Dear Editor:
I find myself once again disagreeing with Rabbi Schonfeld. He writes that he hasn’t had much influence or power: “It’s lonely at the bottom.”
In Parshas Noach, we learn that it took Noach 120 years to build the ark. The commentators ask, why so long? Couldn’t it have been done in 20 years? They answer that G-d wanted the people to repent, do t’shuvah, and Noach would lead the charge. Was he successful? No, not one person got on board, and yet Noach is called a tzadik, a righteous man.
Avraham Avinu brought many people closer to Hashem in Charan (ha’nefesh
asher asu b’Charan). Yet not all of these people remained steadfast to his beliefs, and somehow vanished. Yet despite this failure, Avraham is still considered one of our forefathers.
Rabbi Tarfon in Pirkei Avos 2:16 says that it is not our duty to finish the work, but neither are we at liberty to neglect it. Rabbi Schonfeld: Yes, we are living in difficult times, and you have tried valiantly to get out your message, but your efforts are not for naught, and I’m sure that in retirement you will still be putting up the good fight!
Michael Rollhaus
Dear Editor:
The Beth Gavriel Community Center is excited to inform the community that with great appreciation to Hashem, our keilim dish mikvah is now open to the public. We are located at 66-35 108th Street, Forest Hills.
Please use the entrance on 67th Avenue, and enter through the main entrance of the shul, then go down the ramp. Please spread the word to friends and family so all can be elevated in the mitzvah of t’vilas keilim by giving special holiness to our dishes, pots, and housewares.
Rabbi Emmanuel Shimonov
Mara D’Asra, Beth Gavriel
Dear Editor:
I find it totally abhorrent that you would publish Letters to the Editor without even scanning them for lies, innuendos, or dishonesties. How could you, as an Orthodox paper, print letters that should be thrown out for their lashon ha’ra, r’chilus, lack of mentchlichkeit, and outright disgust?
I specifically refer to the October 14 issue, wherein Choni Kantor’s “Dr. Anthony Fauci is America’s all-time most evil bureaucrat,” also “the rasha Biden,” and Shalom Markowitz’s outright big lie that “Now we have more people dead from COVID-19 under President Biden than President Trump.”
I understand all about censorship, but your paper, after all, is aimed at religious Jews who don’t want to witness such drivel.
I already dropped picking up one paper that had a cartoon of President Joe Biden with the heading “Commander in Thief.”
Must I drop you, too, and stick to gentile papers?
By the way, the only humor I find is after a Warren Hecht article, the tons of letters engendered by him the following week.
Yours,
Charles Tal
Flushing, New York
Dear Editor:
Under former President Jimmy Carter, inflation grew to an average 11.3% in 1979 and 13.5% in 1980. President Joe Biden has been Commander-in-Chief for less than ten months. Inflation for the month of September grew to 5.4%. This is the highest it has been in 13 years. Is Biden morphing into Carter? Think about it.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck, New York
Dear Editor:
Thank you for Sergey Kadinsky’s article on my upcoming aliyah with a look back at my advocacy work. I would like to clarify one item for the record.
It is true that I received many an overnight call from rabbis and funeral directors to stop autopsies, and the Medical Examiner finally stopped trying to do autopsies when families objected, when he realized that I was serious about preventing all autopsies where families objected on religious grounds. But the initial meeting with the Medical Examiner’s office at Borough Hall, at which it was agreed that I would be the point person, was arranged by Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn, who learned about the issue from Shimi Pelman.
Sincerely,
Manny Behar
Dear Editor:
Moshe Hill seems to think that the appropriate point of comparison to look at in deciding whether children should receive the COVID vaccine is that they have an extremely low death rate from the virus, while there are potential unknown long-term effects from the vaccine. Putting aside that I’m not aware of any examples of vaccines that were safe and effective short-term but harmful long-term, why does he take for granted that only the vaccine, and not the virus itself, might have unforeseen consequences down the road for children? It’s not like COVID has been around long enough to draw conclusions in that regard.
He also criticizes using polio to make the case for vaccine mandates, but then uses chemotherapy in a similar manner to argue against them. This is not to advocate for the vaccine, as I am not a medical expert, but neither is Mr. Hill. And while he accuses others of endorsing vaccine mandates for political purposes (what those are, he doesn’t say – trying to stop the spread of the virus?), he consistently seems to just be using the pandemic as an excuse to make political attacks.
Regards,
Yaakov Adam
Dear Editor:
Since the time I was in high school 15 years ago, rents and the cost of living in New York City (and other large urban areas) have skyrocketed. Even people who are employed full-time in service jobs (during the early months of the pandemic, they were called “Essential Workers”) find it difficult to afford to live here. People with disabilities who often find it difficult to find jobs are also affected by the high cost of living. I believe that the government has a responsibility to make sure that all people can afford the basic needs of life.
Elliott Wittert
Flushing, New York
Dear Editor:
I would thank Warren Hecht for his article “Not My Fault.” Warren correctly states that Adam refused to take responsibility for his actions for eating the forbidden fruit; he instead diverted the blame to his wife. We all are guilty of this. However, the Democratic Party and the fake media take this to the extreme. They all have Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). This forces them to blindly blame Trump for any mistakes they make.
The Democrats have opened the southern border. People from all over the world are coming to the US. The Biden administration has reinstated Obama’s catch and release policy. This means that if the illegals are apprehended, they are released into the US. They are told that they must appear in court to determine whether or not they can stay in the US. If they appear in court they may be deported. If they do not appear, they can stay in the US indefinitely. Of course, the illegals mostly choose not to appear. This has created a major crisis for this country. A country without borders is not a country. Biden prefers that the drug cartels control our border. This is ludicrous. The Dems blame this mess on Trump.
In addition, Biden has established new vaccine mandates that apply only to people here legally. The Biden administration is transporting illegals with COVID around the country. This is causing a spike in COVID cases. In addition, the elitist Democrats constantly violate the mask mandates that they force on other. Once again, the Democrats blame Trump for this.
Trump negotiated a gradual and systematic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. There were specific conditions placed on the Taliban. Biden ignored these conditions and abandoned the Bagram Air Base in the middle of the night. This precipitous action has led to American deaths. In addition, our allies in Europe and Afghanistan were abandoned. Our standing in the world has dropped to new lows. This has prompted China and Russia to become more aggressive with Taiwan and Ukraine, respectively. Once again, the Dems blame their actions on Trump.
Upon taking office, Biden canceled the Keystone Pipeline and sharply reduced oil production in the US. In addition, Biden renewed high unemployment benefits. In many cases, people would receive more money to remain at home than to return to the workforce. These actions have harmed the US economically and delayed our recovery. This paucity of labor has further fueled inflation. The Dems and their fake media allies once again blame Trump.
The Democrats now want to pass a $5-trillion partisan reconciliations bill, which will bankrupt this country. This new bill is over 23,000 pages long. This bill is a blueprint to turn America into a failed socialist state. The Dems are saying that we should pass this bill and find out what it says later.
In addition, Biden wants all banks to report to the IRS all bank account activity of $600 or more. This would be a terrible invasion of privacy.
The public schools are teaching young children about critical race theory (CRT) and transgender studies. Many parents have strongly objected to this at school board meetings. Merrick Garland, the Biden attorney general, has labeled these parents domestic terrorists and ordered the FBI to go after them. It turns out that Garland has a conflict of interest in that his son-in-law is financially involved in introducing young children to CRT and transgender studies.
We need to take back this country and end the Democrats’ monopoly on power.
Eric Rubin
Dear Editor:
I wholeheartedly agree with Goldy when she wrote that there must be balance between religion and patriotism. I loved how she pointed out her doorbell and daughter singing “G-d Bless America,” but knew “Modeh Ani” and alef-beis as well.
Some may not agree, but I understood what she meant by comparing the selfish Yossi who didn’t want his friend to date his “ex” to being so assimilated like the Jews in Germany in the beginning of World War II. Yossi’s thinking more about “bro code” than his friend finding his bashert speaks a lot about the younger generation. It’s all about “me” and doing what’s popular, rather than living me thinking like a frum Jew. Be part of society but remember who you are at your core!
I loved Goldy’s response. Keep up the great work.
Chani A.
