Readers sound off on the Jewish dilemma, reusable plastics and slaughterhouse workers

This conflict is also an internal one for many

Dartmouth, Mass.: American Jews are constantly faced with the issue of what position to take vis-à-vis Israel and the Palestinians, particularly when hostilities become atrocities.

Do you identify as a Jew, an American or a humanitarian? As a Jew, the memories of the Nazi genocide can never be erased and are forever a reminder of the existential threat to Jews everywhere. As an American, should the strategic, political and financial considerations be the main concerns as we provide unmitigated assistance to Israel and possibly provoke an expansion of the murderous hostilities? Or should the humanitarian and ethical considerations supersede all others and dictate application of proportionality to an incredibly difficult situation?

How far back do you go to justify the position you take? Does historical and unremitting antisemitism always justify Israel’s seemingly disproportionate responses to aggression, holding all Palestinians responsible for the avowed eradication of a Jewish state? Does “never again” equate with “Israel, right or wrong”?

As an American, do you weigh the international implications of subsidizing Israel even at the possible risk of hostilities with other nations? Can America afford the financial drain of subsidizing two nations at war simultaneously?

Or should your personal and final verdict be guided by your humanitarian and ethical standards, putting emotional, ethnological, political and strategic motivations aside? Betty Ussach

Lethal embrace

Plainview, L.I.: To Voicer Steven Hyler: You mention that one potential solution seems to be overlooked. Then you also mention that Hamas, the governing authority of Gaza, should lay down their arms and surrender unconditionally to Israel. It would be a cold day in hell before either side surrenders. The only solution would be to give each side the atomic bomb with a button to push after they pray at the exact same time. Whoever survives will finally live in peace together. Frank Mauceri

Refreshing read

Little Egg Harbor, N.J.: I applaud the letter written by Voicer Andrellos Mitchell about war in the Mideast. It was excellent and very well written. I share his opinions. It is a pleasure to read commentary with such class. I must add that wars are an attempted solution by world governments for which innocent civilians pay the price. Why can’t there be a peaceful solution that is fair to all involved? Georgia Dolack

Curious drop

Long Branch, N.J.: Could someone please explain to me why gas prices are going down? There are two wars ongoing. Neither Russia, Saudi Arabia nor any other OPEC members have increased oil production, COVID-19 is over for the most part, kids are back in school, people are going back to work, people are driving again. So, what’s causing gas prices to go down? Lenzy Kelley

In remembrance

Commack, L.I.: Every year on Oct. 22, my thoughts are with my Dutch grandfather, Louis Kloot. I have traced his family back to the year 1550, in Amsterdam. I never got to meet him or know him, or my Dutch grandmother, Anna, and my uncle Juda. They also happened to have been Jewish. My grandfather tossed a note out of the train on his way to Auschwitz, wishing my mother the best with the birth of her baby. He died on Oct. 22, 1942 — the day I was born in a Catholic hospital 16 miles from Amsterdam. May he and my family members who lost their lives during the Holocaust never be forgotten. Yvonne Fitzner

Sing-spiration

Manhattan: It’s a small thing, but I enjoyed Friday’s “Between the Lines” strip. After the initial read, I re-read it and waited the required beat before reading the second bubble. I’m now going to find the song and listen to it. Vanessa Enger

Embrace it

Brooklyn: Voicer Maxim Veksler objects to being yelled at by “some middle-aged lady” who limits his freedom, and being forced to learn “things” he won’t use after he turns 21. Guess what? Intelligent people never stop learning. Enjoy your time in school. Learn everything. No one ever suffered from a good education. Change your attitude and improve your prospects and future. Anne Slamka

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Bennington, Vt.: I recently read an article about recycling that claimed “recycling is cleaner and more energy-efficient than mining, refining and processing new items from raw resources.” I think this is an important topic. While 30 years ago, recycling — and companies actually breaking it down and reusing it — would have done wonders in slowing the hole we’ve dug ourselves into, recycling isn’t enough anymore. The only way to make real progress on the climate change crisis is to source reduce — that is, reduce the amount of plastic we make, use and recycle, and create and shift to more plastic-free alternatives. This can mean using glass containers for restaurant leftovers, using reusable napkins and cups and challenging companies to use biodegradable packaging. Many plastics average about an hour lifespan before being thrown out, and can’t be recycled. We have the means to make this shift. Lindsey M. Leggett

The right wrong guy

Scarsdale, N.Y.: I am puzzled and surprised the Republicans could not elect Jim Jordan speaker of the House. He has all of the qualities they seem to embrace. He is a mediocre congressman who never created any legislation. He appeared to be a man given to questionable character and ethics. And finally, to me, Jordan always showed he was more wrestling coach than congressman. Harvey Wielstein

The tide is turning?

New City, N.Y.: In light of “flippers” against Trump, I have a modicum of hope for us that this will turn the tide of disinformation (lies) in politics and expose the 2020 election lies perpetrated by the former president. Will his followers start to see that he used them for his own egotistical, greedy purposes? Can truth become valid once again in America? There is no other way we can survive if it doesn’t. Christine Ierardi

Shortstop shortchanged

Somers, N.Y.: Thursday’s Daily News sports section included a big headline and article dealing with the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe and Anthony Rizzo being Gold Glove finalists. Fine, I have no problem with reporting this, although Rizzo only played in 92 games. Now what I’ve been looking for is an article dealing with Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor named as a Gold Glove finalist. I haven’t seen one yet. Mets are also a New York team. I find the selective reporting disturbing. Please give the Mets and Lindor their recognition. Michael Gold

House of horrors

Washington: With Halloween around the corner, people are flocking to haunted houses, many of which are slaughterhouse themed, with slaughterhouse workers or butchers as the villains. But the reality is they suffer right alongside the animals they kill. It is no surprise that slaughterhouses are places without mercy. The animals that enter face their gruesome deaths, often after equally horrific and short lives. It is easy to blame their suffering solely on the person that ends their life but firsthand accounts from slaughterhouse workers show that the disregard for the welfare of living creatures includes humans. Workers suffer physically and mentally, including from depression and PTSD. Pushed to the brink by corporate demands, slaughterhouse workers often have nowhere else to go and have little to no resources available to them. This Halloween, dress up as something truly scary, like a Tyson, Perdue or Smithfield executive. Addison K. Lantz

Back to what?

Manhattan: “New York is back. Back from the pandemic and back in person.” Fred Krupp’s op-ed (“Congestion pricing is N.Y.’s best route forward,” Oct 20) opens with this astonishing falsehood and then only goes downhill from there. NYC remains probably the most unrecovered post-pandemic big city in the U.S. Taking a long walk from downtown to uptown Manhattan, one sees endless rows of vacant retail space, including both fancy commercial office space and small mom-and-pop stores that closed down and have not come back. Under these circumstances, the city should have thought thrice before imposing substantial extra financial burdens on businesses operating here. In fact, congestion pricing will make goods and services significantly more expensive in all the boroughs of  New York City, not just in Manhattan, and not only for people who drive cars. That should have been a much bigger part of the discussion before the congestion pricing plan was adopted. Ilya Kapovich