Article Didn’t Present Enough Evidence of Racism
Emet is a strong Jewish value, as is refraining from lashon hara. With this in mind, I would like to respond to your article of Feb. 24, “Black Jew Denied Israeli Citizenship Twice,” whose headline implied that this was a decision motivated by race.
There is no doubting the real pain and frustration that Jared Armstrong feels. He was raised as a Jew and still spent nine months converting to meet what he thought were the objections of Israeli authorities to becoming a citizen, only to be denied again. I cannot speak to whether this decision was correct, not knowing all the facts. But neither can anyone else who does not know all the facts say with certainty that this decision was because of racism.
What do we know? We know that Israel rescued thousands of black Ethiopian Jews at great risk and expense. We also know that white individuals wishing to become citizens are turned down because their conversions are not regarded as valid by the Israeli authorities.
Finally, we know that in March 2019, Amare Stoudemire, a black American basketball player who underwent an Orthodox conversion in Israel, was granted Israeli citizenship.
These facts alone are enough to raise questions about any assertion that denial of citizenship to Armstrong is caused by racism. We also know that standards for conversion are different in Israel than they are in the United States. It is quite possible that this is the reason Armstrong’s application was turned down.
Because racial discrimination is wicked, a charge of racism is ugly and should be supported by stronger evidence than was presented in this article.
Rabbi Yonah Gross | Congregation Beth Hamedrosh, Wynnewood
Writer Drank Republican Kool-Aid
It is evident from David Levine’s letter (“Endorsement Omitted Key Details,” March 17) that he has been drinking too much Republican Kool-Aid.
Levine implies that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is unqualified because her “handlers” refuse to address such issues as LSAT scores and class standing. He also opines that Biden only nominated her to fulfill a “debt” to his supporters.
First of all, Jackson was endorsed by many legal scholars of both political persuasions, and both white and minority attorneys. I don’t remember anyone asking for LSAT scores and class ranking of any of Trump’s three appointments to the Supreme Court. In fact, Republican members of Congress tried to whitewash Brett Kavanaugh’s alleged alcoholism and sexual harassment charges — charges that would have disqualified most candidates.
As far as fulfilling a debt, one of Trump’s major campaign promises in 2016 was to appoint conservative judges to the court to overturn Roe v Wade. Trump’s appointments were selected by the conservative Federalist Society, and he dare not go against any of their recommendations.
Jeff Ettinger | Huntingdon Valley
Mr. Ettinger, did you watch the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings? If so, how can you complain about any questions the Republicans have asked this nominee for lifetime a membership in the highest court in the land? Kavanaugh was subjected to the lowest form of attack I’ve ever witnessed in my life and there was no factual basis to support any of the calumny. The purpose was obvious, to destroy his nomination regardless of the cost to Kavanaugh, his wife, his children, and the democratic institutions that are now under constant attack by the left. Jackson supports CRT, the racist theory that separates kids into racist whites and oppressed blacks. I thought we had left racial antagonisms behind, but it’s now obvious that the radical left, and Jackson appears to be part of that group, is determined to bring them back. Society disintegrates under this type of hate, and Jews always become scapegoats when radicalism of either extreme becomes dominant.