My letter in The New York Times about a public display of faith

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in The New York Times, about a public display of faith:

May 17, 2025

To the Editor:

Re “E.P.A. Jewish Celebration Has Jewish Critics” (news article, May 13):

Criticizing Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, for a proud and public display of his faith because one disagrees with his policies and politics is a dangerous and disingenuous conflation of two unrelated issues.

At a time when antisemitism is rampant and far too many Jews feel the need to hide or play down their religious identity, we should be celebrating public figures who openly embrace their Judaism, not vilifying them because of public policy divergences.

N. Aaron Troodler
Bala Cynwyd, Pa.