Letters To The Editor
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The Choice In November (I)
Re “In the Matter of Paul Ryan” (editorial, Aug. 17):
There can be little doubt concerning President Obama’s true feelings about Israel – in contrast to the politically motivated platitudes he delivers in an attempt to shore up his Jewish support. The “uneven record of the first two years of his presidency” vis-à-vis Israel that you speak of would seem to predict an adversarial relationship in a second term.
The likelihood that an Obama victory in November would not bode well for Israel should be enough to counter any doubts about Paul Ryan’s views on Israel – which, in any event, appear to reflect those of Mitt Romney, the head of the ticket.
Fay Dicker
Lakewood, NJ
The Choice In November (II)
As your editorial on Paul Ryan last week underscored, the choice presented by Barack Obama and Mitt Romney is perfectly clear. If reelected, Obama intends to continue his efforts to redistribute the wealth of Americans by taking from one group to give to another, which is what he means by “a new vision of an America in which prosperity is shared.”
And without having to worry about alienating Jewish voters, he will have the luxury of being able to keep America’s closest Mideast ally at a cool distance. Mr. Romney’s agenda, as evidenced by his selection of Ryan, is to maximize economic opportunities, not results, and to rebuild a working relationship between America and Israel. For me, the choice is very clear.
Gary Stein
(Via E-Mail)
The Choice In November (III)
The decision by the Democratic Party to have former president Jimmy Carter address its upcoming convention (news story, Aug. 17) should sound an alarm for anyone concerned about Israel.
The continuing support of the virulently anti-Israel and probably anti-Semitic Carter among the hierarchy of the Democratic Party does not bode well for future U.S.-Israel relations under a Democratic president, whether that president is Barack Obama or someone else farther down the road.
Nelson Marans
Silver Spring, MD
The Choice In November (IV)
Re “And the Gold Medal for Lying Goes To…” (op-ed, Aug. 17):
Life is fascinating. The head of a murderous terrorist group like the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been linked to the murder of an Egyptian president because he made peace with Israel, is now the leader of Egypt.
Although the group remains on most terrorist lists, and for decades has espoused views that our president condemns in his campaign speeches, Mr. Obama keeps reaching out to it.
Four more years?
Samuel Glickman
(Via E-Mail)
Differing Views On The Siyum HaShas
Future Lies With The Orthodox
To my mind, it seems clear that what is lacking in the non-Orthodox world is any sense of purpose beyond everyday life (“Non-Orthodox Reaction to the Siyum HaShas,” editorial, Aug. 17).
The Reform and Conservative figures you focused on seem to have as their goal the humanization of what is fundamentally transcendent. They rely on such things as psychology and the arts in order to fashion or add to a system of belief, whereas the Orthodox seeks ways to determine and then follow an existing divinely ordained system. The former relegates Judaism to a place no more special than any other human enterprise; the latter, while preserving the belief that God is the basis of a complete Jewish faith, relies on methods of human analysis only to learn the essence of revelation.
The Siyum HaShas celebrations, in terms of numbers and spirit, demonstrated why the future of Judaism as a faith lies with the Orthodox.
Nosson Goodman
Jerusalem
Is This The Future We Want?
There is little question that the Siyum HaShas was an incredibly impressive event, and in many ways a Kiddush Hashem. That said, I must take issue with your editorial, and the chest-thumping attitude that it represents.
There is obviously strength in numbers, but the popularity of an idea does not make it correct. It is prudent to ask what sort of future those who planned the event envision for Judaism.
Many Jews, including those in the Orthodox community, are disturbed that women attending the event were placed in a dimly lit special section so that the men could not see them. It bothers them that Orthodox authorities have generally failed to engage women’s issues in any meaningful way – as Conservative Judaism has, and as traditional independent minyanim, a growing phenomenon in the United States and Israel, have – while placing more and more new restrictions on interaction between the sexes, which has led in part to a shidduch crisis.
Many are deeply disturbed by the trend in Israel of haredi men refusing to work so they can spend all day in kollel, an idea that has no foundation in our tradition, as well as the general devaluing of secular education among haredim that has left a large chunk of that community unable to make a living in the modern world.
And much as we should certainly accord special importance to our past sages, many of us are nevertheless disturbed by the way in which they are sometimes deified, and their opinions, some of which were clearly temporal, are applied today in our modern world as part of a seemingly endless obscurantist campaign to add more and more stringencies, regardless of their provenience, foundation, or prudence, to religious life.
The Judaism of the Ages you reference in your editorial was one that was responsive to the times, valued the need for people to earn a living, viewed worldly knowledge as part and parcel of Torah learning, and engaged difficult intellectual challenges rather than side-stepping them by hiding behind the classical sages who doubtless made decisions appropriate to their milieus, not all of which were meant to bind future generations of Jews.
These values seem less important to many of the sages who attended the Siyum. Those of us outside their increasingly insular community – including many of us who identify as Modern Orthodox – do not ask simply whether they are the Jewish future. We ask whether that future is the future Judaism deserves.
Michael Brenner
Brooklyn, NY
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