Letters to the Editor: August 10, 2018
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Letters to the Editor: August 10, 2018

These Letters to the Editor were published in the "Back to College" Issue on August 10.

By Atlanta Jewish Times August 9, 2018, 3:14 pm Edit
The Atlanta Jewish Times welcomes letters so readers have an opportunity to engage with our community in constructive dialogue.
The Atlanta Jewish Times welcomes letters so readers have an opportunity to engage with our community in constructive dialogue.

What being Jewish means to me
G-d has high expectations for his people. Being Jewish means that you accept and take responsibility for those values that he teaches us in his holy books. To me, the most important one is “Tikkun Olam”… Repair the world. We are our brothers’ keepers and our actions should reflect those beliefs, not for just fellow Jews, but for all people. That’s how we fulfill our Covenant with G-d and what being Jewish means to me.
Jerry Schwartz
Alpharetta, GA

What being Jewish means to me
Being Jewish means so many things to me, it means being free from religious stigmas, persecution and hate crimes. It means being a part of a community of people that are instinctively drawn to each other and understand one another. It’s about being in this world with all your heart and soul. Even though we care about our bodies, we are generally living by the lead of something greater than the flesh on our bones.

I am so grateful to be Jewish. How many communities face the religious stigmas, persecution and hate crimes of society every day? Yet, I am free of feeling the pain because nothing I could ever endure would even come close to what my Jewish ancestors and elders faced, and I am still here. Thank you for proving to the world that the Jewish community will not lay down and die. Thank you for setting the bar and being resilient. Thank you for sharing your stories and passing down your lessons for good. Thank you for Shabbat and the ideal that all men deserve a break and that family and G-d are our top priority. Thank you for remembering to recite the SHEMA!
Katherine Tucker
Atlanta, GA

Letters regarding my opinion on the Nation-State Bill
In response to the letters regarding my article on the Nation-State Bill, I disagree with the stilted view of Israeli Jewish–American Jewish relations. To declare itself the nation-state of the Jewish people is supposed to be an acknowledgment that the Jewish people are more than just Israel. It is an audacious view, and one that I welcome. But I disagree with elements of the Bill that are unnecessary to make the declaration that it does, as I explained in the article. The advantages of being one family is that you get to partake in the joyful aspects of the relationship and you get to critique actions that do not contribute to the overall well-being of the family. How each of us evaluates the well-being of the family is an individual enterprise. The establishment of Israel is one of the best things that happened to the Jewish people in the 20th century. All of us need to ensure that it becomes/remains one of the best things for the world in the 21st. A light unto the nations is the ultimate goal, as pronounced by the Eternal One and the prophets.
Harold Kirtz
Atlanta, GA

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The AJT welcomes your letters. We want our readers to have an opportunity to engage with our community in constructive dialogue.

If you would like your letter to be published, please write 200 words or less and include your name, phone number, and email. Send your letters to editor@atljewishtimes.com.

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