consider itself authentically religious. Its traditional combination of Torah observance, communal responsibility, warmth, and engagement with the wider world has its own deep roots and integrity.

It was also significant that UJA-Federation CEO Eric Goldstein acknowledged that his organization has not focused enough attention on the Sephardic community. Sephardim are an increasingly important part of the Jewish landscape, and our institutions should recognize their religious and communal needs.

The conference’s most encouraging message was that Sephardic Judaism is looking forward rather than simply looking backward. Rabbis such as Marc Angel and Joseph Dweck are asking important questions about how our mesorah can remain strong in America and throughout the Jewish world. The answer will come through strong rabbinic leadership, serious Torah learning, thriving synagogues and schools, and pride in the distinctive traditions our parents and grandparents brought with them.

Mandell’s article captured something worth celebrating: Sephardic Judaism is not a museum piece. It is a living tradition – and one with a great deal to contribute to the Jewish future.

Raquel Hanon

Via E-mail