The Boston Globe’s Foolish Endorsement of Warren
Dear Editor:
The Editorial Board of the Boston just Globe endorsed Warren, citing her as a “candidate who rallies Americans to a common cause…built a broad coalition of support…capacity to unite the party…” The Globe is wrong. A great majority of Americans support Israel in survey after survey. Both Warren’s lack of support for Israel and inadequate basic knowledge of the complicated history of Israel and the Middle East does not make her a candidate to unite her party, or make for a “coalition”, unless you do not support Israel’s existence.
Warren appointed Max Berger as her “Director of Progressive Partnerships.” Berger co-founded IfNotNow who’s openly stated goal is to end Israel’s existence, and calls the Jewish state, “violent, “deadly,” “a nightmare,” and “morally indefensible.
Warren continually cites the legally disputed, less than 3% building of Jewish communities on the so called West Bank as the reason for the lack of peace in the region but never ever discusses these Arabs’ rejection of every single fair and generous peace offer. The so called Palestinian Arabs have never once put forth even one counteroffer for peace. They were offered 97 percent of the so-called West Bank and all of East Jerusalem, during the Olmert and President Clinton Camp David Arafat peace offers and rejected all of it. These Arabs could have had their own state many times over but rejected each and every opportunity to live in peaceful co-existence.
Facts:
-There never was a Palestinian state.
-Jewish “settlements” constitute less than 3 percent of the land on the West Bank. Israel doesn’t “occupy” any territory since the West Bank never legally belonged to another country — legally, the area is “disputed.”
-Far from being “apartheid,” there is no country in the region that comes even close to Israel’s civil rights record and the fact that an Arab justice sits on Israel’s Supreme Court, that 40 percent of Israeli medical students are now Arab, Arabs have political parties and ministers in the Knesset, etc.
Unless and until Warren does some homework vs. her knee jerk, would-be “repressive progressive” alignments with those who malign and seek Israel’s destruction, we should all pass on this superficial, dangerous candidate.
Sincerely
Ginette Weiner,
Scottsdale, AZ
MTA Capital Needs Plan
Dear Editor:
Friday, February 21st was the last day at work for outgoing NYC Transit Authority President Andy Byford. It will be interesting to see if interim NYC Transit Authority President Ms. Sarah Feinberg and her permanent successor will be successful in preserving both funding and implementation of projects and programs championed by Andy Byford’s Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize NYC Transit subway and bus system. Let’s hope that $19 billion worth of funding support in the current $51 billion MTA 2020–2024 Five Year Capital Plan remains in place. We will have to wait and see if the $19 billion balance of funding needed to complete this plan will be approved in the next MTA 2025–2029 Five Year Capital Plan. There will be some clues of what the future holds when the MTA releases the updated MTA 2020–2040 Twenty Year Long Range Capital Needs Plan. It was supposed to be released in December 2019. Why has the MTA delayed release for two months? Are they waiting for it to be approved by Governor Cuomo before making it public?
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
(Larry Penner is a transportation historian, advocate and writer who previously worked in 31 years for the US Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Region 2 NY Office. This included the review, approval and oversight for billions of dollars in grants to the MTA which funded LIRR, Metro North, NYC Transit, and MTA Bus capital projects and programs) ….
Being Careful About Loshon Hara
Dear Editor:
I’d just like to write something for those willing to accept the truth of Halacha even if it challenges one of their daily outlets and activities. I’d like to point out that despite the fact that our Yetzer hara may work hard to make us ignore or rationalize, everyone must think again about following politics and especially Israeli politics. Many people involved are Jewish and are tinok shenishbas, which would therefore render it to be totally lashon hara to listen to, or read about the constant barrage of put downs that are being spread. The fact that it’s in a newspaper is not a heter to read it.
I understand that curiosity is very powerful, but lashon hara is something we cannot compromise, as the Sefer Chofetz Chaim says, it is on the same level as the 3 cardinal sins. We must focus on our future and not let the momentary thrill of politics affect our world to come. I guarantee you’ll know who to vote for without hearing the daily rips. If someone really thinks it’s muttar, don’t risk it, why not ask your Rabbi? I did. May we see the coming of Mashiach speedily in our days.
Sincerely
Elisheva Horwitz
Feminists Silent on Female Genital Mutilation
Dear Editor:
“A 12-year-old girl died this week in southern Egypt after her parents brought her to a doctor who performed female genital mutilation, a criminal practice that remains widespread.” Where are all the “progressive feminists”, and where is mainstream media with condemnations on this latest death from the barbarism of female genital mutilation?
The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide 200 million women and girls have been subjected to it. UNICEF estimated that 98 percent of girls and women in Somalia had been cut. A 2015 government survey found that 87% percent of all Egyptian women undergo FGM. “Judges themselves are not convinced this is a crime that should be punished,” said Danbouki, who runs the Women’s Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness. Judges are lenient (in Egypt) when it comes to cases entailing violence against women.”
Yet these “repressive progressives”, and mainstream media, are always there to issue relentless, false condemnation of the democratic Jewish State. Reports of routine rape of jailed women in Syria, dissenters jailed and tortured in Arab controlled territories and girls and women without equal rights under Islam, go unreported. So, to all out there who consider themselves a “progressive feminist”, your silence on this issue speaks louder than your inflated egos and your selective protests, usually only against Israel.
Sincerely
Missy Corlack
