On the same-sex announcement controversy

It is with great regret that I feel compelled to write this letter. Your recent about-face on the acceptance and publication of same sex ceremonies is regrettable and distasteful. The half-hearted explanation given on the editorial page was both cowardly and revealing. The fear of the Standard was not in the propriety of its policy but in its potential loss of advertising revenue. Surely the Orthodox community (and probably not in its entirety) does not represent the majority of the Bergen County Jewish population or your readership.

I might suggest that you consider that you should be more worried about the silent majority, those so taken aback by your actions that they quietly withdraw their support.

It is my belief that the threat of withdrawing advertising dollars (no matter how you may deny it, that’s the reality behind your actions) is hollow at best. There is no other local Jewish publication to advertise in. They are not going away.

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Consider the harm you have done and the hurt feelings that you have created. Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist streams of Judaism all accept same-sex unions.

The Standard has dismissed their positions as being irrelevant. It has also dismissed an entire segment of the population. Can you afford to disregard so many as not being worthy of your consideration?

Finally, it is most regrettable that you turned your back on your own convictions. By publishing the original announcement, the Standard showed that it indeed represented the entire Jewish community. By turning around so abruptly, the Standard lost all credibility. Even worse, the negative press that it is getting now from the mainstream media casts a bad light on the Jewish community as a whole. The knee jerk reaction of the editorial staff has caused great harm and hurt to the majority of the North Jersey Jewish community and possibly the greater community as a whole.

I ask that you not only withdraw your statement, but apologize to all those you have harmed in the process.