Letters to the Editor | Oct. 17, 2024

I tip my Harris-Walz cap to Inquirer editorial writer Paul Davies on his hilarious yet deadly serious Homestretch broadside against grifter-in-chief Donald Trump. It’s incomprehensible to me that nearly half the nation is still in thrall to this convicted criminal and consummate con artist. Despite his obscene wealth that he constantly brags about, his gullible supporters still overpay for his childish digital trading cards, hideous gold sneakers, gaudy watches, Chinese-made “God Bless the USA” Bibles, and other garbage. It’d all be laughable if he wasn’t inexplicably, maddeningly close to recapturing the White House. I hope and pray undecided voters see Trump for the imbecilic, dangerous con man he truly is and vote for Kamala Harris to save our democracy.

Frank Keel, North Wales

I am a Jew and take great exception to Bill Zanker’s comment in a paid ad that Jews must support Donald Trump. In fact, President Joe Biden has overwhelmingly supported Israel. Trump’s many other positions — including on women’s rights, support for the murderous Vladimir Putin, tariffs to raise the cost of products, and his multiple lies about immigrants — are but a small sample of his narcissistic personality. The responsible party for the October invasion was Benjamin Netanyahu, who encouraged Arab states to send money to Hamas as a foil to the Palestinian Authority gaining legitimacy. No question that Israel suffered a tremendous assault, but Biden’s (and Kamala Harris’) efforts to have Israel moderate its actions are moral and ethical.

Michael W. Shore, Cherry Hill

. . .

The Inquirer should be ashamed of itself for the way it published an advertisement by a Donald Trump acolyte who claims Jews must vote for the former president. There was no disclaimer at the top identifying it as such, only at the very end of the screed was it noted that it was a paid ad by Bill Zanker. It was also placed on Page A3, beneath a real news article pertaining to Vice President Kamala Harris’ calling out Republican lies about the Federal Emergency Management Agency and aid to the hard-hit Southern states. Lastly, the ad included a self-aggrandizing biography of Zanker, written as if he did everything but part the waters.

The facts are that under Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel is not the home “for any and every Jew.” First, Reformed and Reconstructionist Jews are not considered Jews by the right-wing Orthodox Jews in Israel. My son was denied access to the Wailing Wall when he visited because he was with a Reformed temple group. Second, the Abraham Accords did nothing regarding Hamas’ goal of wiping Israel off the map. Third, I question Zanker’s self-reported Solomon-like wisdom if he thinks abandoning the Iran nuclear deal made it harder for Iran to build a nuke. Fourth, Zanker apparently forgets that Trump’s most vitriolic supporters, the white supremacists whom Trump has allowed to come out of the closet, are virulently antisemitic. Lastly, Jews like me do love Israel, but we also love peace, and a well-negotiated cease-fire is the best way to achieve better security for Israel. For all of the above reasons, Jews must vote for Kamala Harris.

Scott Chelemer, Mount Laurel, chelesb@msn.com

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