Last week’s Opinion pieces by Kenneth Levin, Howard Sachs and Marc Caroff elicited a strong response, both in support and opposition to their backing President Trump in the upcoming election. What follows are a few of the letters and comments we received.
Is it Purim already?
An an antidote to pandemic stress, I should like to congratulate WJW for publishing a laff-riot pro-Trump trifecta of Voices pieces (Oct. 14).
To wit, Kenneth Levin (“Jews Betraying Jews”) appoints himself supreme arbiter of the Holocaust meme, bigly disparaging experts in that field such as Professor Deborah Lipstadt and the illustrious Abe Foxman. The covfefe definition of chutzpah!
Howard Sachs (“4 Reasons…”) insists that he will “proudly and passionately vote for any Republican, no matter…how brash a man or woman it represents.” Emes (really)? That would mean that in 2018, in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District election, he would have pulled the lever for white supremacist Arthur Jones, an admitted Nazi and Holocaust denier.
Sachs decries socialism as a “proven destructive and degrading economic system.” As noted in these very pages (letter, Nov. 26, 2019), democratic socialism, under the rubric of Labor Zionism, was the governing ethos of the State of Israel. Indeed, Israeli Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres even served as honorary president of the Socialist International (1999-2003). To belittle socialism, as Sachs does, is to call into question the pedigree of the Jewish state. Which, these days, counts as an anti-Zionist — if not anti-Semitic — sentiment. Not funny.
Finally, Sachs speaks of “unborn children.” That phrase is an Operation Rescue and Evangelical Christian usage which runs totally counter to halachah. For the Holy Bible and all branches of Rabbinic Judaism, life begins at viability, not conception. The latter view is pagan in origin (cf. Plato’s Phaedo). The only Jews who dogmatically affirm it are the so-called Jews for Jesus. “Unborn children” is meshumad (apostate)-speak.
Marc Caroff (“6 ways Democrats and biased left-wing news…”) identifies himself as a former patent law judge (why is that relevant here?) but omits mentioning the more telling consideration that he was the long-time head of the Washington area chapter of the far-right extremist Zionist Organization of America — the 2020 racist tweets of whose national president-for-life almost led to the expulsion of that group from the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations.
In dissing the mainstream news media as biased, Caroff echoes the Stalinist smear of it being the “enemy of the people” and the Nazi slur of lugenpresse (“lying press”); and finds himself on the turf of QAnon! Caroff even cites a Vice President Mike Pence comment about one “being entitled to their own opinion, but not one’s own facts” — apparently unaware that this observation originated with Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, z”l. How can a patent judge not be on guard against, and sensitive to, the theft of intellectual property? Chuckle-worthy.
If the arguments of Levin, Sachs and Caroff were intended to be taken seriously, they fall apart in their partisan venom and “truthiness,” even pitiable in the brazen attempt to paint as righteous Donald J. Trump’s coarse, cruel and chaotic reign of error. But: as sly, tongue-in-cheek farce, bravo!
BRAD SHAW
Clarksville
A long way from Ike
I am an American who observes the Jewish faith. I first voted for President Dwight D. Eisenhower and have always chosen my candidate by their policies, actions and personality. I could not vote for a bigot, liar, tyrant and egomaniac who totally lacks empathy and thinks only of himself. This is not a good, moral person. Do you like freedom of speech? This is not what your choice embraces. Trump’s lack of morals is contagious among his followers.
His lack of interest in science has killed more than 200,000 Americans. The economy under President Barack Obama rebounded after the recession. The disastrous response to the virus has changed this picture.
Democrats are not socialists. However, we do care about all Americans, not only the favored few who benefited from a major tax cut. They also use government services, like fire and police. Not only does Trump pit Dem against Rep, but he stirs up racist fears.
He has put our national security at great risk.
M. LEVINE
Alexandria
A simplistic view
Howard Sachs holds an antiquated and simplistic view of the differences between the two political parties. Not once does he mention President Donald Trump’s name when discussing the Republican Party.
The “moral life” that Sachs has written about does not cite the Jewish commandments to love thy neighbor, nor being kind to the stranger. Instead of an evil Communist state, Trump pursues anti-republican actions of expanding power to himself, as he publicly embraces authoritarian leaders in Russia, North Korea and elsewhere.
Jewish Republicans who share the views expressed by Sachs should be reminded of the story and fate of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. Vindman, a respected military official, son of parents from the former Soviet Union, and a Jewish Republican, had his career destroyed and loyalties questioned by a Republican administration.
BARRY DWORK
Alexandria
WJW helps readers make informed decision
Kudos to Washington Jewish Week for publishing three powerful opinion pieces in the Oct. 15 edition providing information needed to make an informed decision on Election Day. Each author offered somewhat different perspectives on why they are supporting the Republican candidate for president and the danger of voting Democrat. WJW did what the vast majority of the general news media fails to do. It provided a platform for judicious identification and discussion of critical issues.
Each author provided excellent rationale why they cannot support a Democrat party that has become a danger not only to America, but to Jews and, of course, to Israel. Without saying so, they raise the critical question: What is wrong with American Jews? Why do an estimated 70 percent of American Jewry support a party that welcomes anti-Semites in its midst; that wants to restore funding to the Palestinian Authority, knowing it would be used to support terrorists killing Israelis; that has a presidential candidate who opposes moving the embassy to Jerusalem and favors restoring the Iran Nuclear Pact, so dangerous to Israel and the world? Plus, expecting Jews to accept the Jewish Democratic Council of America running an ad comparing Trump to Hitler, thereby denigrating the memory of so many Jews lost in the Holocaust.
Beyond all this, why does American Jewry ignore the history of our country, that has provided Jews with the greatest freedom of religion and opportunity ever experienced by diaspora Jewry? How can Jews support a party that is more oriented to a socialist-driven agenda that could result in a Communist anarchy where Jews as well as other minorities would be second-class citizens? Isn’t this the history of Venezuela, Cuba and Russia?
WARREN MANISON
Potomac
