Dear Editor:
Four groups of liberal Rabbis consisting of conservative, reform, and reconstructionist clergy, responded to President Trump's initial remarks pertaining to Charlottesville by saying that they did not want our President to send telephonic greetings for our New Year to them.
I am sure there is not one word in our Torah, the Talmud, or any commentary which would direct or suggest that anyone refuse to take a greeting call for the New Year from the President of our country because of dissatisfaction with his verbal response to a horrible occurrence.
The Rabbis have the absolute right to criticize our president's statement; however, I think their reaction was entirely too severe.
I believe that these same Rabbis should spend more of their time on helping Israel rather than precluding our President from sending New Year's greetings to them and their parishioners.
Would these same Rabbis refuse to take a New Year's greeting call from Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahoud Abbas who names buildings and schools in honor of terrorists who have murdered innocent Israeli civilians, and who makes monthly payments to families of terrorists who are in Israeli prisons for murder and other violent acts?
Have any of these Rabbis ever publicly chastised Abbas for his conduct or the acts of the Palestinian government?
Have any of these Rabbis ever demanded that the PLO and Hamas annul their formal charters, and Fatah annul its constitution, all of which unequivocally call for the destruction of Israel?
Respectfully,
William K. Langfan