Letters

Thanks, AIPAC

On April 12, 2026, there will be a special election in NJ District 11 for U.S. Representative, the same district of the late Rep. Millicent Fenwick and that voted for Gov. Tom Kean.

To qualify for my question:

I am a registered Republican, not a Trump MAGA Party puppet, I will not vote for anyone who is.

There are three candidates running for U.S. Representative.

The Democratic candidate is  anti-Israel.

Not having received any campaign literature from the Republican candidate, I will have to assume that once in office, he will be become a Trump MAGA puppet.

The write-in candidate? Just Google him. (Enough said.)

Now that AIPAC eliminated a candidate who, at least, supported Israel, I’m hoping that the chochems of AIPAC who allowed the anti-Israel candidate to win the Democratic primary will make a decision as to where my vote shall go.

If this letter  sounds caustic — it is.

Richard Rosenthal
Morris Plains

Sacred work to be done

While Joseph Kaplan’s “A Blast From the Past” ably tips its hat to Rabbi Norman Lamm’s teachings (Z”l), Mr. Kaplan misrepresents the point of my recent piece, “Rabbis Need to Cool it with ICE.” I’ll assume Mr. Kaplan did so unintentionally, so permit me to correct the record. My article argued that predominately non-Orthodox Rabbis best serve their communities by prioritizing a fervent fight against the rising tide of assimilation, intermarriage, and Jewish illiteracy — as opposed to parroting partisan political talking points. When those Rabbis repeatedly invoke Torah to sign on to exclusively one-sided political petitions but fail to do so when the cause does not suit their partisan narrative, they are being intellectually dishonest. Whether American Rabbis should ever get involved in secular politics is a different question altogether and, per Mr. Kaplan’s column, a worthy debate. My point was that during a time of dwindling Jewish engagement in many non-Orthodox congregations, those Rabbis should unequivocally prioritize perpetuating our people over partisan politics. When, G-d willing, synagogues and schools stop closing, perhaps we can indulge in such extracurricular activities. Until that time, there is much sacred work to be done.

Ari M. Berman
West Caldwell