Your Say • Readers Write

Cancel Culture Comes To Orthodoxy: A Response

Dear Editor:

I was bewildered by Rabbi Schonfeld’s critique of the Modern Orthodox world: “Cancel Culture Comes to Orthodoxy” (August 6 edition).  I am squarely in the cohort that Rabbi Schonfeld maligns: in my mid-to-late 20s and married with two young children.  A graduate of Yeshiva University, I grew up in the New York area, and I identify as Modern Orthodox.  Yet I have not witnessed nor heard of the “cancel culture” he decries.

Dear Editor:

We’d like to add our voices to the many who’ve praised the life of Rabbi Manfred Gans. We met him 40 years ago in the early years of Otsar, were impressed then, and continued to be deeply moved from afar by his maasim tovim and rabbanus in all those subsequent years. Yehi zichro baruch.

Dear Editor:

I write to you regarding last week’s issue (September 3) of the Queens Jewish Link, specifically Mr. Warren Hecht’s article: “Trump Family Hour.” As is (hopefully) clear by now, the current era is one in which literally everything, from pandemics to policing, is politicized, and we are all entitled to share our political opinions. That being said, the point at which a media outlet publishes material that is either false or grossly misconstrued represents a line that should never be crossed. Nevertheless, there are two particular claims Mr. Hecht makes, the publishing of which demonstrates a crossing of this line.

Dear Editor:

 August 25 will mark the second anniversary of the passing of Arizona Senator and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain. He was always a breath of fresh air. What you see is what you got with the “Straight Talk Express.” He could work across the aisle with Democratic Senate colleagues, including Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman and others on a regular bipartisan basis. This also included Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy on comprehensive immigration reform, and Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold on campaign finance reform. His history in the Senate harkens back to an age of collegiality no longer seen today. McCain, like New York’s late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, was an intellectual giant, standing head and shoulders above today’s newer generation of Senators.

Looking Forward to School

Dear Editor:

We are thankful to Hashem for protecting our children this summer as they attended in-person day camps in Kew Gardens Hills. Likewise, we are thankful for the camp staff and fellow parents, who took all the necessary precautions to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission, and the children who understood the serious nature of the pandemic. It felt like a miracle to watch our children daven, play sports, bake challah, sing, and dance.

Dear Editor:

 Rabbi Schonfeld’s article last week was excellent, as usual!