You can’t deny a genocide that’s in full view
Manhattan: Avi Weiss, a Jewish theologian and author, has quite a way with words (“Gaza recalls ancient antisemitic tropes,” op-ed, Aug. 10). In using columns of Daily News opinion space, he deftly justifies Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. He concludes that the world hates Jews, and that calling what is happening in Gaza “genocide” stems from that fact.
Weiss distills every war crime accusation leveled toward Israel into one by simply saying, “Oops, we made a few mistakes, Israel isn’t the first country to ever make a mistake in war, and after all, their cause is just because Hamas still wants to destroy them.” He doesn’t mention how Hamas might ever invade Israel again, but he needed to save space for his other defenses. What Daily News opinion supporting Israel is complete without the requisite “history of antisemitism” lesson? He wonders why the world isn’t upset with other places where bad stuff is happening. Next, he pivots to Israel’s exceptional humanitarian efforts in Gaza, better than any other country ever.
If he doesn’t like the word “genocide” to describe what is happening in Gaza, what would he use? What word best describes the displacement of almost 2 million people, the destruction of more than 90% of their housing, their sewage and water treatment, electricity, every school and hospital and their mosques? What word describes the killing of more than 60,000 non-combatants? What describes dropping bombs on women and children as they slept in tents in the cold? What describes starving children begging for food at distribution sites and being murdered by gunfire? If you can find a better word for all of that than genocide, by all means, use that. However, there is one word you may not use: “justified.” Steven Davies
Tech titan
Brooklyn: I look forward to reading The News daily and have to add my 2 cents. How lucky we all are to have technology that we depend on for daily life — Waze, Firewall and at least 60 more items that we all use for medical or personal use. Guess who invented all these amazing products: Israel. Instead of hating Israel, look online at what inventions Israel is responsible for. Without Israeli technology, you would be using road maps. Remember them? What about the pill camera to look into your bodies? Israel invented that. Learn to stop hating and start saying thank you. Civia Blitman
Not again
Manhattan: Deploying the National Guard in D.C. — another costly and pointless assignment that the mercurial President Trump is shouting about to distract from his administration’s abject failures on the economy, foreign relations, the environment and more. I guess he’s doing this because it went so well when he pulled that stunt in L.A. The National Guard pulled out of that city, bored and demoralized, after weeks of nothing to do. Way to go trying to repeat that failure. Richard Mark
National issue
Darien, Conn.: The felon now wants to get rid of all the homeless people in D.C. Please tell him that every state has homeless people. Leave D.C. alone. Dan Singer
Persistent problems
Tamarac, Fla.: Regarding the National Guard in D.C., crime could be dropping based on data compiled by police departments. Data has been shown to be skewed at times. Crime seems constant, whether it is in the home or in public per news reports. This tells me that, like with guns, the message for safety is not being adhered to. Crime has many causes: family structure, poverty, peer influence and rampant action movies. When there is a problem, work is committed tirelessly in communities, families, within social service organizations and in prisons to fix the problem. Safety and peaceful living is paramount. Federal law enforcement will possibly help. We shall observe. Louis Cohen
It happens
Bronx: Growing up on a farm in Ireland, I know a little bit about horses, and apparently, a lot more than the people against having carriage horses giving rides in Central Park. Horses are living beings. They get sick and die, sometimes for no apparent reason. It happens to horses, cows, sheep and people. A lot of horses don’t have stables, never mind stables with stablemen on the premises 24 hours a day. Most horses aren’t required to have two physicals a year. The carriage horses do. Leave the carriage horses and drivers alone. Mary O’Brien
Distracting hairdos
Bronx: Channel 7 WABC-TV has to do something about the wigs and hair extensions its ladies wear on-air. The ladies on “The View” and “Live with Kelly and Mark,” the meteorologists, anchors, reporters, the game shows, the ads — it seems that their hair volume increases weekly to the point where what they have to say is secondary to the toppings on their heads. I hope they never have to deal with head lice, squirrels or birds nesting there. It’s time to tone the manes down to at least unsheered-sheep size. Rose Mary Lancaster
Inaccurate ads
Islip, L.I.: How many more ridiculous Jardiance commercials can they make!? I have diabetes and I don’t feel like dancing. Pat Brown
Son of privilege
Massapequa, L.I.: Once again, New Yorkers will be voting for a mayor in an upcoming election. Will they finally wake up and elect someone who cares about crime, the cleanliness of the city and its taxpayers? Zohran Mamdani, a candidate who has talked about defunding the NYPD and talks tough about taxing the millionaires/billionaires, is the son of millionaires and also an assemblyman making $142,000 and living in a rent-regulated apartment. He’s nothing but a hypocrite who will break the backs of New York’s hard-working taxpayers. Michael Greaney
Personal fortune
Manhattan: Mamdani just got married in a million-dollar ceremony and took a lavish honeymoon, which should raise questions about his wealth. How does he afford such a lavish lifestyle and still call for socialism? Edward Drossman
Outside agitator
Staten Island: It’s particularly rich for a Voicer like Rose S. Wilson to take Sen. Elizabeth Warren to task for meddling in NYC politics by promoting Mamdani for mayor and not being a New York resident. I respectfully suggest that you follow your own advice by focusing on N.J., and leave us New Yorkers to make our own decisions. Ellen Settanni
Un-American ideologies
Ashburn, Va.: The American people have elected a fascist president who has no empathy for the poor and no respect for the courts, the Constitution or democratic principles. The people of America’s largest city are poised to elect a mayor who is a small “c” communist, a man who has ignored Margaret Thatcher’s warning that the problem with communism and socialism is that you soon run out of other people’s money. Many of our elected representatives are content to sit by and watch all this happen. Men and women of principle and integrity are leaving government. Wise men have been forgotten and are like prophets in the wilderness. When will the madness end? When will we as a society come to our senses before it is too late? Mike Barrett
Still stinks
Whitestone: To Voicer Lynn Fodor: I absolutely do not throw “raw food” directly into the can without a liner. And I use clear bags at all times for each item I dispose of, just as you described. And I follow the instructions exactly as stated by the city of New York, so do not assume that I throw raw food directly into the can, etc.! Marlene Torino
Breaking barriers
Huntington, L.I.: I read with interest your article on Saturday about baseball umpire Jen Pawol’s promotion to the major leagues and her becoming the first-ever female MLB umpire (“She’s in!” Aug. 8). It reminded me of my relative, Albert D. “Dolly” Stark, who became the first-ever Jewish American major league umpire in 1928. Stark overcame great personal hardship to achieve this distinction. His story, and that of Pawol, demonstrate that any person with the right combination of skill, hard work and pluck, can contribute at the highest level to our great national pastime. Tom Cohn
