‘Operation Wedding’ New York Premiere
The KGB’s arrest and trial in 1970 of a group of desperate Soviet Jews who had attempted to steal a Russian plane and fly it to freedom was intended to smash any thoughts by Jews in the USSR to apply to emigrate to Israel.
The opposite occurred. Tens of thousands boldly asked to leave. The nascent Soviet Jewry support movement in the West got a strong boost and focus on heroic Prisoners for Zion.
On Sunday, February 26, two events will revisit that turning point in Jewish history.
At 2 p.m. the award-winning new documentary “Operation Wedding,” the subject of the Feb. 3 Jewish Press front-page essay, will have its official New York premiere at Columbia University. Readers can see more about the film and purchase tickets at www.operation-wedding-documentary.com/nyc.
At 7 p.m., Congregation Ohab Zedek (118 West 95th Street in Manhattan) invites all to hear the inspiring Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich, the spiritual hero of the Leningrad “hijack affair.” There is no charge.
Glenn Richter
New York, NY
Not A Schumer Fan
I commend The Jewish Press for endorsing Donald Trump in the presidential election. However, I was disappointed that at the same time you endorsed the reelection of Sen. Charles Schumer, who was never a strong advocate for Israel or Jews throughout Obama’s two terms in office. And Schumer has become the symbol of obstructionism against anything beneficial for America.
I was ashamed of Schumer’s crocodile tears over Trump’s executive order on immigration. Schumer never spouted such tears when Obama singled out the very same countries in his Terrorist Prevention Act of 2015.
Did Schumer wail for the 3,000 victims of radical Islamic terrorism on 9/11? Did he cry when 15 American soldiers were shot to death by a radical Islamist psychiatrist at Ft. Hood? Did he shed tears when 14 men and women were gunned down by radical Muslims in San Bernardino? Is Schumer blind to the slaughter of Christian men, women, and children in Syria and Iraq by ISIS? I don’t recall a torrent of tears for those victims.
We Americans elect government officials to protect and secure our country against foreign and domestic enemies. Any serious, thinking person realizes that letting people into the country without any real investigation can endanger American. Do Schumer and other Democrats consider American citizens so insignificant that they are willing to gamble with their lives and safety?
Chuck Schumer has become a constant embarrassment to his city, state, and country. He is a hypocrite and opportunist who should never again be supported or re-elected.
Freda Goldman
Baltimore, MD
The UN Serves A Purpose
In his Feb. 3 op-ed article “Replacing the UN With the Covenant of Democratic Nations,” Edwin Black suggests that the UN be defunded and replaced.
This may seem plausible based on a history of anti-Semitic votes and speeches culminating in Resolution 2334. Yes, the UN has given a forum to many of the most unsavory voices in world history. There is, however, another way of viewing the United Nations.
Having taught the Foreign Policies Great Decisions course for three years, I can vouch that U.S. foreign policy decisions are far more complex than 30-second sound bites on CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News would have us believe. Based on those sound bites it might seem the world would be better off if we traded in the UN for an organization where all of the “villains” of the world would be excluded from the table.
In reality, as bad the UN can be, the alternative would be far worse in terms of enhancing world peace and would probably lay the groundwork for a third world war, something untenable in an era where some small undemocratic and unsavory nations hold nuclear weapons.
The advantage of the United Nations is that it is a forum where the good players as well as the disgustingly bad ones are all at the same table. It provided an opportunity for all to communicate their thoughts, no matter how abhorrent. Why is this good? To quote one of my teachers, “If there is communication, anything is possible – but without communication nothing is possible.”
The UN provides a forum for international communications as well as an ability to know where each nation stands on important issues – and, yes, knowing who is a friend or an enemy on the world scene is also important. Hence the UN should be left intact.
Elliot Udell
Plainview, NY
Leftists Never Learn
By now we should always expect to be disgusted by American leftists who are Jewish in name only, by the lengths to which they go and by their complete lack of judgment.
There are certain truths that always remain consistent. Not the least of them is the fact that whenever Israel engages in concessions or appeasement to the PA, it is answered with acts of terrorism.
Ariel Sharon’s Gaza disengagement left us with a Hamastan on our border and several wars. Why is it seemingly impossible for left-wing Jews to fathom a similar scenario in the event we are blessed with a Palestinian state? Do they not realize the extent of the hatred that now prevails among the Palestinians following years of evil indoctrination?
Alex Rose
Ashkelon, Israel
Shabbos Envy
Re Harvey Rachlin’s Jan. 27 op-ed column “That Special Friday Night Feeling”:
I am very envious, for two reasons.
The first reason should be obvious. Mr. Rachlin is a superb writer, whose words truly sing. The Jewish Press should be honored to have him as a frequent contributor.
The second, more important, reason I’m envious is because most weeks I don’t share his uplifting feelings about Shabbos. To me, Shabbos is at best a bore and at worst a royal pain. I can’t imagine how the hustle and bustle of preparing for Shabbos, especially on the part of women, not to mention the Friday workday that many need to make a mad rush home from, especially on these short winter days, can suddenly be transformed into the “gentle flames” of the Shabbos candles. It takes me hours just to unwind and decompress.
Mr. Rachlin goes on: “The Jewish home on Shabbos eve is a sanctum of peace…a refuge from the secular world…” Tell that to the children who are still fighting; tell that to the spouses who are still sparring; tell that to the congregants who are still debating; tell that to the rabbis who are still preaching endlessly about world and national affairs; and tell that to the mailman, who is still delivering bills on Shabbos. That’s a more realistic world for me, and that’s why I’m so envious of Mr. Rachlin.
Mr. Rachlin talks about Shabbos meals and the Shabbos table. If the meals appeared magically, without my wife (or someone else) having to cook them, that would be a step in the right direction. If they were free, that would be even better. And a real Shabbos would have the food float down like manna without anyone having to serve it. Of course the dirty dishes would also disappear effortlessly and reappear stacked clean in the kitchen cabinet without any work on my or anybody else’s part.
As for the “scrumptious Shabbos repast,” my wife is a wonderful cook but I would describe the meal as more of the same stereotypical Eastern European Jewish fare: gefilte fish, chopped liver, chicken soup, kugel, etc. Not really “scrumptious” or “uplifting and warming.” And I’m one of those who, thank God, have no trouble putting food on the table.