Letters
No to Stephen Miller
Thank you to Rosanne Skopp for her enlightening article contrasting Stephen Miller’s family history of fleeing persecution, to his role today in implementing Trump’s deliberately cruel immigration policies. It is critical that we not forget that Miller is Jewish, because it is a certainty that those who are being harmed by his actions will not forget it.
Miller’s prominence in the administration is evidenced by the accounts that he is directing the leaders in the Justice and Homeland Security departments on all matters relating to immigration. Even Trump defers to him, as became obvious after Trump recently called for an end to roundups of undocumented farm workers, but within a few days, those roundups resumed.
Miller is associated with every cruel policy of both Trump administrations, from family separations in 2017 to the horrific detention center conditions today. Meanwhile, because of those policies, Trump’s approval rating on immigration continues to sink. Trump’s history tells us that at some point he will look to deflect the blame for this away from himself and onto its main architect: Stephen Miller.
Trump has accurately stated that America can’t survive if we don’t apply our immigration laws to those who wish to enter our country. It is equally wrong, however, to allow those in authority to abuse their power. If we do not denounce and dissociate ourselves from the cruel actions taken by a powerful member of our tribe, our history shows that we run the risk of having all Jews blamed for those actions.
Therefore, as Jews, whether we are Democrats or Republicans, we must stand up as one and say NO to sending people to foreign prisons before they have been given due process, NO to having masked men jump out of unmarked cars to arrest terrified students who have committed no crimes, and NO to holding non-violent undocumented immigrants in inhumane conditions at detention centers.
Most of all, we must say NO to Stephen Miller. His actions reflect his own views and are contrary to everything we, as Jews, hold dear.
David Teitelbaum
Fair Lawn
Some Jews are self-haters
It truly boggles my mind when I read and hear about Jews supporting Mamdani for mayor of NYC. A man who is a declared socialist, has literally no experience or qualifications and, worst of all, is a supporter of BDS, of arresting the Prime Minister of Israel, can’t say the words “Jewish State,” rapped in support of Hamas and is, so clearly, a hater of Israel and the Jewish People. But unfortunately our history is filled with our own people being confused and self-defeating.
Two more great examples were the articles a few weeks ago — “Why the war in Gaza must end” written by two rabbis — Rabbi Katz in Bloomfield and Rabbi Tepperman in Montclair, and “A day at the Beth and Iran déjà vu” by Mark Lurinsky. How did these two rabbis become military experts, and what right do they have from comfortable Bloomfield and Montclair to tell the elected Israel Gov what to do and how to defend our land and people? Israel is under attack and has been since its founding in 1948. Israel does not want war and we all dream for peace. Unfortunately, Hamas and their supporters dream for the destruction of Israel. Not only do they dream it but they act on it. Oct. 7 was the worst pogrom on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Murder, rape, kidnapping, burning, looting and destruction. Hamas is still holding 50 hostages including dead bodies. And terrorism continues not only in the south but all over Israel. We should just let that be? Negotiate with people who want to destroy us and who hold dead Jews that they murdered (including Hadar Goldin z’l whose body has been held since 2014)? And then these rabbis have the nerve to ask people to support organizations that work against the State of Israel in these dangerous times when Jews all over are under threat and attack? This will help our people? That’s not “loving critique”, that is undermining the State of Israel and the Jewish People. That gives cover to Israel haters.
And then we have Mark Lurinsky who never misses an opportunity to criticize Israel, PM Netanyahu, President Trump. Even after the heroics and miracles of the recent war with Iran. Lurinsky suggests President Trump follow the course of President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry with Iran. What a joke. You mean the course that enabled Iran and the Ayatollahs, that actually directly gave them billions of dollars, that was weak and imperiled all of us, that negotiated deals with sunset clauses. All these actions are why Israel was surrounded by a ring of Iranian proxies and threatened with destruction. Lurinsky criticizes President Reagan for trading with Iran and later commends President Obama for doing the same. This is what happens when people’s political agendas get in the way of clear thinking.
I would like to believe that these individuals are just naïve and kind, peace-loving folks who want to see a better world. I think we all want the same. Peace comes with strength not weakness. Peace will come when Arabs and Palestinians have had enough of Hamas, the Ayatollahs and Radical Islam and we can build on the Abraham Accords and build peace between Jews, Muslims and Christians in the Middle East. When countries like Saudi Arabia join and get involved in the education in Gaza and elsewhere that teaches tolerance, acceptance of the one Jewish State and teaches that religion does not teach one to kill but rather to love, be kind and to connect to others. I would urge Rabbis Katz and Tepperman and Mr. Lurinsky to work on that and stop working to hurt the State of Israel and in so doing hurt the Jewish people and themselves.
Lee Lasher
Englewood
comments