Dear Editor:
I share Jason Stark’s disappointment with the audible silence and lack of accountability taken by our communal leadership, for their bizarre and harmful public stances relating to Covid.
On Rosh HaShanah 2021, 1.5 years after the height of the pandemic in New York, I was publicly asked by the head of an outdoor minyan if I was vaccinated, in the middle of the service (I was not aware of this rule before attending). After refusing to publicly disclose my medical information, I was harshly told to put on an N95 mask and segregate myself outside of the canopy where the minyan was held. I refused to be “othered,” and to pray with a congregation that participated in such abhorrent and discriminatory behavior on the Day of Judgment and left the minyan altogether. This is just one of many personal anecdotes.
But we cannot view this behavior, nor the harassment and harm experienced by countless others, in a vacuum. One communal leader refused to discuss disagreements with community members regarding the vaccine and called for the criminalization of anyone who refused to vaccinate. The Jewish Press published a p’sak by a leading Modern Orthodox poseik, who wrote that everyone must get the vaccine with few exceptions, and that children who don’t get the Covid vaccine should be expelled from yeshivah. In a February 27, 2021, webinar, Rabbi Dr. Glatt, who has been published ad nauseam in both Jewish and non-Jewish media and has been relied upon by numerous schools and rabbinic leaders for their Covid policies, likened the vaccine card to “bigdei k’hunah,” the priestly garments, that will allow Jews to perform their divine service to Hashem, whether it be in a religious form or a secular form. I need not mention what an astonishingly shameful and absurd comparison this is. It is especially interesting to look back at all of these statements in light of what we now know about the ineffectiveness and safety concerns of the vaccine.
Much of the toxic environment created by statements such as these could have been at least partially mitigated if Jewish publications had allowed an opposing voice, but they did not. The censorship of opposing viewpoints does not come from a position of strength. It indicates weakness of conviction in your own position. In fact, it is precisely during times of censorship that we should be most wary of the acceptable narrative. There is a qualitative difference in keeping things out of a publication that are not appropriate for the reading demographic, and censoring opposing viewpoints because it is “harmful misinformation.” The former is understandable, while the latter is a tool of propagandists. Again, our leadership put pressure on publications to censor, and they need to take accountability for this. It is also the job of publications to allow for open and free discourse, and they too need to take accountability and resist this pressure going forward. I commend the Queens Jewish Link for now publishing multiple viewpoints on this topic, and I hope that it is a sign of acknowledgement and a change in ways.
It is one thing to make severe errors in judgment. It is an entirely different matter to sweep those errors under the rug, and pretend they never happened. The past can’t be wished away. The statements and positions of much of our leadership had very real and harmful consequences, and they haven’t been forgotten. The least they can do to rectify it is to finally acknowledge these errors in judgment and take accountability for the immense harm they have caused. Doing so would go a long way towards reestablishing our trust in their leadership.
Meir Kirschner
Finding The Soul In A Sole
Dear Editor:
The Nine Days often evoke moral and ethical feelings. There is nothing rawer and more humane than the CCTV footage from Boro Park’s Landau’s Market I recently saw, shared by Yaakov Langer of “Living L’Chayim.”
In the clip, both men were visibly frum, both in white shirts and yarmulkes, one bearded while the other sat clean-shaven. With his shirt tucked in, the Jew solemnly sat on a milk crate soliciting donations. Upon inquiry, the second man, with his hands juggling a recent grocery purchase, listened intently as he heard of the beggar’s plight and his desire to acquire shoes for his battered soles.
Seemingly, without a moment’s hesitation, as if it were his plan all along, the shopper casually kicked off his loafers and pushed them in front of the collector’s feet, displaying the gift with a noteworthy level of decency.
With no words left to share, the donor departs in his bare socks, his tailored jeans hitting just above the sidewalk’s cement as he continues on with his day, knowing full well that he brought light into the life of another Jew.
But it was the simchas ha’chayim that I saw on the philanthropist’s face that makes this selfless act so much more tangible. May we all have the wherewithal to follow in this Yid’s footsteps and never bat an eyelash to help someone who is at wit’s end.
In Reb Langer’s words: We must never forget to “treat people like people,” because we never know what the next day may bring.
With wishes for an uplifting Shabbos Nachamu,
Shabsie Saphirstein
Dear Editor:
Shmuel Sackett complains that there’s no leadership among young American Jews, partially due to their fixation on food. I’m not going to opine on whether this is true or an overgeneralization of the issue, but the juxtaposition of placing his column directly on top of an ad for a wide variety of custom cut meats was absolutely hilarious. Well done!
Avi Goldberg
Dear Editor:
We know that the Democratic Party is in favor of fully-grown men competing in women’s sports and dressing in their locker rooms. We know they are in favor of violent crime, because all big cities that are run by Democrats have done nothing to combat the lawlessness, and cities with DAs like Alvin Bragg have ostensibly legalized violent crime. We know they don’t care at all about anti-Semitism, because all the important Democrats go silent when Representative Pramila Jayapal calls Israel a racist apartheid state. They only protest RFK Jr.’s ridiculous claims of Jews being immune to Covid because it is a necessity of the Democratic Party to eliminate any and all competition for Joe Biden’s next run (I use the term “run” very loosely) for the Presidency.
Here in New York, assuming you haven’t been murdered or migrated to a Red State, and you decided to stay in our Democrat-run state, you can look forward to increased taxes to cover all the lost tax revenue from legal migration to Florida and increased expenses from all the illegal migration through our Southern border. The $23 congestion pricing that Governor Hochul is proposing should kill off even more businesses than New York City destroyed during the overbroad lockdowns of 2020. On the bright side, maybe it can fund new hotels for illegal immigrants. If none of those projects are viable, perhaps Hochul can fund a reparations scheme, similar to what is being tested in California.
For those of you who missed it, Hochul very quietly scrapped New York State’s Covid vaccine digital passport, the Excelsior Pass Plus. The price tag to taxpayers? $64 million! Why $64 million was needed to be spent on an app to track New Yorkers who rolled up their sleeves for a Covid shot that doesn’t prevent Covid remains a mystery. A better question is what New York State will do with all the personal medical data they gathered through the app.
Is there anything that Hochul has done to improve the lives of New Yorkers? Nothing comes to mind for me. If you recall, in the run-up to the November 2022 election for New York State Governor, QJL columnist Warren Hecht warned us of the dangers of voting for Lee Zeldin because of his stance on January 6. At the time, I thought that was a silly take, as January 6 has nothing to do with quality of life here in New York. Given the increase in violent crime, the nonsensical shutdowns of our schools, the tremendous hike in taxes, the open hostility to small businesses, and Hochul’s attempt to regulate every aspect of our lives from the stoves we use to the cars we drive and the pizza we eat, I wonder whether Mr. Hecht still considers January 6 the most important issue for long-suffering New Yorkers.
Jason Stark
Dear Editor:
After reading Rochel Eisen’s letter last week, I realized that I wasn’t the only one annoyed that the structures in the parking lanes on Main Street aren’t necessary anymore and take up needed parking spaces. Occasionally, I’ll see some people eating in Holy Schnitzel or Elite’s “mini-sukkahs,” as I call them. But why? It’s not like city cafes where they have nice accommodations for outdoor dining? Elite has a sewer grate right there in the middle of their “sukkah”! They cover it up sometimes, but it’s still there. Are people eating there because of the nice views? At this point, it’s ridiculous for there to be any kind of outdoor seating for any eatery on Main Street. But I guess with Sukkos right around the corner, that will be the excuse they use to keep the structures standing.
And Urban Press? Really? You just opened. You want people to sit and enjoy your food? Offer more seating inside, the eateries that came before you in that spot did.
I’ll say it loud and proud with Rochel Eisen and whoever else wants to listen: Take those structures down. They aren’t needed, and frankly, some of them are eye sores.
Leah Shemtov
Dear Editor:
The so-called “Department of Justice” sued the State of Texas and Governor Greg Abbott this week for building a floating barrier at the southern border that the State says will deter illegal immigrants, but that the Biden administration calls a “threat to public safety.” Apparently, for Biden’s “Justice Department,” preventing seven million illegal immigrants from entering the past two years, having 100,000 Americans poisoned to death annually from fentanyl that came in through our Southern Border, wasting limited public resources such as housing and social services, as well as billions of dollars of taxpayer money, to accommodate this illegal invasion does not constitute a “threat to public safety.”
President Trump was once impeached over a phone call to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. What more must occur to have Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas impeached and convicted for the crimes he has committed against the citizens of this once great country?
Doniel Behar
Happy 32nd Anniversary for the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
Dear Editor:
Let us all celebrate the 32nd Anniversary for the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). This was signed into law by former President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The Federal Transit Administration has done an excellent job during this period when it comes to improving public transit to be in compliance with ADA. Billions of dollars in FTA grants to over 900 transit agencies across America have paid for tens of thousands of buses, paratransit vans, light rail, subway cars, commuter rail, and ferries that are ADA-accessible. Numerous subway, light rail, and commuter rail stations, bus and ferry terminals, along with other transportation facilities, are accompanied in many cases with elevators and or ramps that have also become ADA-compliant.
The United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration will announce Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) sometime soon. This is an opportunity for the NY MTA and other transit agencies around the nation to apply for a share of the $333 million under the new national competitive All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP). Funds can be used to pay for station rehabilitation work, including elevators and ramps, along with visual or audible aids to assist riders in accessing the system. The deadline to apply will probably be September 30, 2023. The program will total $1.75 billion over five years.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Dear Editor:
Never let it be said that I don’t methodically do my research. I’m referring to my notice for jury duty. The minute I got it in the mail, I ran over to the TV, turned it on and proceeded to watch 12 hours of Law and Order and Law and Order SVU. Unlike previous times when I was called to jury duty, it did not conflict with my work schedule (of which I had none) or some Yom Tov. I wouldn’t have to make up stories (I’m a racist, I don’t believe what anybody says, my English is no good, or I hate defense attorneys). Instead, I looked forward to being open-minded, honest, and getting my $40 per diem.
Next, I carefully avoided Melatonin since I wanted to remain alert during all the proceedings. As it is, I generally fall asleep during anything that requires alertness like speeches or lectures. Perhaps I could join night court, since I am most awake from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m., whereas 2-4 p.m. are generally the hours for my Shabbos nap that extend to all weekdays.
Well, the wheels of justice grind extremely slowly. Here it is the fifth day I have to call in, and I wait with bated breath to see if my number is called. Maybe they are aware that it’s the Nine Days, and that might mean “curtains” for the defendant. As it turns out, though, I get the dreaded summons on Thursday night for Friday. Naturally, as I stand on line Friday morning with 149 other people at The Criminal Court, I practice my excuses. The first one is that it’s Erev Shabbos. However, these court officers weren’t born yesterday, and Rosa informs me that the Sabbath is much later than 5 p.m. My next excuse is about an important doctor’s appointment the following Tuesday which took six months to get. That excuse is ignored. Finally, the court officer who insisted that we wouldn’t be finished until 5 p.m., and 5 p.m. was not 11 a.m., gave us the good news the two trials on the docket had been resolved, and we could go home. The best news was we would get paid and not called again (by the state, at least) for six years. Sound the Law and Order noise!
Debbie Horowitz
Why Democratic Politicians Are Not The Panacea For Our Community
Dear Editor:
Democrats are weak with public safety and are indebted to the teachers’ union. Anti-Semitism is a big issue, and it is connected with public safety; when there is no public safety, anti-Semitism will blossom. Also, when kids go through a decrepit, public-school experience, they grow up angry, desperate, and looking for trouble. It’s an absolute disgrace that Moskowitz is not allowed to expand her success academy to allow minority children to have a superior education. This is all on the hands of the Democrats. The theoretical support of Israel is not enough to hold back the growing ignorance and hostility that young people are being indoctrinated with on college campuses. It’s like the proverbial thumb in the dike. We have to look at root causes for sustainability/viability for all groups in our society. That comes from respect for law and order, and also to provide legitimate education for people to use for employment and for building upstanding citizenship. Let’s even grant the idea that there is more money in the short term for yeshivos and more possible cooperation for Band-Aid solutions to support Israel – all of that is not long-term thinking.
If someone was able to prevail to have legitimate civics taught on some level or another, K through 12, along with serious attention to character development, that would go a long way, too. These things were taught in the past, but through the secularization of our society, again, as I said, throwing out the baby with the bathwater, there is a popular notion that teaching civics as it used to be taught, and character, as it used to be taught, is somehow being drawn back to an outdated, and somehow unuseful perspective, on “patriotism” and “religion.” Civics does not have to lead to patriotism, while it often does, and character development is not synonymous with religion, but the secularists and the liberals want to purge our society of character development except for making LGBTQ a part of everyday life, and making civics into a distortion that America is a racist country and the only remedy for that is CRT/affirmative action/reverse racism.
Yes, I will be critical of the Orthodox community here to say that I believe there is a tendency to want to put our head in the sand and not see the looming overarching tendencies that are consuming our society that are not good. That’s why some Jewish Orthodox leaders are happy with the “pragmatic” politicians that want everything to roll along with money to our yeshivos and superficial support for Israel. Even as the progressive movement is probably gaining steam. That’s not forward-looking.
Hochul should not have been allowed to continue being our governor. Dan Rosenthal was indebted to the party to have to support her. That’s a shame. I think there would’ve been a world of a difference between Lee Zeldin and Hochul. These things are important. There’s also an argument to be made that we have to change the culture, even if it’s little by little, which is usually the way things happen anyway. If you keep on ignoring the major things, that’s not dealing with the problem.
I think an assemblyman is able to influence even outside of his district. When Hochul said to Zeldin, “I don’t know why you’re so concerned about crime,” that gave every Democrat the license to not endorse her.
How long can we rely on the beneficence of New York State? High income earners are leaving, and the debt level is getting higher. Is this sustainable? It’s great to take handouts from the government, but this whole thing could be a house of cards.
Not everything shiny is gold.
Abe Fuchs
Dear Editor:
I would like to respond to Warren Hecht. Warren implores us all to do more to protest against anti-Semitism. I agree. We need to start by ending our support for the Democratic Party and vote Republican instead. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal just referred to Israel as a “racist” country. Pramila is a major leader of the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Our “great” president refused to condemn her anti-Semitic tirade. Warren, it is not too late to abandon the Democratic “Nazi” Party. You cannot condemn anti-Semitism and support a bunch of anti-Semites. It just won’t fly.
Now we get to the latest actions of the Democratic “justice” system. The Democrats are now indicting MAGA supporters who raised questions about the 2020 election. In Michigan, 16 people were indicted for supporting an alternative slate of electors. In Atlanta, Georgia, the Democratic District Attorney is preparing to file a RICO suit against Trump and MAGA supporters. Many prominent Democrats are also calling for elections to be effectively canceled by removing Trump from the ballots. If the Democrats are allowed to remain in power, they will become even more extreme. Activists who complain about this will be whisked away in the middle of the night by our corrupt FBI. We cannot allow this. It is time for all of us to leave the Democratic Party before it is too late.
Martin Berkowitz
Dear Editor:
I am writing to draw attention to a pressing matter that affects our community daily: the state of our streets. As a concerned citizen, I have noticed a concerning trend of increasing litter, debris, and graffiti on our roads, sidewalks, and private and public property.
It is disheartening to witness the deterioration of the once-pristine streets we used to take pride in. The sight of litter scattered throughout the neighborhood and graffiti not only tarnishes the aesthetic appeal of our area but also poses serious environmental and health hazards.
The accumulation of trash can lead to clogged drainage systems, which may result in flooding during heavy rainfall. Furthermore, this pollution can negatively impact the local wildlife and contaminate our water sources, affecting the overall ecological balance.
Additionally, our streets are covered with "hydro" graffiti markings. The mentioned sprayed or acid-etched graffiti is everywhere on public and private property. Graffiti is vandalism and it's a crime. When it's allowed to stand it basically states: "We have no self-respect. We have given up. We do not care."
Besides the unpleasant look, graffiti is also an indication of gang activity. It promotes a specific gang, marks territory, and invites violence and crime.
There is a social contract between the city and the residents. The city is doing its part; however, it seems we the people fail to maintain what was built for us by the previous generation.
Dirty streets encourage rodent population growth, which eventually invades our homes. This situation deters potential visitors, affecting local businesses and tourism.
I believe it is essential for our community to come together and address this issue collectively. Meanwhile, here are some potential measures that can be taken on an individual level to improve the cleanliness of our streets:
Use public trash bins; they are conveniently located all throughout the neighborhood.
Educate and encourage children to dispose of waste responsibly.
Report graffiti vandalism and remove it as soon as possible.
It is crucial that we act promptly to restore the cleanliness and charm of our streets. We can make a positive impact and reclaim the beauty of our neighborhood for generations to come. A cleaner environment not only elevates our quality of life but also demonstrates our commitment to being responsible stewards of our community.
Sincerely,
David Simkha
