Recent Opinions

The right to express political beliefs

In last week’s Chronicle, there was a letter to the editor attacking Rabbi Bernard Rosenberg for his political beliefs (Sept. 17, “Does Trump embody Jewish values?). It is true that Rabbi Rosenberg supports President Trump. It is also true that in the United States we have the luxury and maybe the obligation to express our political beliefs, and certainly the writer has the right to disagree with Rabbi Rosenberg’s beliefs. I wonder if a personal attack on the rabbi for his beliefs is one of the Jewish values the writer seems to be an expert on.

What if?

 I’m writing this letter to make sure all your readers know that Kamala Harris’ husband is Jewish. Should Joe Biden decide to be president for only one term, and Kamala is elected president in 2024, at long last there will be someone of the Jewish faith in the White House!

Good wishes to Chronicle’s new owners

When The Jewish Chronicle announced this past week that Steve Rose had donated the paper to the Jewish Federation, I was really not surprised. Federation ownership of Jewish newspapers is a norm in many communities. I believe I actually have the gravitas to comment.

Does Trump embody Jewish values?

For someone who is no longer a part of our community, Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg has been given a lot of space in The Chronicle. This letter is in response to his letter (“Rabbis for Trump”) in The Chronicle’s Aug. 20 issue.

 I no longer recognize my country

In The Chronicle a few weeks back, Helene Lotman, asked ‘Whatever happened to humility?’  She did a superb job.  But other words too have disappeared.  Words that once had real meaning. Honor. Respect. Duty. Civility. Dignity. Chastity. Courtesy. Manners. Decency. Sportsmanship. Integrity. These, and others like them, are now consigned to the obscurity of dictionaries. I can no longer recognize my country.

Your vote for education

Rabbi Steinsaltz, who passed away Aug. 7 in Jerusalem at the age of 83, was a rabbi in the most authentic meaning of the word: he was an educator. And the world was Rabbi Steinsaltz’s student body. He spent decades teaching, writing, publishing, lecturing, mentoring and organizing, and all of this work was focused on bringing Jews closer to Judaism and Jewish sources.