Letters to the editor
Readers respond
Good character? Look at his posts
In “New evidence revealed against defendant in Chabad and Jewish Federation vandalism case” (April 18), the Chronicle reported that Mohamad Hamad filed a motion to be released from home detention on the grounds that he was not guilty of any violation while under 152 days of detention. Letters were submitted by his friends (who are these “friends”?) attesting to his good character. Judging by his social media posts, he desires to be a shaheed (martyr) and wants to kill Jews. He posted an image of himself holding a weapon.
We should consider ourselves very fortunate that he is under detention for antisemitic vandalism and not for mass murder. Good character? Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 slaughter, spent years in an Israeli prison. Was he a “model prisoner”? Many Hamas terrorists spent time in Israeli prisons. Most likely they were well behaved, biding their time until they were free and had a chance, once again, to commit new terrorist acts.
The most frightening fact is, according to the Department of Justice website, even if convicted, Hamad’s maximum penalty for vandalism is two years in prison.
This guy is a ticking time bomb, as is any individual who identifies himself or herself as a member of Hamas. Unfortunately it’s only a matter of time before Hamad will be out of detention. What innocents will pay the price for his release?
Mitchell Nyer
Pittsburgh
Jewish education is vital to our survival
Yasher koach to Mendy Cohen for his op-ed in the April 18 edition of the Chronicle (“If we want Jewish life to survive, we must invest in the living”).
I am 81 years old. Unfortunately, my generation was never formally taught about the beauty and richness of our Judaism, and I left it at an early age.
Fortunately three miraculous circumstances helped me to return to my Judaism. First, a bubby who lived a meaningful Jewish life and planted the seed of Yiddishkeit in my soul. Then, a wife who established a warm and loving Jewish home in which we raised our two daughters. And, finally, and very importantly, a Hebrew day school where my daughters — and I — were taught about the wealth of our heritage and the wonder of living an everyday Jewish life. We American Jews have been and continue to be free to practice our Judaism and we should take advantage of that fact by investing resources in our houses of worship and in Jewish education for our children. Our younger generation needs to learn about their history — not only the worst we have experienced, but also about that thread of deep faith that is woven through the soul of every Jew, keeping us connected from generation to generation and place to place. It is on that collective memory that the younger generation will build a meaningful and rich Jewish present as well as insure a rich and meaningful future for their children and grandchildren.
The following is a quote from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the most learned and caring Jewish scholars of modern times:
“What is at stake in our lives is more than the fate of one generation. In this moment we, the living, are the people of Israel. The tasks begun by the patriarchs, matriarchs and prophets, and carried out by countless Jews of the past, are now entrusted to us. No other group has superseded them. We are the only channel of Jewish tradition, those who must save Judaism from oblivion, those who must hand over the entire past to the generations to come. We are either the last, the dying, Jews or else we are those who will give new life to our tradition. Rarely in our history has so much been dependent upon one generation. We shall either forfeit or enrich the legacy of the ages.”
Howard Meyerowitz
Pittsburgh
Peace seekers should call for Hamas surrender
In regard to “Pope Francis’ final speech called for ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza war” (online, April 21): Unfortunately, Hamas is demanding that all Israeli troops be withdrawn from Gaza as a condition for a ceasefire. But it is clear from Hamas’ vow to inflict multiple October 7s on Israel that the ceasefire would hold only until Hamas has regained enough strength to attack Israel again.
Certainly, the release of the hostages is very important to Israel. But a premature withdrawal of Israeli troops will mean that more hostages will be taken when Hamas regains strength and attacks Israel again.
All true peace seekers should be urging Hamas to surrender, ordering its fighters to lay down their arms. The end of hostilities should be followed by a restructuring of the Palestinian educational system, aimed at undoing decades of anti-Jewish/anti-Zionist indoctrination. If the Palestinians are ever to have the state their leaders have been claiming to want, it must agree to coexist, peaceably, with the nation-state of the Jews.
Toby F. Block
Atlanta, Georgia
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