Letters

Booker’s vote against Israel sets a dangerous precedent

As a rabbi in East Windsor, I have watched Senator Cory Booker’s career with great admiration. Many of us have long taken pride in our senator, who speaks with such moral fortitude, who has repeatedly affirmed that America must stand with its democratic allies against terror and tyranny. That is why his vote with Bernie Sanders to block U.S. arms sales to Israel was so deeply upsetting.

For the past two months, our family and friends in Israel have endured an onslaught of terror attacks on multiple fronts, from Iran and its terrorist proxies. Votes to support Israel’s security are not abstract policy positions; they directly impact the physical safety of millions of civilians —  including Americans.

Senator Booker knows this well. But this month, in an effort to protest the Iran war, he voted to block Israel from buying American weapons — in the middle of a war in which Israel’s enemies are still firing on millions of civilians. The senator’s votes undermined support for Israel’s security and raise questions about America’s commitments to its allies.

Some have argued that voting with Sanders and opposing these arms sales to Israel is a viable means of opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yet even Israel’s fiercest critics of the prime minister understand how reckless it is to prevent Israel from accessing the weapons it needs to protect its people. Yair Golan, one of the foremost anti-Netanyahu voices in Israeli politics, said last year that, “Withholding military support for Israel won’t help bring the hostages home, reach a ceasefire, or move us any closer to security at home and regional stability.”

Blocking Israel’s purchase of American equipment does not punish Iran, send a message to Netanyahu, or advance peace. It hurts a frontline ally fighting against the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. It sends a message of distrust to friends, and signals to adversaries that America’s commitments can be bargained away for short‑term political convenience.

There will be more opportunities for the senator to reaffirm his support for the U.S.-Israel alliance. Our community will be watching those votes closely.

Rabbi Jay M. Kornsgold
East Windsor

How dare you!

I’m sure that many JS readers join me in giving kudos to Lee Lasher for his letter thoroughly rebuking Mark Lurinsky’s 4/24/26 OpEd. The “How Dare You” caption should have been punctuated by an exclamation point — not a question mark.

Why the JS publishes such content is a mystery to me — is it supposed to be an attempt at an evenhanded approach to issues facing the Jewish community ? The very premise of Mr. Lurinsky’s piece itself propagates the absurd notion that the U.S. is fighting a war for the Jews/Israel.

PM Netanyahu & mostly everyone else knew (maybe not John Kerry) that Iran was cheating on the previous nuclear deal and was continuing their uranium enrichment efforts (not to mention their missle advancements). It was, at best, only buying some time against their ultimate and very apparent goals of destroying Western civilization which have recently, at the least, been severely degraded.

In these critical times for we, the Jewish people, the Jewish Standard should not be providing a platform for the misguided narratives of the likes of Mr. Lurinsky and his J Street cohorts.

Harry N. Tuvel
Ridgefield