Letters to the Editor 11-13-09

A fresh start

To the Editor:

Our community voted to start fresh last Tuesday night. I can not thank the homeowners and working families of the 7th District enough for their overwhelming vote of confidence. I am humbled that our campaign’s message of new ideas and workable solutions to move our community and Nassau forward resonated so well.

I’m also glad that our campaign for positive change motivated so many people to pull the lever for me on Election Day.  Thank you for your support. I want you to know that I plan on following through with the plans and ideas I’ve raised over the past several months.

On Day One, I hope to vote to repeal the unfair and regressive Home Heating and Energy tax.  I’m also committed to attracting businesses to Nassau County and rebuilding our local downtowns as well. Our commercial tax base needs to grow and I will help make sensible policies to allow that to happen.

My message to those of you who voted for my opponent, as well as the newspapers that endorsed him, is that I will work hard to win your support. I pledge to put people and our neighborhoods over politics.  Nassau must have a responsible government that works for all the people. I give you my word that I will work every day to give us just that.

I also am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves in Mineola to start fixing the broken annual property reassessment system that has hit us too hard for too long. I want to protect you, our neighbors, and our pocketbooks.

Join me. Let’s work together to accomplish what’s needed to get done for a long time. Also, please feel free to contact me anytime. E-mail me at    howard@howardkopel.com or call me at (516) 204-7260. This information is temporary pending the opening of my official office in January, and I will circulate permanent contact information as it is available. I look forward to being our community advocate who gets results.

Howard J. Kopel

Legislator-Elect, District 7

Facts from Beit Shemesh

To the Editor:

Regarding two stories in the Nov 6, 2009 edition of The Jewish Star.

I have been extremely disappointed with Mayor Abutbul. Instead of bringing unity in our city as he promised he has done the exact opposite.

In your article (“Beit Shemesh mayor in Five Towns”) the mayor is quoted as saying that the Orot School will be built for the Dati Leumi community, but on Monday an e-mail went out from the Vaad Horim (parent’s association) that said they’ve been told now that the school will be going to charedim. If this is indeed the case then the mayor is either a liar or inept. If it is not true, it just shows how much the mayor has damaged the relationships between the various religious groups in Beit Shemesh and has brought a whole new level of tension to the city.

In your second story relating to Beit Shemesh (“Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe draws blog spotlight to Lawrence”), I would like to point out the following: I live a few blocks away from people associated with the rebbe hosted in Lawrence last weekend. They have hung up signs telling women how they have to dress, have sprayed graffiti on the sidewalks, thrown eggs at teenage girls who were just walking by and have sent threatening letters to people because they were able to see their across-the-street-neighbors watching television in their homes. So, to put it mildly, I don’t think it was at all appropriate for the Five Towns community to be hosting a leader who hasn’t spoken out against their intolerable behavior.

I just have to add that I’ve been living in Beit Shemesh for almost 13 years now and we have been very happy here. Beit Shemesh has always been a warm and accepting community, especially for people who have made aliyah. We love our friends and our neighbors. We love our shuls. Our children are thriving. I really don’t want the negative things that are going on now to be the only publicity our city gets. There are many wonderful things happening here — maybe that should be your next Beit Shemesh story.

Naava Pasternak

Beit Shemesh

Cancel my subscription

To the Editor:

Please cancel my subscription. I know it is free, but I don’t want the Jewish Star coming in to my home.

Your editorial vilifying the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe and his followers without knowledge of the facts is the last straw (Is this really a smart thing to do?; Editorial; Nov. 6, 2009). We as a community do not need an increase in sinas chinom, baseless hatred. I am not a chassid of the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok, but I, as well as many thousands of non-chassidic Jews, including many modern Orthodox Jews, admire his ahavas yisroel. Just go and see the people who visit his beis medrash and how they are welcomed with no agenda.

For quite a while, my teenage children have asked that I cancel the subscription, as your paper is full of loshon hara and sinas chinom. I used to throw it out on receipt, but after being shown your editorial, I would like to cut the cord totally.

If I hear that you have changed direction, I will reconsider.

Shmuel Foxman

Far Rockaway

Am I missing something?

To the Editor:

I would like to share how inspirational it was to meet the IDF soldiers who spoke at Shaaray Tefila this past Shabbos. The soldiers shared stories detailing their sacrifices and spoke of their military service in terms of privilege as opposed to obligation. Audience members were free to offer comments or ask questions. The final question was the simplest, yet most profound, of all: how do the soldiers view the Charedi community? A clear sense of anxiety pervaded the overfilled room; the issue hit a nerve with those in attendance.

It was ironic that as we sat mesmerized by the courage and sacrifice of these brave young men, a tish was being held for the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe at Shaaray Tefila. It was no accident that the Rebbe and his chasidim did not attend shalashudos with the soldiers. By all accounts, this Rebbe is staunchly anti-Zionist and anti-Israel. When I asked the soldiers whether there was positive outreach from the Rebbe, they replied in the negative.

Would this Rebbe bless our chayalim to be safe in protecting our beloved State of Israel? I asked this directly to Rabbi Weinberger, and he could not answer in the positive. Unfortunately, we all know the sad truth: the Rebbe would not. Rabbi Weinberger did say that his quote in the Jewish Star (“I didn’t want to do anything to upset the rebbe. I didn’t want to bring them down without permission. It’s all I need to create a stir with the chassidim and the soldiers in uniform. So I called and I asked.”) was in reference to bringing the soldiers down to the tish —  though again, I dare say the question should be asked in reverse! The permission should be from those who put their lives on the line to defend this Rebbe and his community, who would otherwise be annihilated in a split second by our enemies.

Contrary to some who say this Rebbe is peaceful, he has not made a single public declaration denouncing the chilulei Hashem committed by his followers — most recently, the violence initiated by the Edah Charedis of which both Toldos Aharon and Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok are members. Members of this sect are known within Bet Shemesh to be among the most serious of those who cause violence. I understand the Rebbe claims that he does not condone violence. If the Rebbe talks, people listen. And when the Rebbe does not talk, they hear that too. There is a big difference between saying that you do not condone something and saying publicly “do not do this.” We see how quickly and overtly rabbis sign bans on going to concerts, and prohibiting certain establishments. How often do we see a public condemnation of activity not in line with our derech hatorah?

I wonder what kind of mixed message our community is sending by hosting four brave soldiers who risk their lives to defend a State that houses a Rebbe whose views are contrary to our support of Israel? Would this guest and his followers tolerate our beautiful, halachically observant community were it located in his neighborhood?

Finally, why are we entertaining Rebbes when should we be spending the greatest bulk of any fundraising for local charities? Our neighbors have lost their jobs, schools are losing funds because parents can’t pay tuition, and Tomchei Shabbos has seen an unbelievable spike in need. Am I missing something?

Guy Tsadik

Lawrence

How dare you?

To the Editor:

As a former congregant of Shaaray Tefila (I was too young to be a member) and a disciple of Rabbi Emanuel Rackman z”l (one was never too young or too old to be a disciple of that revered mentor), I wish to register a strong protest at the invitation issued to a Jewish opponent of the Zionist movement and the State of Israel.

How dare you compare an invitation to this person with the attendance of four Tzahal soldiers who are our brothers? It is to Chayalei Tzahal that you should be giving honor.

I am the grandfather of three (female) soldiers currently serving in Tzahal and my remaining granddaughters and grandsons will serve in Tzahal, as I did and as their parents did.

What Shaaray Tefila of Lawrence did is a Chilul Hashem. You can sit in Lawrence and be “neutral” about the decades-long struggle of the Religious Zionists against Neturei Karta and Toldos Avraham. The fact is that it is WE who are defending the State of Israel and it is WE who are defending the Jewish people. It’s not a hobby with us. It’s our hashkafa and we in Israel are performing mitzvot and doing acts of kedusha. It’s time for you to join us, not as onlookers but as participants.

Jay A Friedman

Ra’anana, Israel

Invite victims too

To the Editor:

Welcoming the Rebbe is a positive act of Ahavat Yisrael, and sets an example sorely needed by many of the Rebbe’s followers who persist in their violence. But even as the Rebbe is welcomed as a guest, he can and should be called to account for the acts of hatred perpetuated by his followers, and called upon to put a stop to them.

It would be interesting to hear the viewpoint of a victim of the Rebbe’s thugs. Perhaps one can similarly be welcomed to tell his or her story.

In the interests of dispelling any appearances of improper support of the hooligans whose physical attacks upon fellow Jews created such a chillul Hashem, perhaps Congregation Shaaray Tefila might see fit to avail its facility for such an event.

Kenneth H. Ryesky

East Northport

Gluttony not Jewish either

To the Editor:

I found your piece about Kosherfest (You know you had a good time if your stomach hurts; Nov. 6, 2009) to be extremely distasteful. From the headline, to the declaration that "only Christians believe gluttony is a sin," the article misrepresents Judaism as regards to food.

Judaism does not look favorably upon gluttony. The Gemara (Chullin 84a) has a series of injunctions that promote a spirit of moderation. Among these, "A man should not teach his children to be accustomed to meat and wine." The Rambam (Hilchos De'os 5 and elsewhere) spends considerable time espousing moderation.

The fact that a behavior is not forbidden by law does not make the behavior admirable. To spend a day doing nothing more than eating for the sake of eating (of course, with the proper blessings mumbled!) is anathema to Judaism.

Last summer I found myself in a Poconos camp at dinnertime. At the conclusion, an ices-eating contest was held, with the boy who finished his ices the fastest earning a second ices. Contests such as this (and the similar hotdog eating contests at restaurants) are absolutely out of step with the essence of Judaism. "Fressing" may be a Yiddish word, but it is not a Yiddishe concept.

The Satmar Rav, zt'l, said: "A Jew does not eat when he wants to eat; he eats when he has to eat." I am not saying that we need to go to this extreme, but the Satmar Rav is making the critical point that life is not about physical gratification. We are supposed to use the physical to enable us to better practice Yiddishkeit. And within limits, we are entitled to enjoy the physical. But if food, or any other physical comfort, becomes our sole purpose, we have lost sight of our purpose in this world.

Avi Goldstein

Far Rockaway