Dear Editor:
I don’t know if your readers are aware of this or not, but New York State has just launched a full-scale attack on our yeshivah system. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has released new proposed regulations that would subject the curriculum and faculty of yeshivos, Bais Yaakovs, day schools, and other private schools to regular inspections and reviews by local school boards. If the school’s curriculum or faculty is found lacking, the regulations require local school boards to notify the school’s parent body that they must enroll their children in a different school. Parents who don’t cooperate would be subject to severe fines or even jail time.
This is the third time in the past five years that New York State has attempted to impose a new set of rules on yeshivos. We are once again facing a great danger. These regulations would establish the principle that yeshivos need a license from the State to continue to operate, and obtaining it is dependent on a curriculum that is determined by the local school boards. This would result in a significant increase of limudei chol (likely not allowing sufficient time for limudei kodesh), and their choosing potentially offensive subjects antithetical to our Torah hashkafah.
Last time they tried this, more than 140,000 public comments were submitted in opposition to the proposed regulations, and the proposal expired without the regulations being adopted.
This time, we need to send them an even clearer message that we will not stand for such attacks on our children’s yeshivah education. I urge everyone to please go to voice.agudah.org or text START to 888-595-1529 to send them a letter now. Please also tell all your friends, neighbors, and relatives to do so, as well. The deadline for public comments is May 30. Together, we can make a difference.
Yaakov Yosef Weiss
Dear Editor:
Rabbi Yaakov Abramovitz, long-serving assistant rabbi and spiritual leader of the Young Marrieds Minyan at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, will be leaving his post shortly to become assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of West Hempstead. Rabbi Abramovitz is also a weekly columnist for the Queens Jewish Link, with his very insightful thoughts on the parshah.
Rabbi Abramovitz and his wife Ahuva were given a farewell at Shalosh Seudos this past Shabbos at the Young Israel. Speaking about the Abramovitzes with great adoration were Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, Stuart Verstandig (president), and Eli Langbaum of the Young Marrieds Minyan. The speakers referred to the great effect the Abramovitzes had on young couples and Rabbi Abramovitz’s wonderfully presented drashos.
Rabbi Abramovitz grew up in Kew Gardens Hills at the home of his parents Mr. and Mrs. Iser Abramovitz.
They will be sorely missed in Kew Gardens Hills, but there is little doubt that, b’ezras Hashem, they will have great success in West Hempstead.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld
Dear Editor:
I am writing to implore everyone to register to vote. I have been canvassing for Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal and I was shocked how many people were not registered. Not voting is a vote for AOC and the “Squad.” DSA and other anti-Semitic candidates are targeting our area. Anti-Semitic candidates came close in Forest Hills. If people don’t vote, these candidates will win. It doesn’t take long to register, and it rarely takes more than 15 minutes to vote. Remember, Melinda Katz beat Tiffany Cabán by only 60 votes. Every vote really does count
Howard Schoenfeld
Dear Editor:
Recently, as a subscriber (probably one of the few left) to Netflix, I decided to watch a Japanese program entitled “Old Enough.” I had read an article about the show in a newspaper and decided to tune in. Well, any Jewish mother worth her salt would have been outraged by what would seem to be child neglect. The first episode shows a two-year-old who is told by his mother to go to a supermarket a kilometer away from his house and purchase three items, including flowers. He is “armed” with a yellow flag, which orders cars to stop as he crosses the street. The streets look more like highways than 69th Roads. There is a laugh track that accompanies his gaffes: He forgets one of the items and has to return to the store. He makes it back home safely even though the flowers he has dragged down the streets look half-dead. All of this got me to thinking about that age-old topic-age.
Tanach is replete with references to age – generally, men’s ages. We refer to 120 as the optimum age, since Moshe lived that long. David HaMelech lived to 70 but “borrowed” 30 years from Adam. Shmuel and Shlomo lived to only 52. I was reminded of age after having read the obituary of the woman who typed “Schindler’s List.” She was zochah to live well into her 100s. A Japanese woman, the world’s oldest living person just died at 119. She had hoped to live to 120.
Currently, it’s not uncommon to see people living well into their 90s and beyond. While this is certainly a blessing, what’s more important than age is good health. Another thing that I’m trying to keep in mind is to stop asking people who are sitting shiv’ah how old the deceased relative was. What difference does it make if he/she was 67 or 97? There is nothing to say. I must allow the person sitting shiv’ah to say whatever he or she wants to about the niftar.
Therefore, age does count when it comes to a minyan, driving, or drinking. Yet as we age, we must keep in mind that an old age with health problems like dementia, cancer, or Parkinson’s is no brachah. What we have to constantly daven for is good health plus a long life. “Ad Mei’ah V’Esrim Shanah!”
Debbie Horowitz
Dear Editor:
Thank you for doing such a great job keeping us informed and laughing about the shidduch dating world. Unfortunately, I write “laughing” because some of it is ridiculous that you have to laugh, which at the same time is horrible.
Sometimes it is no one’s fault as to why he or she is single; the time hasn’t been right for them yet. Then, after I read an article, there are some weeks when I know why that person is single or having dating issues. Sometimes, they bring it on themselves.
Keep up the good work.
Chaya Fine
Dear Editor:
Mr. Pecoraro and Mr. Hecht are all up in arms over the leaked draft of Justice Alito’s majority opinion in the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health case. You’d think that the leak was the root of the uproar. Well, you’d be wrong. As an aside, no phones are allowed in the Supreme Court and no papers are allowed out of the building, so it’s interesting how that draft decision was leaked. It was definitely a coordinated effort.
See, destroying our institutions is now the Democratic Party mantra, so this is another piece in that puzzle. It fits with destroying the filibuster in the Senate completely (Harry Reid did it in order to ram through President Obama’s federal judicial nominees) and packing the Supreme Court with more than nine Justices.
The court is made up of nine people, flesh and blood. They are just lawyers dressed in a black robe. They take an oath to fidelity to the Constitution, yet there have been several activist Justices who have written opinions on social issues that have nothing to do with the Constitution. Healthcare, for example, is not in our Constitution, yet Chief Justice Roberts figured out some convoluted reasoning behind why Obamacare should be upheld. There is a 10th Amendment for a reason. It gives the states the right to make such laws.
As far as stare decisis is concerned, if it’s bad law, then it’s up to a later court to overturn the bad decision. Not keep bad law in place simply because the decision was made by a previous court. Dred Scott, Plessy vs. Furguson, Korematsu were all terrible decisions. Should they not have been overturned, Mr. Hecht? Or is slavery acceptable? And is corralling innocents in an internment camp without due process okay? All Justice Alito did in his opinion with four other justices was send the issue of abortion back to the states. It didn’t touch any other issue, despite the outrage and rally crying of Democrats that Obergefell and Loving vs. Virginia are next. California and New York are both ready and willing to use taxpayer dollars to pay for out-of-staters to get their abortions there, and even kill the baby after it is born. No longer are second- and third-trimester abortions shied upon.
What happened to “follow the science”? We had to socially distance and wear masks and get vaccinated when it came to the virus. But babies in the womb are a choice, they say! Today one can see a 3D image of the baby in that womb. See, that’s science. And I will go further and say that the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment should apply to the baby, a separate living being. Of course, each case should be dealt with on its own merits, and rape and incest should be taken into consideration when the states make their laws.
Man, wait until the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association vs. Bruen decision is released! The outrage hasn’t even hit a boiling point.
Shalom Markowitz
Dear Editor:
I would also like to respond to Warren Hecht’s article, “Courting Disaster.” In that article, Warren attacks the conservative Supreme Court Justices for a leaked memo of Justice Alito that argues in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade. Warren states that the “esteem of the Supreme Court” has been damaged by this decision. David Pecoraro, in his Letter to the Editor, states that the conservative justices are cruel monsters who hate women and want to ban all abortions. Both of their opinions have no basis in fact. Their opinions are based on propaganda promoted by the mainstream media.
Roe v. Wade was a ruling that federalized abortion rights. This means that the states had no right to pass any laws that ban abortion for women who are pregnant less than 23 weeks. It should be noted that Roe v. Wade has no restrictions on states that choose to allow abortion right up to the delivery. In fact, New York State and California allow abortions way after 23 weeks of pregnancy.
The memo is a draft that was probably leaked by a rogue staffer of one of the liberal justices. It was only the opinion of Justice Alito, and it will go through many changes before the final decision is announced. The final decision will probably allow states to pass abortion restrictions after 15 weeks instead of 23 weeks. This is in line with the science that shows that an embryo development at 15 weeks is far more advanced than previously thought. If Roe v. Wade is updated, it will only affect woman’s rights to late abortions in certain states. Women who want late-term abortions will always have the option of getting it done in a more liberal state. If a woman’s life is in jeopardy, she will be able to get an abortion anywhere at any time.
In another matter, I would like to express my disgust with the recent actions of the Biden administration. The Palestinians have embarked on a new wave of terrorism against Israel. The Arabs murder Israeli citizens and are hailed as heroes by the world. Recently, an Arab journalist was caught in the crossfire between Palestinian terrorists and died. The Biden administration and many Democratic Senators and Democratic House members put the blame solely on Israel without any condemnation of the Palestinian violence. The message is clear: “Jews are subhuman and do not have a right to live.” I am sorry to say that there are many people like Warren Hecht and David Pecoraro who will vote Democrat regardless of how anti-Semitic the party moves. This is disgraceful.
Eric Rubin
Dear Editor:
In these difficult economic times, it is important to patronize your favorite restaurants and honor the employees who make them a success. Now that most of us have received our COVID-19 vaccines, let’s all celebrate May 21, National Waiter and Waitress Day.
Let your server(s), cooks, and owners know how much you appreciate the excellent food and service.
Try to tip 20 percent against the total bill, including taxes. If it is an odd amount, round up to the next dollar. Why not leave a 25% tip in honor of this day? If you can afford to eat out, you can afford an extra dollar tip. When ordering take out, don’t forget to leave a dollar or two for the waiter or cook.
The people who work at your favorite restaurant are our neighbors. They work long hours for little pay and count on tips, which make up a significant portion of their income. If we don’t patronize our local restaurants, they don’t eat either. Your purchases keep our neighbors employed and the local economy growing.
Drop off a box of candy, cookies or some other treat for your favorite waiter or restaurant staff to celebrate this day.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
