Letters to the editor: May 31, 2019

Letter to the editor,

Dave Schechter’s column “Are Jews Facing A ‘Clear and Present Danger’?” offered an ending that bears repeating: “The virulent anti-Semitism behind the terrorism in Pittsburgh and Poway may not feel like a ‘clear and present’ to many Americans, but Jews are left wondering how imminent is the next Pittsburgh, the next Poway.” However, Schechter’s article is yet another example that proves that one of the most obvious possible responses to anti-Semitic violence has been almost completely absent from the post-shooting dialogue: aliyah. American Jews wonder how Jews in Paris and London don’t leave for Israel in light of the physical dangers they face and yet if the shooting attacks on the Pittsburgh and California synagogues illustrate an imminent danger then shouldn’t we at least be talking about the option that Jews in imminent danger have always considered and often undertaken: emigration to Israel? We should have serious discussions about what traditional Jewish sources have to say about the subject. Considering the implications of Pittsburgh and Poway, it is incumbent upon us to include aliyah in the conversations we are having about the future of America’s Jewish community.

Moshe Phillips, national director Herut North America, Philadelphia, Pa.

Letter to the editor:

A cop and a nurse, changing the world.

My name is Alane Levy and we have been a part of The Weber School community for the past five years. I always give the cops that do their extra shifts at Weber a thank you note and $10 gift card at the holidays and at the end of the year. This year, I wanted to give more. One of the Sandy Springs officers is a woodworker in his spare time. I told him that I would like to make mezuzot to sell and try and raise a few extra bucks for these officers. Dan loved my idea and has been making the wooden boxes for me. I make the fused glass elements for the mezuzot. Right now, I am selling them on Facebook. I have known Dan for 15 years; my daughters went to The Epstein School. I love that we can do this together and are so excited to pay it forward to our Weber cops. Dan is a church-going Baptist and wants me to make a mezuzah for the door to his office. I love everything about what we are doing together. … A cop and a grateful Mom.

Alane Levy, Atlanta