Letters
Vote for Josh
American Jewry is facing one of its hardest moments in our history as bold anti-Semitism has reached heights not seen for decades. On May 21st, two Jewish Israeli embassy staff members were murdered by a pro-Palestinian terrorist in Washington, DC who was screaming “Free Palestine.” This is a tragedy that cannot go unanswered. It is also part of a larger issue of unchecked and growing anti-Jewish presence on our college campuses and in our own streets.
The New Jersey gubernatorial election will affect hundreds of thousands of Jews across the state. With several leading candidates taking different stances on how to approach the growing anti-Semitism in our numerous large Jewish communities, we face a critical decision this upcoming Primary election in June.
Josh Gottheimer, a Jewish native of the State of New Jersey, has a reputation for being among the most productive members of Congress on all issues. Of our major concern, he has a long and proven record of combating Jew-hatred in Congress. In 2023 he co-authored the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) that passed with broad bipartisan support. The AAA mandates adoption of the definition of anti-Semitism used by the widely respected International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) for Federal investigations involving attacks against Jews.
Additionally, Josh has secured millions of dollars in federal grants for security programs benefiting synagogues, churches, mosques and community centers across New Jersey. This funding goes toward training and security technology, and it addresses the numerous safety concerns of religious spaces.
Josh has been steadfast in supporting Jewish students on college campuses such as Rutgers, which has witnessed a tremendous spike in anti-Semitic incidents by both students and some professors. He has argued against biased anti-Israel rhetoric and fought against giving a platform to Jew hatred at our universities.
Over the last several years I have gotten to know Josh personally and professionally through advocacy on the Hill. He not only understands the issues facing American Jewry, but he is at the forefront of combating anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias, and he has the record to prove it.
The voters of New Jersey have in this election a clear advocate who will stand up for our community and be the leader this State needs. In a Primary where turnout has historically been low, it is expected that each vote will count to a far greater degree than the General election in November. We must come out and vote, and make sure our voices will be heard on June 10th.
Ben Chouake MD (Dr Ben)
Englewood
Trump Derangement Syndrome
TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) infected opinion writers really were out in force in your May 15 th issue. In particular, the opinions by Mark Lurinsky and Rabbi Shammai Engelmeyer really highlight how their hatred for everything Trump has skewed their sense of reality.
Mr. Lurinsky somehow totally misses the facets of D.E.I. that so many find objectionable. First, there is the idealogical offensive element, where “equity” stands for equity of outcome, as versus equality of opportunity. Equity of outcome not only destroys meritocracy, but creates tremendous resentment in the people who were bypassed for a reason other than merit.
Then there is the actual implementation of D.E.I., which has evolved in the progressive community to exclude Jews as diverse. To answer Rabbi Engelmeyer’s question about “Any buyer’s remorse yet?” for Trump voters, the answer is a resounding “no”. Even if President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu are not always on the same page, how can one even begin to compare Trump’s support for Israel and Jewish people with that of former VP Kamala Harris? How can any Israel supporter forget how VP Harris boycotted Netanyahu’s address to Congress last year? In addition, the Biden/Harris administration was pathetically silent on the rampant antisemtic activity taking place on US college campuses following October 7. At a point where Jews were being victimized at rates not seen in decades, VP Harris could never raise the issue of antisemitism without also including Islamaphobia in the same sentence.
It seems like a much more relevant and on-point opinion article could have been authored by Rabbi Engelmayer and Mr. Lurinsky if they had collaborated on one piece dealing with the buyer’s remorse the progressive community is dealing with because of D.E.I. A good part of the reason President Trump is POTUS today was because Kamala Harris was a uniquely terrible candidate. As presiding VP, she was the default candidate when President Biden’s cognitive decline was unveiled for all to see. VP Harris was perhaps the least authentic politician of our lifetime. Forget about her ever changing position on fracking, she was afraid to tell us how she voted on California’s Proposition 36, which makes crime illegal again and even the liberals in VP Harris’ home state passed it overwhelmingly this past November. She had a horrendus performance in the 2020 Democratic primaries, dropping out without a single delegate, but was appointed by former President Biden because D.E.I. dictated that he needed a minority woman running mate. Now THAT is the buyer’s remorse that your TDS-infected opinion writers should be lamenting.
Joel Sklar
Rockaway
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