Letters
Jared and Ivanka Kushner: A ‘blessing and honor’ to Jews
As the lay leader of a nonpartisan PAC, I usually try to stay above the fray of partisan criticism. However, I was personally dismayed at the New York Times piece (published November 17, titled “Are Jared and Ivanka good for the Jews?”) that cited partisan Jews who criticize Ivanka and Jared Kushner as being bad for the Jewish community because of their participation in the Trump Administration, claiming their work is an offense to God. It is obvious that the opposite is true.
I am immensely proud to live in America, where presidential candidates are proud to have Jews wearing kippot join them on the campaign trail in predominantly Christian town halls and other venues. I am proud that President Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were willing to have their only daughter marry into a Jewish family. I am grateful that the president of the United States of America is proud to have as his son-in-law an Orthodox Jew and willingly accepts his daughter’s sincere conversion to Judaism. American Jewish involvement in the leadership of our country is, and should remain, bipartisan.
The Kushner family involvement in the White House required a huge sacrifice of their personal lives and is perceived broadly by devoted Jews worldwide as both a blessing and an honor. Both Ivanka and Jared are valued counselors to the president, who have advocated for more security aid to Israel, curtailing Iran’s terror ambitions, and moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
As children of Holocaust survivors, the need to be proactive to protect and guard against the dangers posed to Jews worldwide is very visceral to my wife Esther and me. Most of our generation try to ingrain this into our children with mixed success. I expect that Jared’s grandparents z’l, who were survivors of the Shoah, would be immensely proud of his work and accomplishments.
In any shul I have attended, there would be a line of members grateful to pay for a kiddish to honor the Kushners. It is improper that the New York Times would be willing to write such a mean and dishonest column about them. The strong record of Ivanka and Jared regarding the Jewish community and U.S.-Israel relations is undeniable and deserves an unbiased treatment, which was unfortunately denied by the New York Times in their article.
Ben Chouake, M.D.
Englewood
(Dr. Chouake is the national president of Norpac)
Abraham Foxman is wrong: Trump treated unfairly by media
Concerning Abraham Foxman’s statement that President Trump has undermined the media and that he is responsible for the public’s lack of faith in it, the facts do not support that point of view (“Demagogue who threatens democracy,” November 9). Nor do the facts support the point of view that the president is divisive and anti-immigration. Admittedly he is unpresidential, combative, and not classy. But he is always on the defensive.
Firstly, concerning the media, one has to be blind and deaf to what passes for news on CNN, CNBC and the rest of the media. The criticism is relentless. They can’t wait to pounce on and denigrate any and everything he says and does. And this started immediately after he was elected.
Secondly, regarding his divisiveness, let’s look at Maxine Waters, a Democrat, who tells her constituents to get in “their” (Republicans) faces, harass them, follow them. And “they” do, by going into restaurants and shouting at Republican congressmen. They bang on the doors of the Supreme Court.
And how about Diane Feinstein creating chaos by not following proper protocol and presenting a letter from Dr. Christine Ford after, rather than during, the hearing on Justice Kavanaugh. And Dr. Ford, under oath, accusing the justice of terrible acts. After an FBI investigation (their seventh) these assaults could not be substantiated. Is it possible the doctor perjured herself?
In addition, on college campuses it seems freedom of speech is only for liberals. Others get shouted down. Hillary Clinton made a statement to the effect that civility will return with the election of Democrats. So, just who is divisive here?
Lastly, Trump has said many times that he is for legal immigration and is against illegal immigration as are most of the electorate.
Writers of the Standard and other news media seem to think that the Democrats have a monopoly on ethical conduct and are more compassionate than anyone else. Based on my observations, that is not so. It is most discouraging.
Susan Ebenstein
Hackensack
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