Work on healing
There is no question that it is the right of families of hostages and other October 7 victims to express their pain and be heard (“Oct.7 families demand a better Knesset welcome,” January 7). By listening to their desperate cries, we share in their grief and possibly thereby subtract from their ongoing pain.
That being said, there can be guidelines for public expression especially when safety is concerned. What is really disgraceful is the piggybacking on the families’ pain by political figures for their own political gain.
It is time to put political rancor aside and support our government’s attempts to free the hostages from the Hamas captivity and work on healing our total body politic.
MARION REISS
Beit Shemesh
Shown the door
Regarding “Trudeau tells Canadians he’s stepping down” (January 7): In Trudeau’s resignation, another leftist woke regime is shown the door. It’s too early for the same to befall Prime Minister Starmer in the UK but he and his party are heading toward that precipice.
STEPHEN VISHNICK
Tel Aviv
Perennial enemies
In “Will Trump seize the opportunity?” (January 6), Alon Ben-Meir writes that “any effort that could lead to a two-state solution will face vehement Israeli resistance, which can be mitigated once Israelis come to terms with the fact that their ultimate national security rests on the establishment of a Palestinian state.” When will Ben-Meir and people of his ilk realize that the Palestinians are our perennial enemies?
Hate for the Jews is ingrained in their DNA. The land upon which Israel rests is, for them, occupied territory and will remain so forever. If he believes this will change in the next 300 years, he can only be described as a naive thinker. What we need to do is accuse PA head Mahmoud Abbas of fuelling the hatred against us, which he does by paying his people to kill us. We are too lenient. All those taking part in terror acts against Israelis should be sent to the Palestinian camps outside of Israel, no exceptions.
Once they realize what’s in store for them, then, maybe, there will be a change of heart. The Palestinians see us as the weak nation we are, trying to get people rooted in hatred to become our friends. They understand only toughness. Any soft tone, like giving them a state, is weakness. May Ben-Meir see the light soon.
EDMUND JONAH
Rishon Lezion
Something different
In “West Bank terrorism: The perpetual fight” (January 7), Herb Keinon reminds us after the latest wanton murder of three innocents that the unending battle against terrorism in Judea and Samaria goes on. Maybe it’s time to try something different in this simmering war – invoking the death penalty.
Yes there will be calls from the UN and the international Left against institutionalizing the taking of another life, but there is much to be said for it. We will soon, please God, begin to get our hostages back. Yet there is a heavy price to be paid with the release of terrorists who have blood on their hands and who will then continue their murderous activities. Exhibit A is the Sinwar and 1000+ others/Schalit exchange carried out in 2011.
The death penalty may or may not reduce terrorism, but it will save Jewish lives. “If a person kills a human being, that person shall be put to death.” (Leviticus 24:17)
FRED EHRMAN
Ra’anana
Destroyed by Hamas
Regarding “UN’s Albanese: Medical staff should cut ties with Israel” (January 2): Francesca Albanese is correct – Gaza’s health care system has been destroyed. However, it isn’t Israel which is responsible; Gaza’s health care system was destroyed by Hamas, which embedded its extensive network of terror tunnels so deeply amid the Gazan populace that mosques, schools, residences, businesses and hospitals all became legitimate military targets as those buildings are used to store weapons and munitions and as command centers and missile launching sites.
In accusing Israel of genocide, Albanese is telling terrorists that violating the rules of armed combat and placing civilians at risk is an effective way to prevent nations which have been attacked from responding and fighting to prevent further attacks on their own people. In short, Albanese is endorsing what West Point’s Major John Spencer, a recognized expert on urban warfare, calls “human sacrifice.” In working to guarantee that Israel’s exemplary efforts to avoid harming civilians will be less than 100% effective, Hamas has gone much further than using the Gazans as human shields.
TOBY F. BLOCK
Atlanta
Critical steps
In “New approaches to Israel advocacy” (January 6), Prof. Todd Pittinsky raises some important points, but he fails to recognize a number of critical steps that Hillel has taken to reduce antisemitism on campus, and empower students in countering rampant demonization of Israel.
As president and CEO of Hillel International, let me share just a few examples of our impact. We’ve worked to ensure that universities strengthen and enforce their codes of conduct, which has contributed to a significant decline in the number of acts of harassment, intimidation, and discrimination targeting Jewish and Israeli students. Hillel’s Israel Leadership Network empowers thousands of student leaders to advocate for Israel on hundreds of campuses.
We created Campus4All.org to educate students, and empower them to counter misinformation about Israel and respond to antisemitic incidents. And our Teach-In Tour has brought hundreds of expert Israel speakers and educators to college campuses. We launched the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line in partnership with the ADL and Brandeis Center for Human Rights, providing pro bono legal representation and support to more than 1,000 students who have experienced campus antisemitism.
Notwithstanding our status as an “established Jewish organization,” our teams have responded with intensity and agility in developing these initiatives, and getting flexible resources into the hands of Hillel students and staff members, in line with Prof. Pittinsky’s call to action. Most importantly given our broader mission, we doubled down on Jewish joy and community, leading to record numbers of students participating in Jewish life.
None of the above is meant to minimize either the asymmetries in tactics and structures that Prof. Pittinsky outlines, or the deep-rooted issues that enable continuing demonization of Israel and other manifestations of antisemitism. But in 2025 and beyond, we need to recognize and build on the strategies that are driving systemic improvements.
ADAM LEHMAN
President and CEO of Hillel International
Washington