02 Sep 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
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one has any issues with any of the views, please write a letter to the Vues Master.

DEMO-RATS
Dear Vues Master,
News of Congressman Jerry Nadler’s upcoming retirement is
a welcome sign that some in the Democratic Party are finally
recognizing the need for generational change. After 17 terms
in Congress, Nadler is stepping aside to give a younger voice
the opportunity to lead. Good.
The country is facing complex, fast-evolving challenges,
and we need leaders who are energetic, forward-thinking,
and more connected to the future than anchored in the past.
Which brings us to Senator Chuck Schumer.
If Congressman Nadler, at 78, can see the writing on the
wall, when will Senator Schumer? He has been in public
office since 1981—first in the House, then in the Senate—
and has been a fixture of the Democratic establishment for
over four decades. With that longevity has come power, but
also stagnation and political gamesmanship that too often
prioritize party control over genuine progress.
Despite a rapidly shifting political landscape and growing
demand among voters for fresh leadership, Schumer has

shown little interest in stepping aside. Like many long-
serving members of Congress from both parties, his

continued presence blocks younger, more innovative voices
from emerging.
If Nadler can recognize the importance of making space for
the next generation, perhaps it’s time Schumer considers
doing the same. Government should not be treated as a
lifetime appointment. Real change requires more than
rhetoric—it requires letting go of power, especially when
that power is wielded by individuals out of touch with the
current moment.
Let’s celebrate Nadler’s exit—and ask: when will Schumer
follow?
– AB
Vues Master’s Note: Chuck will need to get into Depends the
way Jerry Nadler did—then he’ll retire!
EDUCATORS
Dear Vues Master,
When I was around 10 years old, Dr. Morris Mandel of the
Jewish Press had just started a new column called Youth
Speaks Up. He encouraged kids to submit original writings,
so I decided to send in a poem I had written. It went like this:
WHEN ONE THINKS
When one thinks where he’s going,

And thinks from whence he came,
How can one yearn for fortune?
How can one crave for fame?
How can one think he’s mighty?
How can one think he’s strong?
How can one think he’s right,
When oh, he’s wrong—so wrong?
How can one plan the future,
Yet disregard the past?
How can one plan tomorrow,
When today might be his last?
How can one strike, mistrust, dislike—
How can one hate his friend?
How can one think of living,
And forget about the end?
How can one just sit idle,
While the winds of time are blowing?
How can one feel secure,
When one thinks where he’s going?
— Yossi Toiv
United Lubavitcher Yeshiva
I had forgotten all about it, but a few weeks later, while sitting
in class, the principal suddenly burst in, excitedly waving a
copy of the Jewish Press and called out, “Toiv, stand up!”
I sat there frozen in fear. I slowly rose, not knowing what to
expect.
He signaled me to come to the front of the class. I thought for
sure I was being thrown out of yeshiva!
He flipped through the pages of the newspaper to the one
with my poem. Pointing to it, he asked accusingly, “Did you
write this?”
I leaned in and saw it—my poem, with my name on the
bottom. No use denying it.
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“This is superb! I want you to read this to the entire class!”
I was speechless.
He stood next to me with his arm around my shoulder as I
slowly read my poem aloud.
“Yossi, we’re proud of you,” he said when I finished. “Keep
writing! You have a bright future ahead of you!”
My rebbi stood there beaming while my classmates couldn’t
believe their eyes.

And then, to top it all off, the principal led me
from class to class and had me read my poem
to each one.
That unforgettable and deeply impactful
experience encouraged me to keep writing—
first poems, then lyrics, then songs—
culminating in the ultimate masterpiece:
Country Yossi and Kivi and Tuki.
Mechanchim/teachers: take notice!
– Country Yossi Toiv
Vues Master’s Note: How inspiring!
AIRLINES
Dear Vues Master,
I was thrilled to read that Delta Air Lines
is resuming its flights to Israel. This is an
encouraging sign of recovery and resilience
for both the Israeli aviation sector and all who
value the strong ties between the U.S. and
Israel.
Throughout the recent conflict, I greatly
appreciated that El Al continued to operate
flights when no other carriers would. Their
commitment ensured that essential travel
remained possible during uncertain times, and
for that, they deserve our gratitude.
That said, I’ve always preferred flying Delta.
The level of service, comfort, and reliability
they provide has made them my airline of
choice for years. The return of Delta’s nonstop
flights from JFK to Tel Aviv—and the planned
second daily flight during the peak winter
season—brings a sense of normalcy and
renewed convenience for those of us who
regularly travel this important route.
It’s also encouraging to see more competition
return to the skies. With Delta joining El Al,
Arkia, and United, travelers will benefit from
more options and likely more reasonable fares.
After months of limited availability and high
ticket prices, this is welcome news.
Delta’s return strengthens the vital bridge
between the U.S. and Israel—culturally,
economically, and personally. I applaud their
decision and hope it encourages other carriers,
including American Airlines, to follow suit.
ND
Vues Master’s Note: Until the next excuse!
They’re in it for themselves!
JEWISH LEADERSHIP
Dear Vues Master,
The Jewish nation is at war. I am not referring
only to the Jewish state of Israel but to every
Jew, regardless of how they identify or where
they live. This is a world war! It began more
than 60 years ago, with the United States at the
base of operations and leadership. Whether this
was a coordinated effort or the result of many
parties acting independently, we may never
know. October 7th and its aftermath created the
perfect storm for this movement to go public
and declare war on the Jewish community.
The enemies of the Jews began their strategy

by first taking over the halls of academia.
Following the model of many totalitarian
regimes, they understood that if you control
the educational system, you control the future.
It is only recently that we have clearly seen the
results of this work. From Ivy League colleges
to corporate America, the media, entertainment,
the judicial system, government institutions,
and political parties—our society is dominated
by elitists who hate our country, hate Israel,
and hate the Judeo-Christian foundation of
America.
Years of building an army that has infiltrated
every sphere of society have paid off,
culminating in a culture that leans toward
socialism at best, and Marxism at its ultimate
goal. Just look at the once-civilized countries
of Europe, and the fruits of their labor are
clearly apparent. We Jews stand in the way.
Our values, which have laid the foundation for
the civilized world, must be eliminated by the
forces of evil to be fully successful.
What we now know is that anti-Semitism is
rampant in all parts of the world, and Jews
are being singled out at every level of society.
The very fabric of Western civilization is being
rebuilt on the foundation of anti-Semitism.
Let’s begin with leadership. Where were our
leaders over the past 40–50 years? The fact of
the matter is, the organized Jewish community
has remained relatively silent for the past 50+
years as leftists and wokeists have waged war
on the Jewish people. Where were the Jewish
organizations with mandates to protect the
values we have embraced in America (and
other countries) that have helped the Jewish
community flourish and thrive? Did they not
see the signs? Were they not interested in
galvanizing the Jewish community against this
eventual societal breakdown, which has led
to what we are experiencing now, not only in
America but throughout the world?
Their responsibility was to lead, not kneel to
the powers that be. Were they more concerned
for their own positions? Were they afraid?
Were they worried that their children would not
get into Harvard or Yale? Did they become part
of the problem rather than the solution? Let
them not pretend to be tough now, once they
realize their friends are no longer in power.
I’m sure the CEO of the ADL, a former Obama
official, is chomping at the bit to uncover the
anti-Semites in the new administration. The
silence has been deafening, broken only by
fundraising letters.
Our leaders have failed us—from our
organizations to the politicians who have
claimed to be our protectors, only to be
revealed as more than happy to throw us under
the bus to maintain their power. Whether we
look at academia, media, business, governance,
or social networks, didn’t anyone notice the
takeover of these critical institutions of society
by those with a vested interest in “eliminating
their enemies”—the Jews who stand for
freedom?
But hopefully, there is still time. We need

leaders who are not afraid to stand for what
is right and do something to address the
problem(s). We as a community must do a
great deal of soul-searching. We must begin
today by not letting one hostile incident go
unanswered. We are being attacked on every
level, and we must respond in kind. Whether
it occurs on a college campus, when our
friends and neighbors are walking to shul, or
in the political arena, no trespass against our
community can be tolerated. We must hold
our leaders accountable for doing their job and
galvanizing the community to action.
We must make it clear that the Jewish
community must be respected, and affronts
against us will not be tolerated and will be met
with a measure-for-measure response. If our
leaders do not take action, we will look for
other communal and political leaders. Time
is of the essence—just look at the news. Each
day, the violence against the Jewish people
escalates.
We need to start right away by canceling our
subscriptions to the New York Times and other
publications. Let’s turn off CNN, MSNBC,
and any other station that is not supportive of
our values and community. Let them and their
advertisers know that anti-Semitism will not
be tolerated and will be repaid by changing
our purchasing habits. Let the colleges know
that no more donations will be coming their
way. The same applies to media and corporate
America.
Let us respond to every assault against our
community and vote for those who will support
us and our values, regardless of party. Let us, as
a community, be the leaders, not the followers.
There are many out there who support us, and
it is time to work together with like-minded
believers in truth and justice.
Our leaders need to sit together and develop
a comprehensive strategy to combat this war,
both for the present-day crisis and our future.
It is time to ensure our leaders are fighting for
us every waking moment. That is their mission
and purpose. If they cannot do it, it is time to
step aside for new leadership that will protect
our community at all levels.
The rallying cry of “Never Again” must be
embedded in the heart of every Jew worldwide!
Douglas Balin, Brooklyn, New York
Vues Master’s Note: Seems like the cat is out
of the bag!
MAKOM KAVUA
Dear Vues Master,
I have been fortunate enough to have a
designated makom kavuah in our shul for
many years. It has always been my place, and
I have diligently arrived on time to ensure I
can sit there, as is customary. However, in
recent weeks, I have noticed a situation that is
becoming increasingly difficult to navigate.
A new member of the kehillah, who typically
arrives about 10 minutes before the start of
davening, has been consistently taking my seat,

despite my regular and punctual arrival. While
I understand that the shul is open to all, and I
do not wish to appear territorial or unkind, this
situation is making it challenging for me to find
a place to sit.
I have always prided myself on arriving at the
proper time and respecting the space of others,
but it seems that my makom kavuah is now
taken before I have the chance to sit. I want
to approach this situation with sensitivity, as I
do not wish to create tension, but I’m unsure
how to proceed. I would appreciate any advice
or suggestions on how to address this without
causing discomfort or ill will.
Thank you for your time and for providing
a space for such important communal
discussions.
TW
Vues Master’s Note: You’ve got two options:
Number one, come earlier for a week until the
guy gets the message. Or number two, get a
new makom kavuah!
LOUD
Dear Vues Master,
I am writing to express my concerns about
the volume of music played during simchas
in our community. While I understand the joy
and excitement that these events bring, I have
found the loud music to be overwhelming and,
quite frankly, unpleasant.
The music, often played at such high decibels,
seems to drown out conversation, making it
difficult to engage with others or even enjoy
the festivities. It’s not just an occasional issue,
but a recurring one that affects my enjoyment
of these important occasions. What was once
a celebratory atmosphere has become an
uncomfortable experience for many, including
myself.
I have no doubt that the intention is to create an
energetic and fun environment, but the volume
often crosses the line into discomfort. It is
important to remember that a celebration can
still be lively and enjoyable without subjecting
guests to ear-piercing noise levels. Many of us
would appreciate a more balanced approach,
where the music is loud enough to energize the
room but not so overpowering that it detracts
from the essence of the event.
I hope that the baalei simcha and band leaders
will consider the comfort of all guests and aim
for a more moderate volume at future simchas.
After all, the most memorable moments should
be those spent in conversation and connection,
not straining to hear one another over the
thumping bass.
NY
Vues Master’s Note: While I agree with you
(probably because I’m in the same age bracket
as you)—thirty years ago, I would say, “Make
it even louder!” It’s an age thing! Maybe have
the band in one room and the older folks in
another. Seat everyone according to their age!

CHILONIM
Dear Vues Master,
When Chilonim refused to contribute to the
Yeshiva in Lvov, Rabbi Aryeh Leib Broida
said: “You need the Yeshiva just as much
as we do. If there were no Yeshivas, where
would we get Talmidei Chachamim? And
where would you get Apikorsim?”
BM
Vues Master’s Note: A bunch of losers!

KASHRUS
Dear Vues Master:
Baruch and Leah had a difficult marriage. One
night, they were woken from their sleep by
noise coming from downstairs. Baruch went
down to see what it was and saw a burglar
taking their valuable silverware from the
china closet and putting it in a bag. Furious,
he instinctively lunged at the burglar, who
quickly pulled out a sharp knife from the
bag and was ready to stab Baruch when Leah
screamed: “Not with the dairy knife.”
LP
Vues Master’s Note: Cut it out!

FLAT TIRE
Dear Vues Master:
Did you know?
When traveling on the road and you see a Yid
(even non-frum) stuck on the side of the road,
you might be transgressing a prohibition (both
a positive and negative mitzvah) if you don’t
stop and help him.
MF
Vues Master’s Note: Hence, we have
Chaveirim to be our Shaliach!

ATTITUDE
Dear Vues Master,
Unfortunately, many people today have
been swept away by the “Tevah” attitude,
where those who devote their lives to
learning and need financial help are seen
as, Chas V’Shalom, “victims of their own

circumstances.” In the world outside of
Yiddishkeit, this may seem like a reasonable
assumption. After all, those who have sat
through higher education, worked their way
up in a career, and earned a nice salary may
think that if someone else didn’t do the same,
it’s their fault.
However, we, as frum Yidden, know that the
reality is quite different. In fact, it is us who
need them more than they need us. Hashem
will not punish them for taking on such a
holy mission and dedicating their lives to
Him. They will be taken care of, one way or
another. The only question is whether you will
have the privilege of being a partner in their
success.
The truth is, a career takes a heavy toll on
a person physically and mentally, leaving
little time for learning and diminishing one’s
ability to focus. From where, then, will such
a person earn his reward for Torah study? In
the next world, the only thing that matters is
spirituality, which is reflected in time spent
learning and doing mitzvos. The last thing that
will matter is whether you were an accountant
or an electrician, no matter how great you
were at your job.
The ones who spend all their time learning
Torah are the ones earning eternity, minute by
minute. They do not have to worry, because
their reward is guaranteed. So, the truth is that
there is nothing better you could do with your
maaser than to partner with someone who
is dedicating their life to learning. Imagine
earning the reward for hours of learning
and finished mesechtos that you haven’t
personally learned.
How is this possible? There is no other
mitzvah that can be earned by paying someone
else to do it. You cannot pay someone to put
on tefillin for you. But when it comes to limud
Torah, the partnership shares in the merit.
While the next world may not care about your
career, it is very interested in an accountant
who uses his income to invest properly in
spirituality. That is the only way to sanctify
a career and transform a life of mere survival
into a life with a heavenly portfolio.
The yetzer hara knows he can’t stop people

from giving charity, so he works hard to
convince them to give to the wrong places, or
to causes of lesser spiritual investment. But
don’t be fooled by him. The more he tells you
that the kollel students don’t deserve it, the
more you should know that they do.
May we all make the right decisions.
– KLMY
Vues Master’s Note: Amen!
ACCUSER OF ISRAEL
CONFESSES TO GENOCIDE
Dear Vues Master,
Denmark’s prime minister, who has been
denouncing Israel and threatening to organize
sanctions against it, now has confessed that
her country committed horrific crimes against
people it conquered—crimes which fit the
textbook definition of genocide.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen
last week condemned Israel’s pursuit of
Hamas terrorists in Gaza as “very violent”
and “unacceptable.” She said Denmark is

considering extending recognition to the non-
existent “State of Palestine.”

Frederiksen also said that Denmark intends
to take advantage of its term as head of the
European Union to punish Israel for defending
itself. She said she is now conferring with other
EU members to impose “political pressure
and sanctions” against both individual Israelis
and “Israel as a whole.”
The Danish prime minister even implicitly
compared Israel’s pursuit of Hamas killers
and gang-rapists to the Russian invasion of
Ukraine.
In one of those ironic twists that seem to crop
up a lot lately, Frederiksen’s blasts at Israel
happened to coincide with new revelations
about horrific abuses committed by Denmark
against the indigenous Inuit people of
Greenland.
The violent Danish conquest of Greenland was
led by Erik the Red, a killer and slaveowner
who had been banished from Iceland in the
10th century CE and went looking for new
lands to plunder. Needless to say, Erik and his
fellow-settlers did not ask permission from
the native Inuits who had preceded them to
Greenland by some 5,000 years.
Denmark’s abuse of the Inuits did not end
with stealing their country. The Danes also
stole some of their children.
Three years ago, Prime Minister
Frederiksen acknowledged it was
“heartless” and “inhumane” that the
Danish government took 22 Inuit children
from their families in 1951 and sent them
to Denmark as part of an experiment in
forced assimilation.
The prime minister said she was
sorry about that, and awarded a token
compensation payment of 250,000 kroner
($37,200) to each of the last six surviving
victims.
After that episode, a government commission
began investigating Denmark’s overall
treatment of the Inuits. Three years have
passed, and the commission reportedly is
preparing to release its findings.
Apparently to get out ahead of the forthcoming
report, Prime Minister Frederiksen last week
issued another apology, this time for an even
more widespread horror: from the 1960s
to the 1990s, Danish doctors, acting at the
instruction of their government, implanted
birth control devices in an estimated 4,500
Inuit women and girls—some of them just
12 years old—without their knowledge
or consent. That was half of Greenland’s
population of fertile females. The purpose of
the implantations was to limit the size of the
Inuit population.
The prime minister did not use the word
“genocide” in her remarks. But the
government policy that she acknowledged
amounted to exactly that.
“Genocide” is defined as actions that are
“committed with intent to destroy, in whole or
in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious
group,” including “imposing measures
intended to prevent births within the group.”
In her statement, Prime Minister Frederiksen
also alluded to what she called “systematic
discrimination and other failures and
mistreatments.” She did not elaborate.
Presumably the commission will.
It’s been 425 years since William
Shakespeare penned the immortal line in
Hamlet, “Something is rotten in the state of
Denmark…”
Today, what’s rotten in the state of Denmark
is the integrity of the country’s leaders. They
point an accusing finger at Israel, while only
belatedly and grudgingly acknowledging
their own country’s genocidal actions—and
failing to pay a single krone of restitution to
the 4,500 victims of Denmark’s forced birth
control policy.
What an upside-down world this is! A country
that is not committing genocide is falsely
accused of doing so, while a country that admits
committing acts which are unquestionably
genocidal simply mutters “sorry” and gets
away without any consequences.
Dr. Rafael Medoff
Vues Master’s Note: Powerful hypocrisy—
denouncing others while neglecting past
atrocities. Unsettling, indeed.