You Can’t Paint All Yeshivas With The Same Brush

The New York Times printed an editorial on August 23, 2018 entitled “New York’s Yeshiva Students Deserve Better” and noted that “Elected officials should require Orthodox Jewish schools to meet legal standards.”

Without debating the merits of the case involving the education in “Orthodox Jewish schools,” I take umbrage with the broad characterization being used to describe these institutions.

As someone who attended an Orthodox Jewish elementary school and a yeshiva high school in New York, I can attest to the superior secular education I received, which adequately prepared me for college and law school. As a parent whose children are enrolled in a yeshiva, I am constantly awed by the progressive pedagogy employed by the school and the first-rate education they receive through STEM, literature, art and music classes.

It is imperative that people recognize that there are hundreds of Orthodox Jewish schools and yeshivas in New York State that educate over 150,000 students, and to paint all of them with the same brush is unjust and injurious. The overgeneralization is an affront to the countless yeshivas that balance secular and Judaic studies and duly prepare their students to make meaningful contributions in the professional arena.

One Tweet Cannot Diminish Our Friend, Cory Booker

The following is an op-ed that I wrote regarding Senator Cory Booker, which appears in the current edition of The Jewish Standard, in which I examine the controversy surrounding a recent tweet where he was pictured holding a pro-Palestinian sign and his office’s subsequent explanation, and how that fits into his track record when it comes to Israel and the Jewish community:

One tweet cannot diminish our friend, Cory Booker

By: N. Aaron Troodler

August 9, 2018

Human beings are inherently imperfect, and people inevitably make mistakes. As we typically tend to be error-prone, it is important not to let the people’s gaffes come to define them and alter the way in which we perceive them.

Last week, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) was featured in a tweet from the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, a pro-Palestinian organization that supports the BDS movement and advocates for ending U.S. support of Israel. The tweet included a picture of the senator holding a sign bearing anti-Israel verbiage.

I, like many others, was deeply disturbed by the photo. Social media was abuzz with people criticizing Senator Booker and decrying him for holding the anti-Israel sign. However, as I thought about the Senator’s history relative to Israel and issues pertaining to the Jewish community, I was perplexed as to how this could have happened. Rather than rush to judgment, I contacted Senator Booker’s office and inquired about the photo, which appeared to be an aberration.

Within minutes, I received an explanation. After Senator Booker delivered a speech (at the progressive Netroots Conference in New Orleans), the crowd swarmed around him, clamoring to take photos with him. During the chaos, someone handed him a sign, and he did not realize that it was about Israel. Hence the photo, which appeared on Twitter. His office added that the senator “hopes for a day when there will be no need for security barriers in the State of Israel, but while active terrorist organizations threaten the safety of the people living in Israel, security barriers are unfortunate but necessary to protect human lives.”

While I cannot condone what happened, I comprehend how it could have occurred. I have been in situations where people converge on an elected official and desperately seek a photo. It is absolute bedlam, and I certainly can understand how mistakes could be made in the midst of the mayhem. Personally, I found the explanation plausible, the acknowledgement of the blunder refreshing, and the reiteration of the senator’s support for Israel heartening. It is not my opinion that matters, however. It is the attitude of the greater Jewish community toward someone who historically has been in our corner that is paramount.

Senator Booker has stood with Israel throughout his tenure in the Senate. He co-sponsored the U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018 and forcefully urged his colleagues to reject efforts to eliminate security assistance to Israel. He recently participated in briefings in Lebanon focused on efforts to ensure Israel’s security on its border and discussed the ongoing threat to Israel posed by Hezbollah. He co-authored a bipartisan resolution celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel and co-sponsored the Combating European Anti-Semitism Act. Senator Booker also co-wrote a bipartisan resolution condemning anti-Israel efforts at the United Nations and condemned “one-sided resolutions in the U.N. Security Council that isolate Israel in the international community.”

The senator received some criticism after he sought changes to the Taylor Force Act; his intent, however, was to augment the legislation by securing improvements that better ensured Israel’s security. Noting that the “Palestinian Authority’s prisoner payment system, which encourages horrific, unspeakable violence against the Israeli people is an inexcusable policy that must be changed,” Senator Booker took a principled stand in order to procure an amendment that he believed was necessary to prevent young Palestinians from becoming radicalized and endangering Israel further.

Senator Booker took a great deal of heat for his support of the Iran nuclear deal, but I know he grappled with an array of issues before arriving at his decision. He studied every aspect of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and carefully considered the agreement’s pros and cons. Recognizing the great need to prevent Iran from amassing nuclear weapons, he concluded that the benefits of the deal outweighed the risks, and he ultimately voted in favor of it. While I disagree with his vote, I respect him for the meticulous approach he took, and I appreciate that bolstering Israel’s qualitative military edge and being mindful of Israel’s safety were an important part of his deliberations.

With most elected officials, examining their voting record is the only barometer by which you can measure their support for Israel — or their lack of support. With Senator Booker, his legislative history is only the tip of the iceberg. It is his personal history and profound connection to the Jewish community that makes Cory Booker perhaps the most Jewish non-Jew in the U.S. Senate.

This is a man who once told me that he tries to study the weekly Torah portion, explained to me why Abraham and Moses are the two Bible heroes he admires most, and shared insights from the Torah with me. Senator Booker, the one-time president of the L’Chaim Society at Oxford University, also spoke with me about how the Jewish ideal of tikkun olam plays an essential role in his life, told me fondly how he views Judaism as “a religion that’s seeking to be a light unto nations of godliness and goodliness,” and described for me how his love of Israel comes not through his politics, but from knowing about the Jewish people, learning about the Torah, and visiting Israel. This is a man who was deeply affected by the horrific ordeal in the summer of 2014 that resulted in the tragic deaths of the three Israeli teens, and who grieved together with the Jewish community.

Is Cory Booker perfect? Of course not. None of us are. Are we going to agree with him on everything? No, certainly not. For us to allow an inadvertent error manifested in one troubling tweet to negate his robust track record on issues relating to Israel and the Jewish community, however, would be malpractice on our part. Senator Booker displays a passion and genuineness when discussing Israel and Jewish life that is palpable. We cannot be so fickle as to forsake a good friend who has been there for us the overwhelming majority of the time.

To err is human, to forgive divine.

N. Aaron Troodler is the principal of Red Apple Strategies, LLC, a public relations and strategic communications firm. He and his wife live in Philadelphia, but until recently they lived in Teaneck, which was their home for 20 years. Follow him on Twitter: @troodler

My letter in The New York Times about new leadership for House Democrats

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote about House Democrats and the need for new leadership, which appeared in The New York Times:

July 15, 2018

To the Editor:

Re “Restless Factions Place Leaders on Notice as Congress Returns” (front page, July 9):

House Democrats are facing a watershed moment, and they need new leadership at the helm that can steady the ship and bring it back on course.

As they wrestle with an identity crisis and intraparty friction, House Democrats need fresh faces at the top who can infuse their caucus with energy and a sense of unity and optimism. Resolving the burgeoning conflict between the progressives and moderates in the House will require leaders with a new attitude and a novel approach.

The seismic primary upset that a young political novice in New York scored over a powerful incumbent who was touted as a possible speaker of the House is just the latest wake-up call for House Democrats. In an era when the conventional political playbook has been turned on its head, House Democrats need to try something different and move away from a timeworn model that has essentially become obsolete.

N. AARON TROODLER

BALA CYNWYD, PA.

The Forthcoming U.S. Peace Plan for Israel and the Palestinians

As the quality of life for Palestinians and Gazans continues deteriorating, Mahmoud Abbas has a moral and social obligation to his citizens to consider the United States’ forthcoming peace plan.

Jared Kushner is correct in challenging Abbas and questioning his commitment to peace, in light of his historic reluctance to make any concessions in order to achieve regional stability. What Abbas must recognize is that peace will not be handed to him on a silver platter. Like any negotiation, it will require a meeting of the minds and a degree of compromise among each of the principals before an agreement can be attained.

Instead of automatically discounting the American proposal, Abbas should contemplate how it could help the Palestinians get back on their feet. If there is an economic stimulus component incorporated into the U.S. plan, it would be a dereliction of duty for Abbas not to study it. It is time for Abbas to let go of the past, look towards the future, and finally focus on the people, not politics.

Lower Merion Yeshivot March Together in Celebrate Israel Parade

The following, which appeared in the Philadelphia Jewish Voice and on Yeshiva World News on June 7, 2018, is my write-up about the collaboration among three Orthodox Jewish Day Schools in Lower Merion, PA, each of whom worked together to ensure that the Greater Philadelphia area would be well represented at this year’s Celebrate Israel Parade in New York City, an important annual event in support of the State of Israel.

http://pjvoice.org/2018/06/07/lower-merion-yeshivot-march-together-at-the-celebrate-israel-parade/#.WxnrL5PwY1i

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/1534561/lower-merion-yeshivot-march-together-in-celebrate-israel-parade.html

LOWER MERION YESHIVOT MARCH TOGETHER IN CELEBRATE ISRAEL PARADE

By: N. Aaron Troodler

Carrying their large banners and waving Israeli flags with pride, three local Orthodox Jewish Day Schools from the Greater Philadelphia area marched together up Fifth Avenue in New York City on Sunday, June 3rd as part of the Celebrate Israel Parade.

For the first time ever, Caskey Torah Academy (Wynnewood), Kohelet Yeshiva (Merion Station), and The Mesivta High School of Greater Philadelphia (Bala Cynwyd) marched jointly under the banner of “The Yeshivot of Lower Merion, PA.” The three schools, which collectively educate over 600 students in the Greater Philadelphia area, traveled to Manhattan to take part in this exciting celebration marking 70 years since the founding of the modern State of Israel. Approximately 200 students, parents and grandparents representing the three Lower Merion schools walked proudly along the parade route, singing Hebrew songs and dancing along the way.

“Caskey Torah Academy was proud to march in the Celebrate Israel Parade in New York City and demonstrate our solidarity with and support for our homeland, the State of Israel,” said Caskey Torah Academy Head of School Rabbi Isaac Entin. “Our parents and students were thrilled to march up 5th Avenue, dancing and waving their Israeli flags in support of Israel!”

The three Lower Merion yeshivot, which were among the approximately 120 other groups who marched in the parade, focused on this year’s parade theme, which was “70 and Sababa.” The Hebrew word “Sababa” is commonly used by Israelis to indicate that something is fantastic or awesome. In celebration of the fact that in just 70 short years, the State of Israel has developed and advanced in incredible ways, this year’s Celebrate Israel Parade organizers urged participating schools and synagogues to focus on what they think is “Sababa” about Israel.

In keeping with this year’s parade theme, Caskey Torah Academy and Kohelet Yeshiva Middle School conducted a survey among their middle school students in the weeks leading up to the parade and asked them what they believed is so “Sababa” about Israel. The Kohelet Yeshiva Middle School students, who determined that Israeli food and the innovative ways in which Israel uses solar, wind, and water power are some of the most fantastic things about Israel, incorporated these motifs into their artwork as they designed their parade banner.

“I told our families that those sworn to Israel’s destruction have proven themselves willing to march in the most adverse of circumstances for what they believe in,” said Kohelet Yeshiva Head of School Rabbi Dr. Gil Perl. “Now it is our turn, as passionate supporters of Israel, to show the world that we’re willing to march too. Seen against that backdrop, a three-hour bus ride to and from Manhattan is hardly a reason to keep anyone away.”

“By coming to the parade, it’s a way for us as Americans to show our solidarity and support our brothers and sisters in Israel,” said Rabbi Gershon Schwartz, the Dean of Students at The Mesivta High School of Greater Philadelphia. “In addition, the fact that we can all come together and march for the same purpose is something really special and shows our true Achdus (unity).”