Letters to the editor

Public shaming must be condemned from all sides
Our neighbors who were listed on the Reverse Canary Mission website are to be commended for having the courage to stand behind their convictions in the face of a public (and misguided attempt) to silence speech deemed by some as undesirable (“Duquesne law professor, Pitt scholar listed on ‘Reverse Canary Mission’ website,” Oct. 31).

Having had a page of my own on the original Canary Mission site, I share my neighbors’ disregard for these tactics, and I appreciate the Chronicle’s work in pointing out that this public shaming is both ineffective and contrary to the ideas of free expression and good faith public debate. The individuals quoted in the article were right to emphasize the importance of free expression. In that spirit, I invite them to join me in condemning both the original Canary Mission and the new Reverse Canary Mission site.

Harry Hochheiser
Squirrel Hill

A glimpse of hope in Israel
In her opinion piece, “Protective presence in the West Bank” (Oct. 31), Rebecca Mayer writes about her experience as a volunteer with a group offering protective presence to vulnerable Palestinian communities. The volunteers try to deter and document attacks on these communities carried out by violent Jewish settlers. Mayer says that the actions carried out by these volunteers presents a vision of Israel to the world that Israel opposes acts of violence. True, the volunteers oppose violence, but the world also sees that the actions of the volunteers are made necessary because of settler violence.

A few days ago in Jerusalem I witnessed a scene that truly demonstrated what Jewish/Arab coexistence could be. I entered the amazing new Israel National Library located across the street from the Knesset. In the lobby was a group of young girls, all wearing modest religious dress. They were listening to a guide talking about the library. The guide was speaking in the girls’ native language, Arabic. I looked at these young girls out on a school trip. Nothing unusual. Nothing dramatic. And I thought to myself, “Why can’t the relationship between all Jews and Arabs in Israel/Palestine be this way?” Seeing these students gave me hope that, one day, peace is possible.

Mitchell Nyer
Pittsburgh

A dangerous litmus test for Jewish voters
Many rabbis across the United States view the election of Zohran Mamdani with alarm (“1,000+ rabbis sign letter opposing Mamdani and the ‘political normalization’ of anti-Zionism,” Oct. 31). They make no mention of his platform and qualifications, only of his views about Israeli policies and Palestinian rights. The fact that they would publish a letter expressing their concern that Mamdani’s election might “normalize” those views and trigger even more antisemitic acts suggests that in every election, regardless of office, and regardless of a candidate’s qualifications, Jews ought to vote against any candidate whose views with respect to Israeli policies and Palestinian rights are similar to Mamdani’s.

Encouraging Jews to apply such a litmus test is itself dangerous. It would support a belief that the loyalty of Jews to Israel transcends their loyalty to the country in which they happen to be citizens. As the American Jewish Committee notes, “For centuries, these antisemitic accusations of disloyalty have led to the harassment, marginalization, oppression, and murder of Jewish people.”

Jack Ochs
Pittsburgh