His View: Republicans Over Democrats
Editor-in-chief Joshua Runyan’s recent idealistic essay is, alas, unrealistic because anti-Israel attitudes and actions permeate the Democratic Party’s leadership and followers (“Valuing Person Over Party,” April 13).
Note the undeniable Republican-Democrat split when former President Obama allowed the United Nations to declare Jewish habitation of Jerusalem’s Old City to be illegal, thereby empowering the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel; and when he provided a path to fund Iran’s maniacal leaders and their military programs.
Such party-line discipline by anti-Jewish enablers would previously have been broken by the likes of then-Sens. Henry Jackson, Stuart Symington, Abraham Ribicoff and Herbert Kohl.
They compare, tragically, with the current crop of Democrats.
These forces must be reversed before authentic bipartisanship allows those worried about Israel’s survival to vote for any person who aligns with the Democratic Party.
Robert Sklaroff | Abington
Place the Blame Where it Belongs
A free press must be balanced and objective. But sometimes the misguided application of this principle leads to a false equivalency that distorts truth.
This is the case in Joshua Runyan’s column (“Plenty of Blame to Go Around,” March 2). In his article, he references a statement by the Anne Frank Center that President Trump “has given the oxygen of incitement to some of the most viciously hateful elements of our society.” Then he makes the absurd non-sequitur, “That’s like blaming President Obama for fueling the high-profile killings of unarmed black men by police in his second term.”
Trump began his campaign with a racist, xenophobic rant against Mexicans, and continued with a campaign that legitimized prejudice in a way not seen in recent American politics by a candidate of a major party for the presidency. To try to deflect responsibility for the current, toxic environment from the words and actions of Trump is the height of journalistic irresponsibility.
Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom | Elkins Park
We Will Survive
As we listened to our ninth grandchild, Brandon, become a Bar Mitzvah, it occurred to us how wonderful it is to be a Jewish person (“Action Required to Defeat Anti-Semitism,” March 9).
No matter how we are mistreated, no matter who destroys our cemeteries, sends threatening notes to our religious schools or defaces our synagogues, we will survive.
The anti-Semites of the world cannot stop us. As long as another Jew is born or becomes a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, and families talk about the importance of being Jewish, we will continue to survive.
Gloria Gelman | Bustleton
The discerning reader should compare/contrast the multiple-actions that I condemned with the interpretable-words that Rabbi Rosenbloom attacked. The former facts are amplified by SoS Tillerson and UN Ambassador Haley, whereas the latter rhetoric is contradicted by the almost-100 day duration of the Trump Administration. It should be noted that the “Anne Frank” appellation was adopted by a left-liberal entity and, thus, that its characterization in The Exponent was on-point; it also should be noted that the ongoing leadership of the Democrat Party [Perez/Ellison] has served to perpetuate the “aiding and abetting” concern raised in my original letter. I wish it were different but, for now, “I didn’t leave the Democrat party, because the Democrat party left me.” Those who failed to speak-out against funding/arming the Iranian neo-Nazis have on their hands the blood of the terrorists who are already animated by Tehran and–one fears legitimately–any future blood of nukes-employed by Iran’s Ayatollah and overtly/unabashedly anti-Jewish mullahs.
Sadly, Robert, your well-reasoned argument will be lost on the highly emotional rabbi. While I certainly am no Trump supporter (I voted for Hillary), I find the hyperbole concerning a few stupid things someone said to be ridiculous. Sadly, anti-Zionism/anti-Semitism is now a cause celebre of the left, rather than the right. Just look at Ellison, Sanders and even Stein (who doesn’t even believe in a two-state solution, rather a binational, non-Jewish state — Google it.) for evidence of how the left despises Israel. Or how Sarsour, a rabid anti-Zionist, has become a feminist (what a joke) and leftist icon. How sad. But, if the good rabbi wants to continue to support a political party that has become increasingly hostile to our homeland, it will speak only of his own dubious convictions.
Reinforcing the unfortunate import of the sentiments conveyed in both my letter and the subsequent commentary is the following piece that lambastes AIPAC while documenting its tragic pro-Democrat behavior.
http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/the-real-message-of-aipacs-policy-conference/2017/04/23/
“The Real Message of AIPAC’s Policy Conference”
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Reinforcing worriment that the Dems do not condemn abject anti-Jewish sentiments is illustrated by this revelation c/o Pamela Geller:
http://pamelageller.com/2017/04/vicious-antisemitic-democratic-candidate-nyc-council-running-greedy-jewish-landlords-platform.html/
“Vicious Antisemitic Democratic Candidate for NYC Council Running on ‘Greedy Jewish Landlords’ Platform”
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Those who long for bipartisanship share the heartfelt desire to remedy this situation, but forthright pro-Israeli sentiments don’t generate a heartbeat within the realm of these leftist activists who choose instead to embrace the intersectionality promoted by such pro-Sharia voices as Linda Sarsour [who is keynoting @ NYU and who some promote for political office].