Contrast this with President Obama’s determination, at least in the first couple of years of his presidency, to kowtow to the Muslim world; his obvious dislike of Prime Minister Netanyahu; and his embrace of J Street’s anti-Likud line.
Jeanne Greenfield
Los Angeles, CA
Chofetz Chaim Photo (I)
Kudos to reader Mordechai Dov Pupko for sharing with Jewish Press readers the unretouched photo of the Chofetz Chaim with two women, including his wife, standing behind him as he chatted with his son (Letters, Aug.3).
That photo underscores the sad reality that many haredim today distort the actual lifestyle and beliefs that were practiced by tzaddikim like the Chofetz Chaim in pre-Holocaust Europe. Who would know more about acceptable behavior than the sainted author of the Mishnah Berurah?
The picture Mr. Pupko provided is more eloquent than a thousand words.
Samuel Erlanger
(Via E-Mail)
Chofetz Chaim Photo (II)
I’m not sure I understand Mordechai Dov Pupko’s point. Is he suggesting that those who airbrushed the two women out of the picture with the Chofetz Chaim were trying to convince us the Chofetz Chaim lived in a world where there were no women?
The Chofetz Chaim may indeed have appeared in a photo with two women in the background, but that doesn’t mean he would have approved of the picture with them – or of pictures portraying any women – being released to the public.
Moishe Vaissman
(Via E-Mail)
The BDS Movement
I have been a great fan of The Jewish Press for many years. Aside from the editorials that inform and clarify for us myriad topics of interest to both the Jewish and the secular world, there are also so many wonderful regular and guest writers that I dare not single out any of their names.
What I’d like to see more of, however, is coverage of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that is masterfully and successfully in the process of isolating Israel and heavily damaging its economy. Based upon falsehoods BDS is having a strongly negative and ongoing effect on Israel on many critical fronts.
Israeli companies such as Sabra Foods and Ahava Cosmetics are being boycotted in America (and other countries). In the U.S., “respectable” organizations such as the American Library Association and major financial institutions like TIAA-CREF are divesting stocks of major companies from their retirement funds. The companies that are targeted are Caterpillar Tractor, John Deere, Motorola Solutions, and Hewlett-Packard.
The purpose of divesting is to is to make it financially unfeasible for these companies to continue to manufacture and sell crucial machinery and equipment to Israel.
It is imperative for those who want to assist Israel in its continuing struggles to be aware of this situation and be advised what, if anything, we can do to diminish or alleviate it.
Joan Katzman
New York, NY