01 Dec Speak Your Vues
SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER
Please note that the author of Speak Your Vues is in no way affiliated with the publisher of this paper. The author of this column is an independent third party contributor. The views and opinions expressed by this author may not reflect the views and opinions of the publishers. If one has any issues with any of the views, please write a letter to the Vues Master.
SOME PERSONAL HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Dear Vues Master:
As the resurgence of the virus helps seal Donald Trump’s fate, I face the re-suspension of jury trials in NYC and continued incarceration of clients who languish in jail waiting to be tried by a jury of their peers. While my reality illustrates that there are circumstances which we simply cannot control, our democratic constitutional construct continues to grant its citizenry a modicum of informed choice. Thus it shocks the conscience that a majority of American Jews voted for the Democratic candidate, even after our likely future president intimated that re-entry into the 2015 Iran “deal”, which is not worth the paper it’s written on, is a near certainty. I am saddened that I am now constrained to direct our communities collective memories back to October of 1973 when Israel’s existence teetered on the edge of extinction, and to ponder Israel’s destiny as Iran moves its centrifuges underground to Natanz and stockpiles its enriched uranium with the stated intention of incinerating Israel. In 1973 the Jewish community acted with alacrity and our President and his Secretary of State quickly instituted an emergency airlift of arms and supplies to our brethren. While it was too late for the many Hesder boys on the Golan Heights who were incinerated in their tanks or summarily butchered after being taken prisoner, the bravery of the U.S. in the face of nuclear confrontation with Russia helped stem the tide of hundreds of Russian made Syrian, Sudanese, Jordanian and Iraqi T-52 tanks rampaging past Kibbutz Ramat Ha’Magshimim, preparing to descend to the Kinneret, rejoicing in the contemplation of their final solution for Jewish children. My nineteen year old BMT Madrich Sareal Z’’zl was one of those Gush Hesder boys. A gentle soul who rattled my dorm room every morning at 6:30 a.m.-” Zvi -zman lakum lahitpalel”. Who rushed from Yom Kippur davening up North to the Heights that terrible first day, barely pulling on his helmet before being consumed in his tank And what of the shadowy men who appeared in vans at YU asking for our help – and several of us working 15 hour days with them refitting a huge freighter at the Port of Newark for the transport of desperately needed arms to Israel. All of this upon the tacit approval of our government. I relate these vivid memories not to seek approbation all of these years later for what had to be done, but to insure that all of you who voted in the new administration remain vigilant, and exhort Hashem to protect our families, as the Iranians spin their centrifuges and the Palestinian Authority is again funded by the U.S. for their “Kill and Pay” of Israeli children. The gatekeeper has been displaced- the Barbarians are at the gate once more.
HDS
Vues Master’s Note: It would seem that we have no one to rely on but Hashem Ein Od Milvado!
HOW WILL IT END?
Dear Vues Master:
With tonight’s Federal Court decision in Pennsylvania rejecting all the Trump arguments, along with yesterday’s Georgia certification and the same outcome Monday in Michigan, it’s clear to everyone that this circus is over. That is clear to everyone, except the Trumpkopf, who I suspect knows the outcome but has his own psychological and financial incentives to drag it out a bit longer. So does anyone have an idea HOW it will end. We know it will not be a statesmanlike concession coupled with a graceful meeting with Biden. Will he simply fly down to Mar aLago and never return for the Biden inauguration letting Pence run the show for the final few weeks (while he focuses on pardons)? Will he try to salvage a sliver of his legacy by acknowledging the outcome while insisting there was likely some fraud that might have influenced the outcome? Or will he fight on until January 20th forcing the secret service to literally drag him down the WH driveway and fly him out of town while Biden is being sworn in across town at the Capital? How does this movie end?
JH
Vues Master’s Note: Time will tell. Just wait and see. Fasten your seat belts!
TRUMP IN JAIL
Dear Vues Master:
When Rush Limbaugh starts mocking Trump’s legal team and questioning whether there is any evidence of fraud, you know it’s time to close up shop. Now that the Donald has given his blessing to the transition, we can face the facts. This election was never any different than any other outside of one distinction. This election had a petulant child as a candidate. A whiner, a cry baby, a sore loser and simply a loser. Trump lost fair and square. He will go down in history having been a lousy businessman, negotiator, leader and lastly the worst president in history. I can’t be happier to see this rasha gone. Off to jail Mr. Trump. Off you go.
HH
Vues Master’s Note: I can’t believe the way some people are kofuy tov. You may not like Trump personally but he did a lot of good for us Jews while he was President. I wonder how you will feel about Biden once he unravels all of what Trump did to help Israel?
SPECIAL ED
Dear Vues Master:
Under the staggered approach to reopening schools that you laid out on Monday, it is my understanding that students with disabilities-who attend the city’s District 75 schools would be the first to return to school. I ask you to urge the Department of Education to include all of New York City’s special education students in the first phase of re-entry. Remote learning is failing many students with special education needs who are educated in less restrictive school settings. Phase one of re-entry appears to omit students in BiY programs and others with intensive support services who do not attend District 75 schools. Educators and parents agree that these children are part of our most vulnerable student population. Without hands on instruction provided by teachers and therapists, they are suffering from educational neglect. In-person services are vital to their education and New York City’s failure to provide them will have enduring repercussions. Heartbreaking requests from parents of children with Autism, Down syndrome and other special learning needs are flooding my office. School closures pose an unprecedented challenge to everyone, but special needs students are bearing the greatest burden. As reopening plans are underway, I urge you to expand the first phase opportunities for in-person education to all students with IEPs. We must ensure that in-person education is a safe reality for all of NYC’s special needs students immediately.
Sincerely, ST and SF
Vues Master’s Note: Sometimes I feel that DeBlasio has selective hearing. He is nuts and the fact he shut down schools in the first place makes him a bozo!
BIDEN Dear Vues Master:
People should stop panicking about Biden bringing socialism to America. His type of politician is not known for keeping promises.
SS
Vues Master’s Note: Yes! I am more scared of what he did not promise. He has the left squad behind him. Who knows what damage these buffoons will carry out!
SCHOOL LUNCH
Dear Vues Master:
Random fact of the week: Did you know that school lunches can stick to walls? Surprising but true!!
JJ
Vues Master’s Note: Especially since school has been closed for a few weeks it will stick much better!!
VIRUS
Dear Vues Master:
People who say that doctors and experts don’t understand how COVID-19 works might not really understand what that means. It is true that this is a new virus and that a lot of specific details are not known yet about it. However, scientists know a great deal about how viruses in general work. This virus isn’t actually that unique and different, and methods that work against most other viruses usually work against it as well.
SD
Vues Master’s Note: That is not true as the dr.’s are saying that this virus works differently than any other virus!
LIVE AND LET LIVE
Dear Vues Master:
It’s a whole lot easier to live and let live when not dying from COVID-19.
SD
Vues Master’s Note: Of Course! Once one is dead that kills all precautions! Remember this virus kills! Only because the media hyped it up! The flu kills people too. People are dying all the time. I guess that is why there is a fence around the cemetery because people are dying to get in!
MUSIC
Dear Vues Master:
I find it interesting how the Jewish music style changed over the past years. It has become more like the goyishe style. Loud beats and noise. When Abish Brodt came out with his series Regesh, he said the point was that there be a Jewish music style different from the goyishe style. His composer Shmuel Brazil has written many beautiful classics such as ‘’Modeh Ani’’ and ‘’mimkomcha’’ which people still sing till today. (Abish Brodt has recently put out a new album, bracha meshuleshes, featuring many regesh classics.) There were many other great singers back in the day such as Dedi, and the group the rabbis’ sons. And in can I leave out Reb Shlomo Carebach a’h who was king in Jewish music. How many of his nigunim do we still sing today! You can’t have a kumzitz without a carlebach song. Unfortunately we don’t have this old style anymore. Today over don’t hear music anymore? You hear noise. While there are still many beautiful songs today, we are still missing the good old style.
KJ
Vues Master’s Note: Every generation complains that the next generation’s music is lacking. We all like being in our comfort zone!
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
Dear Vues Master:
A Holocaust museum in south Florida decided to host an exhibit on the murder of George Floyd. While educating the public about hate and intolerance is commendable and necessary, placing an exhibit of a man killed by a brutal cop in the context of the systematic genocide by the Nazi state and enterprise is to distort, and demean the memory of six million Jews. There are many good places to host a Floyd exhibit and teach the important lessons of that episode but a Holocaust museum is certainly not one of them.
D H
Vues Master’s Note: You are missing the boat! They want to belittle the holocaust so they pot an exhibit of a criminal who got killed albeit he did not deserve it. Whereas they now depict all holocaust victims as criminals who were killed via police brutality. This is the left’s way of justifying anti Semitism by depicting Jews as criminals and thereby attacking Israel. Welcome to the Squad!!
CENSORSHIP
Dear Vues Master: It seems that the jokes are true and “informative articles” have a lot of falsehood. This joke is going around now but is old news. Even when it comes to the topic of v…….nation. You know something is true when: Facebook deletes it Twitter blocks it YouTube bans it Censorship is real!
RK
Vues Master’s Note: How did this letter sneak through our censorship? We are living in a double standard. If one says there is election fraud it is flagged. If one denies the holocaust it is not flagged!!
SOLUTION WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM
Dear Vues Master:
It is disturbing to see articles that are in almost total worship to the “church of modern medicine” The people who make these products are not God fearing to say the least. They are atheists that believe the world and people are imperfect and they have to control and fix it. Hashem is in charge. A person has a mitzvah to do hishtadlus to keep healthy. And what that hishtadlus should be is not to be decided by the companies that make these products and all politicians that benefit from them. Please be careful. This is going to be a hot topic. Stand up for your fellow human rights to govern their own bodies so you don’t lose yours. All we hear is efficacy efficacy efficacy… Where is safety safety safety??? It is being pushed under the rug. Again… the solution can’t be worse than the problem. And efficacy means that they had reduced symptoms. It does nothing to stop the spread!
FS
Vues Master’s Note: Well going to the Liquor store is essential. Going to Shul is not. Nuff said!
LORD J SACKS Z”L
Dear Vues Master:
I read a number of articles about Harav Lord Sacks in different magazines since his petirah. I wanted to compliment Rabbi Pini Dunner on his version. The article was so beautifully written, with so much heart and warmth. One gets to see the great man but even more than that one gets to see the human being. I always admired Rav Sacks over the years. His public persona which was always dignified and impressive. After reading Rabbi Dunner’s article, my admiration is stronger and deeper. We see a man who was caring, considerate and in no way full of himself. We also get to see the loving husband and father. A great man in every way. A terrible loss to us all.
T A
Vues Master’s Note: Yes! Klal Yisroel will definitely miss him!
GREAT PAPER
Dear Vues Master: Just wanted to express that I am a big fan of the Jewish Vues. That being said I wanted to point out a small correction. In issue Nov 25th, page 54 the Author in his very intriguing article quotes the wrong Daf from Brachos regarding source for “‘one who is afraid of the evil eye should say I’m a descendant from Yosef etc It mistakenly said it’s Brachos 55a when really it’s actually Brachos 55b Just please note. Have a great Shabess!!
A S
Vues Master’s Note: Thanks! We always appreciate when we get corrected so we don’t mislead our esteemed readers.
FIGHT POLITICIANS
Dear Vues Master:
This situation has to end. We cannot let our so-called askanim fight Cuomo and deBlasio tooth and nail. Like it or not, they are the face of the progressive wing of the Democratic party and we must preserve our relationships with them for the future. So they closed down schools for a few days. In the end of the day, the rates were too high, it was a serious situation of pikuach hanafesh. Even if your Rav didn’t hold that way, that doesn’t turn our elected officials into anti-Semites. They both have long standing relationships with various members of our community. It will do us only good to comply with their edicts. Compliance should be the bare minimum. We should be supporting and applauding our hard working politicians instead and castigating them.
CP
Vues Master’s Note: I wonder if before world war II there were people saying the same.
CHEESE MISSING
Dear Vues Master:
I recently purchased a cheese pretzel at a local pizza store (masked up of course) and to my chagrin, no cheese was to be found. What a waste of money. My Rav told me that it would be lashon harah to publicize the name of the establishment, therefore I’m just putting it out there for people to know.
PC
Vues Master’s Note: I guess I will bear it in mind when going to the Pizza Store to check if there is cheese in the pretzel.
FIGHT TO THE END
Dear Vues Master:
As the days near to the certification of the presidential election, our mindset needs to adapt to reality. That reality may be a 2nd Trump term in 2021, or what appears more likely a Biden presidency. However, there is something more crucial and essential that we as Americans need to take note of, that is the Georgia Senate runoff elections. These elections are vital for America to preserve its history, ideas, and traditions. America has always been a nation that respects and learns from its history. From bright moments in our history to dark moments, America has always ultimately lived up to its ideals. Americans work every day to achieve their own American Dream. From healthcare workers to small businesses recovering from the draconian lockdowns, Americans are working! Americans annually celebrate the 4th of July, Colombus Day, Constitution Day, and Thanksgiving with American pride. Whether that may be visiting the graves of our brave veterans or attending with thousands of Americans the Macy Day Parade. For the past 6 years, the Republican Senate Majority from Barack Obama to Donald Trump has stood up to and have strengthened America. From approving tax cuts and opportunity zones, voting for the One Step Act, putting Constitutionalists on the Federal Judiciary, and supporting free-market principles which only boost our nation, the Republican majority has proven to be a Senate that works for the people. This upcoming January 5th, Georgia will be voting for both of their Senators. If we want to preserve America, we need to get active, whether through phone calls, donations, or emails, we need to support Senators Perdue and Loeffler. Our nation cannot afford a Senate Majority Leader Schumer! Regardless of what happens in the presidential election, we must do what President Trump has taught our conservative movement: fight until the end!!!
Sincerely, DSG
Vues Master’s Note: Why not? Trump has nothing to lose. If the fight is unsuccessful he won’t be President in any case.