Brooklyn: I would like to correct the misrepresentation of my values that were included in Wednesday’s op-ed (“Councilmember Shahana Hanif ignores Jew-hatred,” April 17). My track record is clear: I stand firmly against the abhorrent rise in antisemitism and I have been consistent in supporting my constituents against hate violence.
This is a fight that I have been deeply engaged in. When a group of young Muslim boys were caught throwing eggs at their Jewish neighbors in Kensington, I convened an interfaith coalition to educate them about the impacts of antisemitism. When a bomb threat was made against a synagogue in my district during Rosh Hashanah, I was on site as a community safety volunteer. When there are instances of vandalism and graffiti, I coordinate with the relevant city agencies to ensure swift removal.
I’ve also authored Intro. 203, which, if passed, would require city agencies to dedicate resources to fighting and preventing antisemitism on an annual basis. Additionally, as co-chair of the City Council’s Task Force to Combat Hate, I am convening a roundtable of Jewish students next month to hear about how we can better address their needs.
And to be clear: I categorically denounce the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7. I continue to mourn all of the lives that were lost on that day and share my deepest sympathies to those grieving.
To my Jewish neighbors: Please know that fighting antisemitism is and has always been central to my work in District 39 and in City Hall. I am in your corner. Councilmember Shahana Hanif
North Bergen, N.J.: Columbia President Minouche Shafik should review what happened to Kent State University students in 1970. When administrators became intolerant of protests, protesters were mercilessly gunned down. I always thought Columbia University was a bastion of free speech and liberalism. Apparently, not for Palestinians. This Boomer sees it as shameful. Angel Jimenez
Brooklyn: The demonstrations at Columbia University were led by Arab students who, like their co-religionists back home, do not want to live in an orderly society. And like the Palestinians, who have been attacking Israel daily for years, these students want Jews to leave Columbia. The Arab students have made it impossible for anyone to study, but now that they have been arrested, they are aggrieved. They didn’t follow the rules and they have made life miserable for Jewish students, but as usual, the Palestinian students are the victims. How long is the U.S. going to allow these demonstrations and these cries of “poor little me” from the Palestinians to continue? Soon, Americans will understand why it is impossible to get along with followers of radical Islam. Just because people are Ivy Leaguers doesn’t mean they aren’t radicals. Barbara Barran
Manhattan: I think what’s missing in the media narrative is an account of how this immediate round of violence in Israel and Gaza began. Hamas made no effort to hide what they did on Oct. 7. One of Israel’s biggest problems is its abysmal public relations. Israelis are certainly more adept on the battlefield than they are in making their case on television and social media. One of Israel’s mistakes, in my view, was not to release the 40-minute footage that was compiled from Hamas’ own footage. It would be useful to show the world the brutality of that day, and to lay bare the vile nature of those who Israel is fighting. I recall that America’s entry into World War II commenced with Pearl Harbor. It ended with the dispatch of two atomic bombs. It’s easy to preach proportionality and restraint when you exempt yourself from that doctrine. Daniel Dolgicer
Bronx: The stark difference in priorities between Republicans and Democrats is symbolized perfectly by the recent decision in Florida’s legislature to deny workers brief respite from oppressive heat. The legislature prohibited local governments from passing humane laws to protect workers, including requiring water breaks, pointing out that such actions could hurt businesses. Anyone still confused about who each party represents now have an easy and obvious answer. David Fisher
Brooklyn: Americans learn that Detroit is in the midst of a measles outbreak. As an educator and native New Yorker, why are our new arrivals not required to follow the simplest rules that everyone else has to follow? NYC public schools exclude current students from school buildings if their immunizations are not up to date. Why are any students permitted to attend school without immunizations, putting other students, staff and families at risk? President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris: The border is not secure. If we permit people to break our laws to enter our country, why are we not requiring these same individuals to follow the same laws as everyone else? Has COVID taught us nothing? Susan Caprio
Ashburn, Va.: For years, former President Trump has been clear about the kind of immigrants he wants coming to the United States: People from (white) “places like Norway” and not from “s-hole countries like Haiti and Africa.” But he’s also made criticizing the handling of our southern border a focal point of his campaign. He frequently talks about the flow of Latino immigrants into the U.S.: They’re “poisoning the blood of our country.” I could be wrong, but it seems that if we’re not white, Trump has no use for us. What should we expect if he’s reelected? Mike Barrett
Massapequa, L.I.: So, Dozey Bone Spurs won’t be able to go to his son’s graduation (“Don felony trial finally underway,” April 16). Has Donnie ever attended any school functions his son was involved in? A game, a play, a teacher’s conference? Did he ever have a catch with him or take him to Central Park and teach him to ride a bike? I doubt it. I am sorry to bring his son into tRump’s trial, but he put his son front and center on hush money trial Day 1. Ron Boehning
Far Rockaway: So, I’m watching a segment of “Morning Joe” entitled “Trump’s critics come crawling back” (you know: Bill Barr, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Kevin McCarthy, etc.) and I hear refrains of a song by Huey Lewis and The News: “I Want a New Drug.” Ora Reed
Bronx: If, after Guy Rivera shot at and missed hitting a man he tried to rob in 2016, he had been prosecuted for attempted murder and sentenced to life without parole, he would not have been free to murder Detective Jonathan Diller. Angel DeJesus told his ex-girlfriend Belkis Lopez, “If I can’t have you, no one will.” After murdering her, he got 25 years. In 2049, he will be free to kill again. But in the 1970s, the FBI withheld from the trial of Leonard Peltier their own ballistics test proving he was innocent of killing two of their agents. Peltier remains in prison and only presidential clemency can free him, but every president for decades has refused to act. Richard Warren
Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.: It was hard not to notice Gov. Phil Murphy’s tepid-at-best protest against New York State’s punitive congestion pricing money grab. Miraculously, it now appears that New Jersey will be sharing in this extortion racket. When it comes to Murphy and Gov. Hochul, who for a second thought dirty politics and secret backroom deals were dead? Michael P. Devine
Ledyard, Conn.: I have a suggestion. We know that there are toxic chemicals and materials being released into the environment. Rather than spending time arguing about climate change, we should use our resources to work together to reduce the appalling contamination of our planet driven by greed. We spend far too much time fighting over who is right rather than what is right. Lisa Allen
Readers sound off opposing antisemitism, Columbia student protests and Trump’s parenting
8
0
21.04.2024
Brooklyn: I would like to correct the misrepresentation of my values that were included in Wednesday’s op-ed (“Councilmember Shahana Hanif ignores Jew-hatred,” April 17). My track record is clear: I stand firmly against the abhorrent rise in antisemitism and I have been consistent in supporting my constituents against hate violence.
This is a fight that I have been deeply engaged in. When a group of young Muslim boys were caught throwing eggs at their Jewish neighbors in Kensington, I convened an interfaith coalition to educate them about the impacts of antisemitism. When a bomb threat was made against a synagogue in my district during Rosh Hashanah, I was on site as a community safety volunteer. When there are instances of vandalism and graffiti, I coordinate with the relevant city agencies to ensure swift removal.
I’ve also authored Intro. 203, which, if passed, would require city agencies to dedicate resources to fighting and preventing antisemitism on an annual basis. Additionally, as co-chair of the City Council’s Task Force to Combat Hate, I am convening a roundtable of Jewish students next month to hear about how we can better address their needs.
And to be clear: I categorically denounce the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7. I continue to mourn all of the lives that were lost on that day and share my deepest sympathies to those grieving.
To my Jewish neighbors: Please know that fighting antisemitism is and has always been central to my work in District 39 and in City Hall. I am in your corner. Councilmember Shahana Hanif
North Bergen, N.J.: Columbia President Minouche Shafik should review what happened to Kent State University students in 1970. When administrators became intolerant of protests, protesters were mercilessly gunned down. I always thought Columbia University was a bastion of free speech and liberalism. Apparently, not for Palestinians. This Boomer sees it as........
© NY Daily News
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Rami G Khouri
Nikkei Editorial
