Jews Self-Destructively Undermining Trump
Re: “Protection Is What We Asked For” (Op-ed, May 2) by Ronn Torossian: I am discouraged by the opposition of many Jewish organizations to the president’s policies towards curbing anti-Jewish activities in our country.
Let me state that I unequivocally support President Trump’s courageous efforts to curtail antisemitism on our university campuses and to remove from our country miscreants, such as Mr. Khalil, whose very presence constitutes an assault upon decent society.
No one objected when the Roosevelt administration removed third-class mail-franking privileges from Father Coughlin’s “Social Justice” newsletter in 1942, nor do I think any major Jewish organization lost any sleep when President Truman both denaturalized and deported German-American Bund leader Fritz Kuhn after the Second World War.
Frankly, I find the opposition to our president’s policies in this regard from the non-Orthodox camp to be a case of advancing liberal interests over Jewish interests. That has never served our people well.
David L. Blatt
Chicago, Ill.
An Unnecessary Tangent That Taints Fellow Jews
Re: Saul Jay Singer’s article “Ronald Reagan’s Mixed Record on Israel” (May 2): One of my favorite columns in The Jewish Press has always been Saul Jay Singer’s very informative insights into the lives of people who have played a role in American society and who have, in particular, influenced the lives of Jews in America and beyond. This past week Singer wrote about Ronald Reagan, who Singer notes “has received the highest percentage of the Jewish vote of any Republican presidential candidate, before or since (39% in 1980).”
My point of contention with Singer’s article does not concern Reagan, however, or his presidency. In fact, that is exactly my point: Though the subject of the article is Reagan’s mixed messages concerning Israel, Singer ends his article by discussing the Spinka Rebbe of Boro Park and a “lovely but most ironic” letter President Reagan wrote in 1986 in honor of the dinner of the Imrei Yosef Yeshiva of the Spinka chassidim, congratulating the honorees. Singer then goes on to give a brief history of the Spinka group and the fact that many books were written by the Spinka Rebbes. Explaining the irony he alluded to, Singer ends this article by discussing an indictment filed in 2007 against the Imrei Yosef Yeshiva of Boro Park, the Rebbe, and several others charged with tax fraud and money-laundering. Singer elaborates further on this case and how it was broken.
What does this have to do with the point of the article? We are facing rising levels of antisemitism, even without adding fuel to the fires of anti-Jewish sentiments. I am not suggesting that it is necessary to cover up all improprieties or accusations of criminal activity due to possible antisemitic backlash. But why was it necessary to highlight the criminal indictment of a rebbe of a huge chassidic sect which had nothing to do with Reagan’s mixed messages on Israel? The article could have stood on its own without introducing this story. Moreover, in light of all the indictments brought against President Trump, we also know that there are such things as “trumped-up charges” and attorneys general and prosecutors with agendas that may be less than kosher.
In any case, why bring it up here?
Ettie Kryksman
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Approaching Grandparents With Respect And Interest
I appreciated Rabbi Mordechai Weiss’s important article, “The Challenges of Getting Older” (May 2) and was interested to find content about the distinct challenges of encroaching physical weaknesses, emotional loss of dear friends, travel hardships, etc. I appreciate that there was good advice in the article to never give up on constant learning as a means of staying relevant.
However, I would like to add to the conversation. I feel the added challenge to grandparents (especially older seniors) of staying relevant to their grandchildren and transmitting communication in a more modern way should not be given solely to the elders at this already challenging time of life. Rather, children, rabbis, and educators should encourage the grandchildren in the middot of kindness and respect to reach out to their grandparents.
Educators can facilitate this very well. I was so impressed and delighted by my granddaughter’s recent project at Yavneh Day School to interview a grandparent with interesting questions that engaged both of us. Also, friends told me of a day school in L.A. where children had to bring in a grandparent’s “artifact” and talk about it, which of course sparked great conversations between grandparents and their grandchildren.
It really behooves all educators, rabbis, and parents to instill the desire in Jewish children to learn about family stories, hardships, struggles, and triumphs, as Rabbi Weiss suggests, as an important legacy. However, in my opinion, it should be up to younger family members to facilitate the transmission of this legacy. The wish to stay relevant and the use of new technology to do so should not be added as an additional challenge to older grandparents. Rather, it should be the challenge that rabbis, educators, and children should embrace, appreciating the blessing of having elders who want to share and pass down family history and wisdom, and exploring ways this can be done. I know I am thankful when my own crew is eager to hear the Jewish history my husband and I have lived through, as I think personal history can always be relevant.
I hope to hear more ideas on this important topic which is so important to our deepest Jewish values of chesed and of honoring of parents and grandparents.
Sue Fass
Philadelphia, Pa.
An Inspiring Cover Photo
We would like to extend our deepest thanks and heartfelt appreciation for the extraordinary front-page photograph of Ambassador Mike Huckabee together with our dear friends, Paul and Drora Brody, and their beautiful family (May 2).
We had just returned home to Baltimore from Florida after Passover, and as we sorted through the mail, we were elated to discover this moving and powerful image gracing the cover of The Jewish Press. It was more than just a photograph – it was a portrait of dignity, devotion, and destiny. Seeing our beloved friends alongside Ambassador Huckabee filled us with pride and a profound sense of gratitude.
I have known Dr. Brody since our days together in Chicago, and I have watched him consistently live his values with courage and authenticity. His unwavering commitment to Israel and the Jewish people has never faltered, even when standing firm came at a cost. That loyalty, that integrity, is what made this photograph so meaningful.
In a time when the Jewish world stands at a critical juncture – called to reaffirm our bond with Torah, our dedication to Jewish unity, and our unbreakable connection to the land of Israel – this image served as a reminder of what it means to live with purpose and conviction. Sadly, too many in our community have distanced themselves from the role that Zionism has played in our survival and renewal. This moment, captured so beautifully on your front page, restores that narrative to its rightful place of honor.
Paul and Drora Brody have set an example – not only for their children, but for an entire generation – of what it means to walk in the path of faith, gratitude, and Jewish pride. The Jewish Press has honored them by sharing their moment with the broader Jewish world, and in doing so, you have inspired countless others.
Thank you again for your thoughtful and powerful journalism. May you continue to uplift, inform, and unify our people.
Dr. Menachem & Malka Young
Baltimore, Md.
