‘Too Jewish to Publish’ (Editorial, Aug. 20)
Your editorial highlighted the publishing industry’s post-Oct. 7, 2023, exclusion of books with Israeli or Jewish characters and themes and mentioned the effort to provide new homes for Jewish writers as at least a partial solution. I have an additional suggestion.

Jewish book organizations and groups should stop featuring and recommending authors who have a jaundiced view of Israel and Zionism and depict Israel in a distorted light. This is not censorship as books by Jewish authors who cast Israel in a false negative light will find no lack of publishers and bookstores and libraries will gladly continue to carry their output. But at least it will deprive publishers who discriminate against Jewish authors of the excuse that they are carrying books recommended by the Jewish community.

Stuart Endick, Burke

‘For Another Tisha B’Av, Jews Demand ICE Out of Maryland’ (News article, July 30)
The title is a bit misleading — Jews United for Justice and the sponsoring synagogues do not speak for the Jewish community, and it would be chutzpah to presume to do so. Illegal immigration is a hot topic and there are Jews on both sides of the issue.

It is not contrary to Jewish principles to be against open borders, to insist that our immigration laws be enforced and for people here illegally to be deported. There are consequences for those who come here illegally, just as there are consequences for violations of other laws.

I belong to a congregation in Fairfax County, and thankfully our shul is not sponsoring protest demonstrations. We have members on all sides of the issue, and it would be divisive. It’s also a mistake to make non-Jewish advocacy organizations (like the ACLU) “partner organizations.” I wonder if these “partners” will be there for us as antisemitism is on the rise and Israel is under attack.

Andrew Golkow, Fairfax

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