Dear Editor:
Are you tired of our governor standing by and watching Hamas take control of our college campuses? Please join me and send an e-mail to www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form (you can also get this just by Googling Hochul’s email) to tell Governor Hochul that we, the voters, are not okay with silence. We are not okay with the Governor’s idleness, and she must act now so that Jewish students are not harassed for being Jewish. We New Yorkers have had enough. We must take back our streets with our voices and our votes. We are strong. We are united. We are proud to be part of the Jewish family.
A sample email can be: Governor Hochul, We, New York voters, are not okay with your inaction. We are not okay with Jewish students being harassed on New York streets. We are asking that you take control of our beautiful state and send the terrorists off the streets and campuses NOW.
Please send this to every NY voter you know!
Thank You!
Shaindy Klein
Dear Editor:
This is regarding Goldy Krantz’s article, “Not Known For This,” in the April 4 edition.
Let me say from the outset that I’m in my 60s and not married because I’m not the family type, but I have done quite a bit of dating in my day. I didn’t use a shadchan, but I used Internet dating sites and occasionally a dating service. I’m obviously not in the inside loop over here, but I can only surmise that from the fact that people are calling others – even strangers – to glean information about prospective dates is because there is a lack of an efficient system (to whatever extent possible) for the dating scene, even in Orthodox circles.
You would think that a shadchan wanting to do good for the community would be inclined, and would have the ability to find appropriate dates for the client, but since a shadchan’s livelihood is at stake and not being penalized for recommending too many bad dates, it is understandable that they would err on the side of having people try out a date if they have no one better to recommend, even if it probably won’t have that great a chance of success. The idea that the Orthodox community, being observant, doesn’t want to engage in lashon ha’ra about people is also a factor in not giving people any negative heads-up of what they are about to experience with the recommended date. The obvious problem with that is from what I have read over the years from Goldy’s articles and from my own experience – that there is too much trial and error in dating.
This could be improved by having more of a reporting system that would comprise one’s dating profile along with someone’s personal bio and accomplishments, in the hands of a shadchan. This could be accomplished by having a general report filled out after each beginning dates, say the first and second, and if people break up after a while, a longer-term evaluation in general terms could be assembled. The shadchan report would cover general questions such as promptness, cleanliness, friendliness, openness, manners, and some particular interests of the prospect. That way, people would be spared the rough and tumble/helter-skelter of blind dating that goes on now.
I think the profession of shadchan should be much more professionalized. I don’t know whether there is a shadchan association, but there should be one, which would offer a degree of accountability and track record of their member shadchanim to view on the Internet. If shadchanim aren’t good, they should lose their membership.
It’s not like the olden days in the shtetl, where people acted very uniformly (and they probably had better manners than most of us in the modern world anyway). Here in the US, there is great variation in the way people act, and it’s a shame to see people subjected to all this strange and unseemly behavior.
Of course, there is no reason for people to have to call strangers to ask how someone acted on a date. It’s way too subjective and actually dangerous and, as the article pointed out, no one wants to be known for doling out negative information about others. It’s about time that the shadchan business utilizes the aids of technology and achieves a professionalism to make recommendations more informed and practical for their clients. Really, it should be that if there was a central database of dating profiles of all shadchanim and their clients, it would exponentially increase people’s chances of finding their mate with less time wasted. I think this whole dating experience for the Orthodox community should be brought into the 21st century for those who need introductions.
Abe Fuchs
Dear Editor:
I urge anyone who owns property to register for alerts with the city’s property registration site, ACRIS (https://a836-acrissds.nyc.gov/NRD) as a way of protecting yourselves from fraudulent activity.
My top priority will always be keeping you and your loved ones safe.
In Friendship,
Melinda Katz
Queens District Attorney
Don’t Mistakenly Vote Anti-Israel in Primary Elections
Dear Editor:
Primary elections are coming up, and those who are signed up for mail-in ballots have already received them.
A pro-Palestinian group in the US made a write-in campaign for a Democratic Party candidate who calls for an immediate, unilateral ceasefire in Gaza. The campaign has already garnered quite a number of signatures around the country. (In Chicago, for example, they thought they would get 10,000 signatures, and ended up with 100k.)
President Biden has not, as of yet, called for an absolute ceasefire, and this campaign is intended to send him a message. In other words, although the organizers knew that they would most certainly not receive sufficient votes to get their party off the ground, the purpose was to send a message to Biden that people are not satisfied with his current policy.
You may not notice the stated goal – the motto of this campaign, on the ballot, as it is in fine print – but it is there.
So, I am suggesting that while Biden has already won the presidential nomination, still, if one wanted to make a point to vote for a Democratic Party candidate other than his, please be aware before voting for that other group, as this is their stated goal.
Since every additional vote for this group sends a message to Biden – to pressure him to consider that opinion, if you are registered as a Democrat, you may either want to vote for Biden or simply abstain.
MY
President Biden: Which Side Are You On?
Dear Editor:
Four more beautiful, young, innocent, dedicated Israeli soldiers died today, making the count over 600 precious souls who have given their lives to protect our people and our one and only homeland. Over 1,300 people were brutally slaughtered, burned, raped, and decapitated on October 7. At least 252 hostages were mercilessly, savagely, dragged off to Gaza, of which over 100 babies and elderly are still atrociously, inhumanely, being held there. Over 50 young kids, traumatized beyond comprehension, who survived the Nova Music Festival, have committed suicide. Thousands are severely wounded. Many are missing vital limbs. Israel is a strong, determined country fighting for its existence but living with bleeding, broken hearts, and deep, painfully excruciating trauma. Everyone is affected. Israel is a small country but a big family. Jews cherish every life. All Israel wants is to live in peace.
Palestinians are raised to hate Jews, to falsely believe that the Jews stole their land. They believe the highest honor is to die as a jihadist terrorist in the act of killing Jews. They celebrate death as we heartbreakingly mourn. Prime Minister Golda Meir had it right when she famously said, “There will never be peace until the Arabs learn to love their children more than they hate the Jews.” Sadly, the terrorists have only found more ways to spread, encourage, and fan the fires of hate.
Yet all we hear in the news is about the poor Gazans – 84% of whom support, or are uncertain about their support, for Hamas. Every day, we hear of the new roads being opened, the new ports being built, the new aircraft being flown, and the new ships and trucks being loaded by Israelis to bring more food, water, oil, and medical supplies into Gaza. The Palestinians have never had such an abundance of supplies. Yet, the media continues to scream about their “starvation.”
President Biden, unconcerned about the hundreds of thousands of Muslims and Christians being killed daily at the hands of Muslims all over the Middle East, is, for the first time in history, holding up shipments of desperately needed arms to Israel, claiming too many people will be harmed in Rafah, which translates to “too many of his votes will be lost in America.” Why isn’t President Biden demanding that Egypt and Jordan open their borders and take in these so-called innocent Palestinians, which they refuse to have set foot in their countries? Why is it Israel’s job to feed, supply, medically treat, and protect the people of Gaza? Israel is the democratic state with American values and objectives in this conflict. Hamas, Gaza’s elected government, attacked Israel. They refuse to return our hostages. They refuse to lay down their arms and allow a new peaceful government to be put into place. They broke and continue to break peace treaties. They are the ones declaring that they will commit genocide, recreating October 7 until they destroy all Jews from the river to the sea.
President Biden allows the propaganda to be spread and the anti-Semitism to rage. Is he so desperate to be president that he will allow Israel to be harmed and the Jews in America to face a second Holocaust? It seems he is! And with President Obama, who has always favored the Muslim Brotherhood, pulling the strings, Joe Biden will strengthen Iran and its proxies, allow the spread of the despicable Jihadist way of life, and, left unchecked by those with any moral compass in the halls of Congress, help cause the downfall of all freedom and democracy in the United States and free world.
Ruki Renov
Pesach
Dear Editor:
Well, my hat’s off to all of you who stayed home, scrubbed your houses, aluminum-foiled your kitchens, and cooked. Now, I hope you got the jewelry and/or four-day vacation with your friends to Panama. For the other 80 percent of you, congrats on packing the right clothes for the Pesach programs you went to. Generally, my idea of exotic places to go to is simple: E=MC (forget the square). Exotic equals Main Street and Central Avenue. However, thanks to my son and his family, I visited Flagstaff, Arizona.
I know I was supposed to go to Israel, but I couldn’t. Instead, I went to a state I couldn’t even locate on a map. The plane trip makes Israel look easy. Of course, first you go to Phoenix and then change planes for Flagstaff. The minute I heard the words, “Change planes,” I knew I was in trouble.
Twenty years ago, I was supposed to deliver a paper in Vancouver, British Columbia. The plane to Houston (don’t ask) was delayed, and when I got to Houston, I just remained in my seat, imagining this was a pit stop, and it would continue to Vancouver. The attendant, understandably, thought I was on drugs and, to make a long story short, I never delivered my paper, and spent the night in a Houston motel populated by cockroaches, which made their “landsmen” in New York look like ants.
Of course, there was a delay in the flight going from JFK to Phoenix. I assumed the airport was a mini airport. Wrong! I had to do an OJ Simpson (sorry for the reference) and run a mile to get the connecting 45-minute flight to Flagstaff. Mission accomplished!
Oh, except for my suitcase, which arrived a day later. (To be continued.)
Debbie Horowitz
Dear Editor:
Sixty years later, and the Democrat Party is at it again. Only this time, it’s the Jews and not Black Americans. Look at what is taking place on our college and university campuses. The presidents of all those institutions are the modern-day Orville Faubus and George Wallace. Jews are no longer safe on these campuses. Which is ironic, as there are safe spaces all over those places for nonsensical triggers. Not a single one has come out in total condemnation of these anti-American, anti-Israel anti-Semites. It’s scary and sickening. In fact, there’s always a moral equivalence of Jew hatred and Islamophobia. Does anyone see anti-Islam protests raging across this country? I don’t.
Herbert Marcuse was a founding member of the Frankfurt School back in the 1930s. The goal was to bring Marxism into the United States. What better way to spread that evil ideology than to secrete itself within the higher education system? It has now accomplished its mission. American youth are being poisoned with this Marxist ideology on every college and university campus. Every protestor, every professor, every college and university president, all Democrats. November 5 can’t come soon enough or, Heaven forbid, history might repeat itself.
Shalom Markowitz
A Letter To Elected Officials to Uphold Your Commitment to Voters
Dear Elected Officials, District Attorneys, and Judges:
As stewards of justice and representatives of the people, we urge you to remember your duty to uphold the trust placed in you by voters. Your decisions should prioritize the common good over personal interests or political agendas.
Justice must be blind, impartial, and accessible to all, regardless of background or circumstance. Recent leniency towards offenders undermines community safety and erodes trust in the justice system.
Additionally, inconsistent application of the law regarding migrant squatters disrupts communities and hampers investment in our nation’s future.
In these challenging times, it’s crucial to stay true to principles of fairness, integrity, and empathy. Engage with constituents, listen to their concerns, and work towards a stronger, more inclusive society.
Your positions carry immense responsibility. Let your actions be guided by compassion, wisdom, and a commitment to justice for all.
Sincerely,
David Simkha
