Letters to the Editor: Toby F. Block

Letter to the Editor,

I agree with Dave Schechter. Reform Judaism recognizes the children of Jewish fathers as Jews if the children receive Jewish educations and affirm their Jewish status at the time of their bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies. We also must recognize that there are many people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, who have been urging Israel to work toward achieving a ceasefire in the hopes that ending the current fighting will bring peace to Israel and its neighbors.

These people fail to realize how the atrocities of October 7, 2023, changed the rules of engagement between Israel and her enemies.

Israelis were well-protected from the missiles terrorist groups frequently fired at Israeli population centers; they were accustomed to getting to their shelters quickly and Iron Dome destroyed most missiles likely to hit inhabited land. On October 7, families were burned alive in their safe rooms and having a personal weapon or two couldn’t stop gangs of rapists and murderers who set homes afire or broke through safe room doors.

Palestinians cheered when Hamas promised to inflict a thousand October 7’s on Israelis. Israel correctly concluded that its continued existence required a complete victory over Hamas, a demilitarization of Gaza, and a deradicalization of the Palestinians. Israel is not seeking revenge; rather, it is attempting to free Palestinians from Hamas’ abuse and laying the groundwork for future peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis. Despite claims of Israel committing genocide in Gaza, Israeli forces are working hard to avoid civilian casualties and have been extremely successful in those efforts.

https://www.algemeiner.com/2024/11/29/yes-the-idf-is-the-moral-army-that-it-claims-to-be/

Toby F. Block, Atlanta, GA