Letting your voice be heard

It’s no surprise that the Jewish community includes people across the political spectrum with different reactions to the midterm elections (“Jewish Democrats and Republicans offer dueling views of election results,” Jewish Light website, Nov. 6). Regardless of political leanings, however, I thank everyone who participated in our democracy by voting on Nov. 6.

Elections are a reminder of the power constituents have in our government, as well as the privilege not everyone in our community shares. This is why it is so important for everyone to speak up throughout the year. You don’t have to be a donor, an expert, or even a voter to contact your members of Congress. I myself am ineligible to vote, but I can call my senators and representative whenever I want to let them know what I care about. I encourage readers of the Jewish Light to do the same. 

Yara Levin, Town and Country

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Ingrained anti-Semitism

When I read of the recent massacre at the synagogue in Pittsburgh, my emotions ran the gamut from sadness and despair to disgust and hatred. 

  As a person of the Jewish faith, such pure and unadulterated anti-Semitism will forever live in my psyche. To realize there are people in this world who wish to kill me and my fellow Jews predicated solely upon our religion, is indescribable and incomprehensible.

To read that the perpetrator had expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and later told police that “all these Jews need to die” defies the mantra of comity and civility.

With this in mind, I was not surprised to read that anti-Semitism had increased 57 percent from 2016 to 2017, outdistancing, by a large margin, crimes against other minorities.

 Anti-Semitism is by far, the most pervasive form of bigotry and discrimination the world has ever known, with the genesis of the Jewish people dating back almost 4,000 years. Unfortunately, it will never be eradicated no matter how hard righteous and decent people fight against it, as it’s become ingrained into our society.

That said, I have to think that somewhere in the universe God is crying unabashedly over yet another example of man’s inhumanity to man.

Gene Carton, Olivette

Israeli leadership lacks Jewish values

The vast majority of American Jews oppose the white nationalist politics of the Republican Party and its leader, President Donald Trump. We want to live in a tolerant, multicultural America which respects and protects the rights of all people regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.

In contrast, the leadership of the State of Israel was a staunch supporter of the Trump candidacy and continues to support and defend our president. This is because Israel’s Jewish nationalism shares many features with America’s white nationalism. Israel defends Jewish privilege as more important than providing basic rights and dignity to the Palestinians under its control. Those in charge of both America and Israel brag a lot more about how they build walls than how they build bridges.

Israel backs an American president whose racist, often anti-Semitic rhetoric and provocative lies give inspiration to neo-Nazis and other dangerous bigots. I do not think it is unrelated that a few days after Trump blamed George Soros for mass opposition to Brett Kavanaugh (without offering any evidence), a Trump fanatic targeted Soros with a mail bomb and a violent anti-Semite massacred worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue. The State of Israel is constantly asking for the support of American Jews, yet it backs a leadership in our country that threatens not only our values but our safety. Why should Jews in America support an Israel that does not support us?

Michael Berg, St. Louis