My letter in The New York Times about Spain’s betrayal of Sephardic Jews

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in The New York Times, regarding Spain’s betrayal of Sephardic Jews after the country’s reversal on the issue of granting them citizenship.

August 5, 2021

To the Editor:

Re “Spain’s Reparations for Jews Become Elusive” (news article, July 25):

While Spain’s 2015 pronouncement that it would confer citizenship on Sephardic Jews was commendable, its about-face is reprehensible.

When King Ferdinand callously ordered the expulsion of Spain’s Jews in 1492, it was a cataclysmic event and a truly dark moment in the annals of Jewish history. Tens of thousands of Jews were banished from Spain, leading to numerous deaths along their arduous journey and forcible conversions that robbed countless Jews of their heritage and faith.

After extending a proverbial olive branch and pledging to do the right thing for people of Sephardic Jewish descent, Spain sadly seems to have reneged.

The fact that Jews with legitimate claims to Spanish citizenship and duly completed applications would be treated so cavalierly, either being completely ignored or summarily rejected on fallacious grounds, is utterly shameful and an affront to their ancestors, whose lives were shattered when they were forcibly removed from the country they called home.

N. Aaron Troodler

Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

My letter in The New York Times about the paper’s coverage of Israel

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in The New York Times, regarding the paper’s coverage of Israel in response to a recent front-page article entitled “The Misery of Life Under Occupation,” which I found to be entirely one-sided and deeply disturbing.

May 25, 2021

To the Editor:
 
Re “The Misery of Life Under Occupation” (front page, May 23):
 
While there are certainly Palestinians who yearn for a better life that is devoid of strife, your decision to impugn Israel for the present state of affairs is disingenuous and unjustified.
 
Israel’s enduring struggle for its very survival stems from an array of existential threats, including rocket attacks aimed at civilian centers and heinous acts of terror carried out by militant extremists intent on obliterating Israel. It is due to the actions of the terrorists, whose wanton disregard for human life extends to both Israelis and rank-and-file Palestinians. Israel has no choice but to carry out security measures intended to safeguard its people.
 
Painting a picture that portrays Israel as the aggressor while failing to hold Hamas and other terrorist organizations accountable for fomenting violence that adversely affects the daily lives of Palestinians is irresponsible. At a time of rising anti-Semitism and increasing anti-Israel animus, I encourage you to put a greater emphasis on impartiality in your reporting.
 
N. Aaron Troodler
 Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

My letter in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on April 26, 2021, regarding the jury’s verdict in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial and what comes next:

Working toward police reform

Regarding “Cheer, but it’s not over, not even close” (April 21), Jenice Armstrong adroitly captures the feelings we should all have in the wake of the guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial. While we revel in the jubilation we feel knowing that justice was served in this particular case, this is a beginning, not an ending. Our country’s policing needs systematic change, and one guilty verdict is not enough to effectuate the transformation that is required. We cannot forget that Daunte Wright, Breonna Taylor, and far too many other Black people have tragically lost their lives to police misconduct and excessive force in a cycle of violence that underscores the raw racial divisions that regrettably still exist in our nation. It behooves all of us, irrespective of our race or religion, to ensure that George Floyd’s death was not in vain, and to use this verdict as a springboard to advocate for the wholesale reforms that we desperately need and which are long overdue.

N. Aaron Troodler, Bala Cynwyd

It’s time to terminate the PA’s terrorist payment program

The following is an op-ed that I wrote, which appeared in The Jerusalem Post on April 18, 2021, regarding the Palestinian Authority’s ‘pay to slay’ program in light of the news that the United States intends to restore aid to the PA:

It’s time to terminate the PA’s terrorist payment program

It was around 10 p.m. on March 11, 2011 when Hakim Maazan Niad Awad and Amjad Mahmud Fauzi Awad jumped a fence and infiltrated the Israeli community of Itamar. After stealing an M-16 rifle and ammunition from an empty house, the two Palestinian terrorists entered the Fogel home, where they stabbed to death Udi, 36, and Ruth, 35, Fogel, and their children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and Hadas, 3 months. Two other children – Ro’ie, 8, and Yishai, 2 – were spared because the terrorists did not notice them sleeping in another room.

The brutal murder of five members of the Fogel family by terrorists who set out to kill Jews was a heinous crime that shocked the conscience of the world and earned global condemnation. Regrettably, the Palestinian Authority (PA) viewed the terrorists not as assassins, but as heroes.

It is difficult not to recall these barbaric murders after learning that the United States is restoring over a quarter of a billion dollars to the Palestinians. Instead of willingly providing the Palestinians with a financial windfall, the US should have demanded the cessation of the PA’s reprehensible practice of paying terrorists before releasing any funds.

Ten years after the horrific attack on the Fogel family, the killers are enjoying a pay raise courtesy of the PA, which has increased the payments it makes to them by 50%. According to Palestinian Media Watch, the Awads, who are serving life sentences in an Israeli prison, have received $1,203 monthly. With the raise, they will now get $1,806 per month. In the ten years since they murdered the Fogels, the terrorists have each received over $100,000.

The PA’s practice of rewarding terrorists who attack Israelis by remunerating their families through its infamous ‘pay to slay’ system is abhorrent and unconscionable. Irrespective of whether the PA compensates families of incarcerated terrorists based on the length of their prison sentence or on their financial well-being, the underlying structure of these repugnant payments is predicated on venerating terrorists and espousing further violence. The PA’s program not only condones terrorism; it unabashedly incentivizes it, and that incitement plays a deadly role in the tragic tale of terror in the Middle East.

An inordinate amount of money has been squandered over the years on terror-related expenditures through this outrageous terrorist compensation program. The PA may have paid as much as $181 million in 2020, as was recently acknowledged by Qadri Abu Bakr, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Commissioner for Prisoners’ Affairs, to The Times of Israel. Approximately 7,500 Palestinian terrorists released from prison receive these payments, as well as 4,500 others who are still incarcerated. Over seven percent of the PA’s budget goes toward the ‘pay to slay’ system.

A 2018 law that requires Israel to deduct the cost of the terrorists’ salaries from the tax revenues it collects monthly for the PA has not deterred the PA from continuing its despicable program, thereby signaling that Mahmoud Abbas and his government would rather pay terrorists than accept much-needed funds that they could theoretically use to improve the lives of ordinary Palestinians.

Furthermore, the Taylor Force Act, named for an American military veteran murdered by Palestinian terrorists in 2016, explicitly prohibits the US from providing monetary assistance that directly benefits the PA unless it revokes its ‘pay to slay’ system, among other measures intended to curb terrorism. Despite the restrictions on foreign aid that result from compensating terrorists, the PA has steadfastly refused to end its contemptible practice.

The announcement that the United States is restoring approximately a quarter of a billion dollars to the Palestinians raises serious questions. Why would the US send such a substantial amount of money when the PA continues paying terrorists? Why would they send $150 million through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which has a long and troubling history of engaging in antisemitic and anti-Israel behavior? Why would the US not insist on a commitment from the PA to end its incitement of terrorism, and demand that Palestinian schools stop indoctrinating students with antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments?

Moreover, how is the US sending money to the Palestinians in light of the Taylor Force Act? Even if the funds are not sent directly to the PA, the money is going to Palestinian entities and organizations that have direct ties to, and may very well operate as an extension of, the PA.

Until such time as the PA stops glorifying martyrdom and lionizing terrorists, it must be taken to task by the international community. The termination of the PA’s government-sanctioned sponsorship of terrorism must be a prerequisite before any more foreign aid dollars can flow to the Palestinians. Inaction in the face of this shameful practice is moral malpractice and a dereliction of diplomatic duty.

The writer is the principal of Red Apple Strategies, LLC, a public relations and strategic communications firm, and has extensive experience in the Jewish nonprofit world. Follow him on Twitter: @troodler

New president, new day for the American Jewish community

The following is an op-ed that I wrote, which appeared in the Washington Jewish Week on February 3, 2021, about President Biden, the American Jewish community and the state of Israel:

New president, new day for the American Jewish community

With our nation still reeling from the insurrection in our nation’s capital, struggling to move past the divisiveness that threatens to tear apart the fabric of our democratic society and contending with a pandemic, all eyes are on Joe Biden as he enters the Oval Office after nearly 50 years in public service.

As he works to unify our nation, Biden will find himself facing some skeptics in the Jewish community. There are many American Jews who believe our new president has big shoes to fill and question whether he is capable of doing so. The fact is, former President Donald Trump engendered tremendous support in pockets of the Jewish community because of his actions relative to Israel.

For many pro-Israel voters, Trump was a dream come true. Whether it was facilitating the normalization of ties between Israel and several of its Arab neighbors, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocating the embassy to Jerusalem, proclaiming Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights or freezing aid to the Palestinian Authority because of the remuneration it makes to families of terrorists, Trump undoubtedly claimed iconic status in the eyes of numerous individuals who view the U.S.-Israel relationship as paramount

However, let us not forget that Biden has a lengthy track record when it comes to the American Jewish community and strengthening the bond between the United States and its sole democratic ally in the Middle East. Joe Biden has been outspoken regarding the need to combat anti-Semitism, further enhance the U.S.-Israel relationship and preserve Jewish values in the United States. He is a steadfast supporter of Israel, not just through his words, but through his actions as well.

It was during his time as vice president that the administration entered into a historic 10-year memorandum of understanding that pledged a record $38 billion for Israel’s security. Biden also played a role in bolstering Israel’s missile defense system, including the lifesaving Iron Dome, and he strongly opposes the BDS movement, which attempts to delegitimize Israel. During the Democratic primary, Biden set himself apart from some other candidates when he said that placing conditions on aid to Israel would be a “gigantic mistake” and “absolutely outrageous.”

As president, Biden will work to ensure that the United States remains committed to Israel’s security and its ability to maintain the qualitative military edge that is essential to its survival, and will call on the Palestinian Authority to condemn terrorism, curb incitement and cease its despicable “pay to slay” program.

At a time when there are Democratic members of Congress who unabashedly criticize Israel and far too many discordant voices in the Democratic Party concerning the U.S.-Israel relationship, it is critical that American Jewry and the pro-Israel community have a stalwart supporter like Biden leading his party. American support for Israel must remain bipartisan in order to be sustainable, and Biden has the ability and opportunity to be the champion we need.

The domestic issues facing Biden are important and indisputably require his immediate attention. However, he must make certain that the U.S.-Israel relationship, the frightening rise in anti-Semitism and the ongoing efforts to delegitimize Israel are not put on the back burner. If history is our guide and his past performance is any indication, Biden will not allow these issues to fester, even as he addresses other pressing matters.

Biden can and will be a partner for the American Jewish community and the state of Israel. Although there will inevitably be areas of disagreement, it is imperative that we “listen to one another” and “show respect for another,” as the president pronounced in his inaugural address.

As he spoke to the nation moments after taking the oath of office, Biden quoted from Psalms when he said, “weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.” Regardless of who you voted for on Election Day, it is unquestionably the beginning of a new dawn in America and the sun is rising on a new day for our nation. Whereas “joy cometh in the morning,” I believe that when it comes to U.S.-Israel ties, this new day ought to bring with it a sense of optimism for what tomorrow holds in store.

The United States’ strategic relationship with Israel is replete with military, security and technological collaboration. It is a longstanding and mutually beneficial partnership, and it is vital that it prevails with bipartisan support. The American Jewish community should be united in the hope that when it comes to issues pertaining to Israel, Biden will be the leader we know he can be and pray he will be.

N. Aaron Troodler is the principal of Red Apple Strategies LLC, a public relations and strategic communications firm, and has extensive experience in the Jewish nonprofit world. Follow him on Twitter: @troodler

A Call To Action: Don’t Shutter Our Schools

The following is an article that I wrote for the Philadelphia Jewish Link on November 13, 2020 about Montgomery County’s decision to halt in-person learning at all schools located within its borders:

The decision by the Montgomery County Board of Health requiring all schools to halt in-person instruction is short-sighted and smacks of a political expediency that belies their underlying mission.

500 people participated in the board’s Zoom meeting to discuss the possible closure, and despite vociferous opposition from numerous parents and a dearth of data to support the determination that all K-12 students in schools – public and non-public alike – must learn virtually from November 23rd to December 6th, with a possible expansion beyond that date, the board forged ahead with a mandate that forces our children to do their studies at home, using a computer as their conduit to learning, as opposed to a classroom.

While we should all be fully supportive of measures intended to curb the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks and engaging in social distancing, I cannot in good conscience endorse a nonsensical directive that unnecessarily and unjustly impacts my children in an adverse fashion. If Montgomery County wishes to shut down their public schools, that is their prerogative. However, they have no business requiring non-public schools, including Jewish day schools, to close their doors.

In her remarks about the school closures, Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, noted that students and teachers coming back to school after Thanksgiving “could trigger a very substantial outbreak within our schools.” Moreover, Michel Masters, division director of communicable disease control and prevention for Montgomery County’s Office of Public Health, cited “the increase of social gatherings surrounding the holiday” as one of the issues that led to the school closures.

That is utter nonsense. While Thanksgiving may be the first instance of the 2020-21 academic year for public schools where people will possibly interact with others over the course of a holiday, Jewish day schools have already gone through this several times this fall, having enjoyed a successful return to the classroom after the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot. Our schools instituted clear guidelines that enumerated the steps families were asked to take over the holiday breaks in an effort to pave the way for a smooth school reopening at the conclusion of each holiday, and we assiduously adhered to those standards. Jewish day schools already proved that this could be done, and therefore this nebulous concern about “a very substantial outbreak within our schools” related to Thanksgiving is unfounded.

In addition, while we all recognize that the number of positive cases in Montgomery County is rising, the data concerning children and schools does not warrant the cancellation of in-person learning. Epidemiologists and public health professionals across the United States have acknowledged that young children do not spread the virus easily and maintain that it is safe for them to learn in school during the pandemic. Certainly, schools need to institute social distancing protocols to ensure that in-person learning environments are safe, but our local Jewish day schools have done that, with great success. 

Could there be positive cases in our schools despite the precautions they have taken? Of course. However, schools are not super spreaders, COVID-19 outbreaks in schools are rare, and the infection rates in schools nationwide have been incredibly low.

The Montgomery County Board of Health should not have painted all schools with the same brush. A more prudent course of action would be to assess schools on a case-by-case basis and order a particular school to close only when there is a medically proven reason to do so. Closing schools should not be a one-size-fits-all approach.

The religious instruction our schools provide, as well as the rigorous secular academic curriculum they offer, are vital to our children’s continued growth. The intellectual stimulation and social interaction our children enjoy in school are core components of their development, and while our Jewish day schools did a yeoman’s job in the spring when the pandemic was raging and they had to transition to distance learning, there is no way to truly replicate the classroom experience that our children have had during the current school year thus far.

Furthermore, it is quite curious that the board solely targeted schools with what seems to be an arbitrary directive, yet entities such as bars, restaurants and gyms were not referenced, nor were residential gatherings within the county. It appears that schools were an easy mark for the board to impose its will and our students and schools will sadly suffer the consequences of this misguided mandate.

It is unfortunate that the Montgomery County Board of Health views our schools as coronavirus hotspots rather than the safe spaces for our children that they are. With a lack of data and a lack of foresight, the board’s decision to close our schools regrettably has terrible implications for our children and our community.

This is a time when we need to advocate for ourselves, our children, and our community. For those of us who are disappointed with the decision to close our schools, we should make our voices heard and express our displeasure to the county in a courteous, yet compelling way.

Email the Montgomery County Board of Health at publichealth@montcopa.org and let them know that you respectfully disagree with their determination. Urge them to permit individual schools to apply for an exemption from the school closure order based on a metric that sets forth specific criteria for a possible reopening, including the COVID-19 precautions taken by the school and the number of positive cases in the school.

Consider this a clarion call to action, in which we come together as a community to tell the county that they should not shutter our schools. Our children deserve nothing less.

Cover-up: Doing our part to combat COVID-19

The following is an op-ed that I wrote, which appeared in The Jerusalem Post on September 30, 2020, regarding the need for the Orthodox Jewish community to do its part to combat COVID-19:

Cover-up: Doing our part to combat COVID-19

Masks save lives. As we attempt to go about our daily routine amid a pandemic, we should keep those three words foremost in our minds. After more than 230,000 confirmed cases in Israel and 200,000 deaths and more than 7,000,000 positive cases in the US, you would think more people would understand the importance of wearing masks to combat COVID-19. However, as we see all too often, countless individuals apparently did not get the memo.

While a political and ideological debate rages regarding mask-wearing mandates, it seems quite clear the science suggests that regularly wearing a face covering over one’s nose and mouth is an effective way to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

The efficacy of wearing a mask is rooted in both research and common sense. Take a moment and ponder how the virus spreads. When people talk, sneeze or cough, respiratory droplets are released into the air, which then linger in the form of fine particles. Masks significantly minimize the dissemination of these particles into the atmosphere, thereby lessening the risk of propagation. Furthermore, considering that many people infected with the coronavirus are asymptomatic and therefore may not even realize they are sick, regularly wearing a mask while around other people is critical to curtailing the transmission of the virus.

Masks protect you and masks protect me, and the refusal to wear a face covering is irresponsible and ill-advised. Simply put, the selfish decision to interact with other people sans a mask is unnecessarily jeopardizing their health and safety.

With a frightening uptick in COVID-19 cases in the Orthodox Jewish community, there has been much discussion about the lack of mask wearers in large pockets of our respective neighborhoods.

It has been distressing to see how lax certain communities are when it comes to wearing masks. The “masks are required for entry” signs on stores are regrettably ignored by far too many people, who inexplicably view them as mere suggestions rather than mandatory directives. It is also troubling to see so many people flippantly flouting the mask-wearing rules by wearing their mask down on their chin, thereby leaving their nose and mouth completely exposed.

In addition, it has been extremely disturbing to see photos and videos of large groups of people neglecting to wear face coverings as they engage in their daily activities, seemingly oblivious to the grave danger posed by their imprudent conduct and in a clear contravention of the regulations.

Whether it is a lack of caring, the belief that they are immune, or a dearth of education about the threats posed by the pandemic, the optics of Orthodox Jews walking around without masks are not good. At a time when antisemitism is on the rise and Orthodox Jews are being subjected to vilification and violence by hate-filled bigots, we can ill afford to be painted in a negative light with a broad brush.

There is another aspect of this problem that warrants consideration. The preservation of human life and safeguarding our well-being is one of the paramount precepts in Judaism and endangering the life of another human being is a violation of Jewish law. Moreover, it is well known that we must take the necessary steps to protect a fellow Jew from a life-threatening situation. With the tremendous value placed on human life and protecting ourselves and others from bodily harm, it is therefore extraordinarily difficult to comprehend how some Orthodox Jews could justify compromising public health in such a cavalier and callous manner by their steadfast refusal to don a mask.

My fellow Orthodox Jews, I respectfully urge you to do better and take the pandemic more seriously. The ramifications of ignoring the virus as they relate to both our community and other communities are indeed dire, and we certainly do not want to bear responsibility for exacerbating a public health crisis of this magnitude. Wearing a mask may not be comfortable, but it is critical. We need to stop pretending as if it is business as usual and endeavor to be more mindful of doing our part to contain the virus.

On Yom Kippur, while wearing a mask and sitting six feet away from my fellow congregants, I recited the “Avinu Malkeinu” prayer. As I uttered the verse “Our Father, our King, withhold the plague from your heritage,” with as much mindfulness and intention as I could muster, the enormity of the present situation struck me. I could not help but wonder how people can justify merely saying those powerful words without feeling compelled to back them up with a simple action, such as wearing a mask, to demonstrate that we are serious about suppressing the COVID-19 plague.

Masks save lives. It is time for each of us to do our part and wear one. Our community – our friends, neighbors and loved ones – will all be better off for it.

The writer is the principal of Red Apple Strategies, LLC, a public relations and strategic communications firm, and has extensive experience in the Jewish nonprofit world. Follow him on Twitter @troodler