Tag Archives: New York

February 12, 2023

Thank you and Good Luck to the one team I can count on. Fly Eagles Fly!!

By davidgroen1

As Super Bowl LVII approaches, I find it worth mentioning that when the game begins I will be watching for and cheering on the one and only team that has not let me down over the past 26 plus years. That team is the Philadelphia Eagles.

I lived in New York from July 1985 till January 2022.  On October 27, 1986 the New York Mets won the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Now that you know where my baseball loyalties lie, you may or may not know that the Mets have not won the World Series since that day. So we can check the Mets off as a team that has come through for me.

Next, we have the Philadelphia Flyers. Having lived in Philly between the 1969 and 1976, I can confidently say that if you were a fan of Ice Hockey during the 2 straight years the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975 you are a Flyers fan for life.  But with no Stanley Cup victory since, it might as well be called a life sentence.

I am a New York Knicks fan. No need to elaborate there.

I lived in London from 1976- 1980 at which time I picked Tottenham Hotspur as my team.  I didn’t pick Chelsea, a team that has won the Premier League 5 times in the 21st century. I also didn’t pick Arsenal, a team that has won the league 3 times since the late 90s and is on track to win it again this year.  No. The London team I chose to support is Tottenham Hotspur, arguably the most consistently mediocre team in the Premier League, and certainly less successful than the other 2 London teams I just referenced. In fact, the last time they won the championship was 1961, when I wasn’t born yet and the Premier League was yet to be formed. Thanks a lot Spurs.

And finally, as a fan of international Soccer, and the son of Dutch parents, I have had the pleasure of cheering on The Netherlands men soccer team, widely referred as the best team to never win the World Cup.  While their victories to get to those finals brough me some joy, ultimately, they too let me down in the game that mattered most.

So that brings me to the Philadelphia Eagles.  When the Eagles beat the New England Patriots and Tom Brady 5 years ago, they became the first team since 1986 to give me a championship to celebrate. Since then, while all the other teams I root for have been back to their old tricks, the  Eagles have rebuilt to the point of being considered the better of the 2 teams to play in Super Bowl LVII. Although I am perfectly aware that the Kansas City Chief and Patrick Mahomes, coached by former Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid are no joke, just getting to this point is something that brings me and many other fans of the team great joy.  I expect victory tomorrow, and will not be happy if we lose, but regardless of the result, they’ve done more for me than any other team I’ve invested time in supporting.

So I finish this self-indulgent, somewhat narcissistic piece with just 3 words.

FLY EAGLES FLY!!!!

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October 30, 2022

When Past, Present, Milk & Honey collide

By davidgroen1
Alexandra, Vince, and David

In the latter months of 2012, Alexandra Van Hasselt was searching for family members on the internet. In her efforts she would make contact with Ron Van Hasselt, a distant cousin on her father’s side. In his own research, Ron came across information regarding one of his relatives, David Van Hasselt. He found a book in which David Van Hasselt’s death in the Mauthausen concentration camp was documented. The book he found was the book I authored, Jew Face. David Van Hasselt was the first cousin of my mother Sipora and someone very special to her.

After having contact with Alexandra, Ron would forward her my contact information. Alexandra’s father, Vince, would subsequently contact me via email. Vince’s father was Eddie Van Hasselt, the brother of David and also my mother’s first cousin. As good fortune would have it, Vince, together with his wife Melanie and daughter Alexandra, were living in Florida, less than an hour from my mother, who at the time was 90 years old. They would meet, Vince and I would meet in New York, and little by little the whole family would get to know each other and a special connection would develop between many members of my family, and Vince, Melanie and Alexandra. But of all the relationships, perhaps the most special of the relationships was between my mother and Alexandra. Having grown up in a household with diverse culture, my mother played piano, sang, and had a tremendous love for the arts. Alexandra, a young girl of 15, was already a very talented dancer, with a beautiful singing voice and a growing love for acting. The bond that would develop between these 2 newly acquainted cousins, separated by 85 years, was as unique as any imaginable. They would sing together, have long talks with each other, and form the most unlikely of friendships. In Alexandra, my mother saw her younger self, a young lady filled with talent, joy and promise. In my mother, Alexandra saw a kindred spirit, whose age and experience and love, gave her extra encouragement to pursue her dreams and be someone who my mother could live through vicariously. For Alexandra, although saddened by mother’s passing in 2017, that special relationship would always stay with her.

All of this would be what would make today, October 30, 2022 so special. Today I got to see Alexandra perform in Jerry Herman’s play, Milk and Honey. Based in Israel in the early 1960s, this wonderful production was playing at the Wick Theater in Boca Raton, Florida. As I sat there, next to 2 of my brothers, my sister-in-law, and Vince and Melanie, watching Alexandra perform on stage with her powerful and talented presence, in a play about Israel, the magic of what took place 10 years ago and in subsequent years, came back to me in full force. I felt an almost mystical connection between past and present, made even more palpable by the young character in the play who was 9 months pregnant and due to give birth at any time. Her name, Sipora. After the play when I asked Alexandra how it felt when she learned that there was a character in the play of that name, the same name as my mother, she replied that it was very special and that on this day she had thought about my mother a lot.

I know I am far from alone in feeling that the importance of telling the story of what took place under Nazi-occupation can’t be overstated. But I’ve also felt that in telling the story and opening up this connection with the past, we have the opportunity to witness the continuation of life in its most poignant manner. In 1941, when word of David Van Hasselt’s death would reach Amsterdam, it would fall on my mother, a young woman of just 19, to inform David’s mother, Vince’s grandmother, of the death of her son. Today, more than 80 years later, David’s great niece Alexandra would perform on stage in front of 3 of Sipora’s children, and his nephew Vince, in a story about nothing other than Israel, the Jewish state. With all the trials and tribulations life has to offer, it is hard to find something more indicative of how life goes on, and even thrives, as this connection between past and present.

The play and the performance were beautiful, but perhaps nothing was more beautiful than the lesson learned from all the events surrounding it for me and my family. The lesson that what we do matters, and that who we come from stays with us forever.

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September 10, 2021

Why I am obligated to remember 9/11

By davidgroen1

Each time I thought about what to write on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks I came up with something different. I wanted to recount what I saw and how I felt that day. I wanted to talk about an answer I got from a relative who was born after it happened when I asked her how she perceived it when hearing about it as an event in history. Finally I thought about writing about how I wonder and question what we actually have learned from that day. My head was spinning so much I decided not to write anything. It was then that I realized what I needed to write, and that it would be short and poignant. So here it is.

There are some things we are obligated to remember whether we want to or not. When it comes to moments, days or periods of time of horror, it’s not a competition. So while I know the numbers of deaths pertaining to some events may be significantly higher, it does not diminish the importance of remembering 9/11. I remember how almost everyone I met post 9/11 either knew people who perished, people who were there and survived, or were one degree away at most from knowing someone who was there. I fall into the category of knowing or having known people who were there or in close proximity. That being said, the reason I am obligated to remember this day is because of what I saw, what I heard and even what I smelled.

I saw the first tower burning from my apartment in Queens. I saw people crying on the streets. Most notably an older couple who looked as though they may have had a child in one of the buildings. I saw people covered in grey ash as I crossed the 59th street bridge. And I saw trails of smoke from where the towers once stood.

I heard the sirens all over the city. I heard the sounds of throngs of people walking uptown, without hearing many voices as so many were stunned into silence. I heard people crying around every turn. And I heard radios blasting everywhere with only one thing broadcasting, the news of what was perceived to have taken place.

I smelled a smell that I almost do not want to describe, as it may very well have been that of structures burning and people dying. I smelled it on 9/11 and I smelled it for days to come.

It is an awful truth that mankind is capable of terrible evil, but it is also true that ignoring it, acting like it never happened not only does not make it go away, it adds fuel to the fire. We need to remember 9/11 because if good remains silent it leaves a vacuum far too often occupied by evil. So not only do I urge everyone to remember, I urge everyone to do something good in honor of those killed on that day. Even if it is just hugging someone you love. Remember the day and do it honor by filling the void with goodness.

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May 21, 2020

Open Letter to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

By davidgroen1

deB

Dear Mayor de Blasio,

As someone who has focused on expressing myself during this crisis almost exclusively through positive words of hope and encouragement, I have refrained from publicly expressing my thoughts regarding your job performance.  I’ve been one to take the approach that negativity does nothing for anyone, that my personal responsibility is to look for ways to help, and when I don’t find those opportunities I should only speak to those things positive.  However, your incompetence, partially based on what appears to be a biased focus, often against New York’s Jewish community has finally compelled me to speak up.

This is not a letter motivated by anything political. In fact, I find the most agreed upon non-partisan opinion in New York is the subject of your job performance.   As a New Yorker I felt gratitude for the daily updates we were receiving from both the President as well  New York’s governor in the earlier days of the pandemic. While each political side will attack the other and find fault in the actions of both of those men, I choose to take the position that they have both worked hard to protect those for whom they are responsible.  Furthermore I believe that when applying our judgments as to where they may have made mistakes,  we need to take into account that no one in the world had any experience in dealing with this type of situation.  However, as Mayor of New York, your inept performance during this pandemic has been so glaring, it has contributed greatly to the devastation the city has faced.

Although I am someone who agrees with making the use of marijuana one’s personal choice, when various sources over the years have indicated that you spend many, if not most of your mornings getting stoned, I doubt that is helpful in your abilities to handle a crisis of this magnitude.  Where were your actions in managing transportation at the onset of the spread? I know that essential workers need to travel to get to their places of employment, but did you make any attempt to structure a safer way to ride the subway?  Did you provide any alternative methods of transport?  I lived in the borough of Queens for around 25 years of my life, and knowing how subway travel is done through the borough, without a mayor taking some action, thousands upon thousands of people had to have traveled daily in what was clearly a petri dish. And on March 15th, 3 days after travel from Europe was shut down, you encouraged New Yorkers to go for one last drink. Well done Mr. Mayor, I am fairly confident that for some of those people it surely was one last drink.

I’ve seen you look panicky in news conferences, regularly assign blame to others, and contradict directives coming from Governor Cuomo’s office.  But when all else fails, I’ve seen you go back to the well for that one thing that really gets you going.  That favored activity of yours, the blaming and attacking of Orthodox Jews.  When the governor was asked about the gatherings in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, his response was that he found any large gathering to be unfortunate and dangerous and that he had spoken to the leaders of the various communities.  What did you do? You singled out the Jewish community.  You even made sure to run over personally to one of the gatherings. And apparently you are now opposing the governor once again on allowing places of worship, primarily Jewish places of worship to open up with guidelines.  Neither I, nor anyone I know outside of those specific communities have supported the large gatherings, however as Mayor of all of New York City, for you to target one group over any other shows a clear disdain for that specific group.  And what may very well be the most important point I make in this letter, is that had your criticism of those Jewish communities been consistent with a tough, hard-working non biased approach, I would have no legitimate criticism.  Instead it was more in line with a lazy approach and thought process based on hindsight, bias and the blaming of others.

Regardless of whether or not one loves or hates him today, Rudy Giuliani guided New York through post 9/11 in Churchillian fashion. I would say you have guided New York through the Coronavirus crisis more like Bozo the Clown, but that would be unfair to Bozo.  If the New York City we have known and loved falls as a result of what has taken place, that above all else will be what shapes your legacy.  Not only have you been a disgrace, but you continue to find ways to compound your errors on a regular basis.  The next best thing that will happen to New York City is when it gets a new mayor. I just hope that by the time that happens it won’t be too late.

Sincerely,

David Groen

 

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March 30, 2020

While People struggle, get sick or die, many still spend their time pointing fingers and fighting

By davidgroen1

Argue

Like every other normal person on the planet, I am saddened and concerned by the current state of affairs.  Also, like many others out there, I search for that silver lining.  It has been my hope that one of the things people would learn from this crisis is to look more at themselves and how they can become better, and less to how they can criticize others for what’s wrong in the world.  While I am sure there are many out there who are trying to do that, it is clear from what I see in the press and in social media that this is not happening on a large enough scale.

I will do my best to make my point without being overly political.  However, since most of the bickering and finger pointing is indeed rooted in political affiliation, it will be very difficult to make this point without going back to the source.  Sadly, it is clear that even in the most serious crisis that America has faced since WWII, a significant amount of people still put partisanship over country.  In tense times like these, politicians who need to work together but have different styles and philosophies are inevitably going to bang heads to some degree, but if you look to the back and forth between President Donald Trump and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, you will see that it is possible to do so without either looking liking a petulant child.  Yet some are so hell bent on turning this into a juvenile pissing match that they even try to coax the 2 of them on, trying to lead them towards personal insults.  To their credit, it has not worked.

Other than taking the critical action of staying home, not everyone is in a position to help during this crisis. But almost anyone can make it worse.  If you get on social media and your contribution is to hurl insults in the direction of people that think differently than you do, then not only are you not helping, you are hurting.  Why?  Because if even one person is polluted by your focus on anger and bitterness over hope and personal development, you’ve contributed towards a societal deterioration we just can’t afford ever, least of all now.  It is human nature to lash out when you are frustrated or scared. I get it. I do it too. But times like these require a little extra self-control, a little extra focus on the all so important final outcome.  This should not be a time to yell because you need someone to blame, this should be about racking your brain to try to find a way to make at least one person’s life better.  If you can’t do that, then at least work on making yourself a better person.

Next time you decide to spend your time insulting other people, whether it be politicians or the average citizen, take a moment to think about whether or not you are helping anyone by doing so. Ask yourself if you want this to be your contribution to society during a time when society faces one of its greatest challenges ever.

And lastly, the time to litigate the performance of your leaders is not while they are working on saving lives.  I live in a hotspot for the Coronavirus. I live in a county in New York State that currently has more cases than every other state, not county, every other state in the country other than New Jersey. I make this point because my Governor is Andrew Cuomo, and my President is Donald Trump.  Two very different people and certainly two very different politicians.  But as an American and as a New Yorker, living through times that are life and death situations, my responsibility is to listen to and support my leaders.  Anything else is divisive, and divisiveness is a disease in itself that will not only not help save lives, it will take them.

So next time you look for people to yell at or blame, take a deep breath and try to make a different choice.  Choose to contribute positively. Call a friend or family member and ask them how they’re doing.  Make someone laugh or give someone encouragement.  Instead of publicly berating someone for what you feel they do wrong, try and find a way do at least one more thing right. Rather than be like everyone else and showing how much you dislike someone for how they think, be a difference maker. Come up with thoughts or ideas that help make people feel better and be better.  If you do that, ultimately you will not only do much more for the people you come in contact with, you will do more for yourself.

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September 11, 2019

The Danger of the Diluted Memory

By davidgroen1

911.jpg

The view from my window on September 11, 2001

At about 1 AM this morning I was in my car and I began to realize how many memories I had filed away from 18 years ago.  There were literally tens of thousands of people whose experience that day was worse than mine, but like so many other New Yorkers who saw parts of it live and spent part of that day in Manhattan, the horrors of that day were very real to me.  Even so it took a mental jolt, one caused by a friend changing a picture on Facebook to bring me back to what I remember from that day, and to remind me of how important it sometimes is to remember the things we want to forget the most.

Everyone who was in New York on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a day that was originally an election day, will remember that the weather was so perfect, that in retrospect it was eerie.  When I saw Dick OIiver of FOX 5 NY first reporting an incident, I recall him saying that it had appeared that a twin engine jet had hit one of the Twin Towers.  Since at the time I was living on the 10th floor of an apartment in Forest Hills, Queens, I was able to see the towers from my window.  Seeing the smoke coming the first tower from the window made this all very real very quickly, but what it did not immediately do was make it clear to me that it was an attack.  There were many, including myself who initially thought it was a terrible accident.  Regardless, there was nothing that my staying at home was going to do for anyone so I made my way to the train which going through Manhattan would eventually get me to Brooklyn where I worked at the time.

Some of the images that stuck with me most on that day were the images of people whose expressions of panic and devastation implied they had people in the towers.  At least back then, whenever a major news or sports story hit, there were enough people talking about it on the subway for someone to get wind of what was happening.  So by the time the train was just a few stops in I knew a second plane had hit.  Within a few stops I saw 2 young women crying uncontrollably, looking as though they had a person or people they loved in peril.   When the train arrived at the 34th street and 6th Avenue station it was evacuated, the first car being the car with open doors while all the remaining cars, of which one was the one I was in moving towards the front.  When I got out into the street there were 3 memories that will remain with me forever.  The first one was the fact that the streets were filled with people, and that almost all of these people had one thing in common.  They were walking uptown.  The general feeling seemed to be more of a focused numbness than anything else.  There were no smiles, not a lot of talking and throngs of people doing the only thing that made sense at that moment.  To get as far away from downtown as quickly as possible.

The second thing I remember was standing in front of a store front and seeing the TV on what I remember was WABC NY, with the image of what would later be known as Ground Zero and the words, “Twin Towers, attacked and destroyed”.  Once again it felt very real.

The third thing I remember is something I rarely speak of, likely due to the incredibly sad futility of it and the fact that I will either never know what it was or worse, the fact that what it was would only be described as one of the saddest things I will ever see in my life.  On a side street there was a white car, with the windows down and the news blasting from its speakers, and outside there was what I am guessing was a Japanese couple most likely in their late 40s or 50s, the man pacing back and forth and together with his female companion sobbing almost to the point of screams.  All I could imagine was that their child was in one of the towers, and somehow they knew that he or she had been killed in the attacks.

I remember the fear I felt by the rumor that there were more planes unaccounted for, and knowing that being around the corner from the Empire State Building made us all vulnerable.  I remember walking to and over the 59th Street Bridge, looking downtown and seeing the trail of smoke, while walking next to people covered in the grey dust that covered anyone who was close enough to feel the effects of the attack.  And I remember the smell.  Everyone who was in Manhattan either on that day or days following remembers the smell.  The smell of burning, the smell of devastation, the smell of death.

The worst thing about everything I have just recounted is what I said way back in the beginning of this piece, and that is that compared to many on that day, I saw and experienced nothing.

So 18 years later, as impactful of a day as that was, it was not till today at about 2 AM that I started to remember these things.  And it dawned on me once again how important it is to keep memories like this alive.  It dawned on me that I am very likely far from alone in allowing the memory of that day to become diluted.  And it brought me back again to the importance of reminding people of the things they sometimes want to forget the most.  If 18 years and 3,000 people later the memory of September 11th is weakened to me, someone who does care, it’s even more clear to me how important it is to keep talking about 75 years ago and 6 million.

May the souls of all of those lost on or as a result of September 11, 2001 always be blessed and may we honor them by never forgetting what happened on that awful day.

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February 13, 2016

The Complicated aspect of Bernie Sanders’ Judaism

By davidgroen1

bernie-sanders

I don’t believe being Jewish is a complication in the mind of Bernie Sanders.  If anything I believe it to be a non-factor.  What it does do however is bring to the forefront the complications facing the Jewish community and very possibly one of the root causes of anti-Semitism.

So you have this 74 year old Jewish man from Brooklyn, a man who may or may not wind up being a serious candidate for President, fresh off the first victory ever by a Jewish American in a presidential primary.  It may not have ultimate significance- I jokingly say how the only think Bernie Sanders won was the presidency of New Hampshire-but whether he goes on to become the Democratic nominee, the President, or just slowly fades into the sunset, the fact that he is Jewish is history, and matters to many.  However, it also seems to not matter to many and that catches my attention.

I recently said that if just once I would hear Bernie Sanders take some pride in being Jewish I might even take a closer look at him.  Then it dawned on me.  Is that attitude of mine indirectly one of the motivators for those who do not like Jews?  There are many communities that want nothing else than to be seen as American only.  Recently before the Super Bowl, Carolina Panther coach Ron Rivera spoke about how he would rather be seen as a successful coach than a successful Latino coach.  If the fact that Barack Obama’s is a man of color had never become a big issue, no one today could ever say that dislike for him is based on race.  Yet here I am, and I assume I am not alone, a Jewish man, turned off by Bernie Sanders not bringing attention to the fact that he is Jewish.  I watch the Republican debates and take notice of the fact that no one mentions Israel more than Ted Cruz.  I get a little excited about the fact that front runner Donald Trump’s daughter converted to Judaism and that Hillary Clinton’s daughter married a Jewish man.  But when it comes to the Jewish thing, I have no overwhelming glee or enthusiasm over the fact that Bernie Sanders is Jewish. Why? Because he doesn’t seem to either.

So going back to the anti-Semitism issue, is it possible that my attitude, an attitude that openly shows pleasure when Jews distinguish themselves, and the desire to, in some way at least, see my Jewishness as a club I am excited to be part of, cultivate a hatred of Jews? Possibly. I know I am not alone.  Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah songs alone are almost enough to prove it.  I am sure many who are not Jewish enjoy them, but let’s face it, it’s extra fun for us Jews when we find out Captain Kirk or Scarlett Johannson are part of the tribe.

I can’t say I don’t respect on some level the approach that says, like me and admire me for my accomplishments as a person first, and vote for me or not as an American regardless of my background, but I also believe there’s nothing wrong in a little pride in where you come from.  Especially when the lack of emphasis may be more politically motivated than philosophically motivated. If going into the primaries in New York or other states with larger Jewish populations Bernie speaks more openly about being Jewish, I dare say we’ll have our answer.  In the meantime I hope that I hear him say he is Jewish at least once. Not because it would make me vote for him, but admittedly  because I prefer fellow Jews who are proud of their heritage, and then I can get at least somewhat excited about the current President of New Hampshire.

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November 13, 2015

If Jihadi John is dead that’s great, but…..

By davidgroen1

cockroach-control

If we did indeed take out JIhadi John it is of course good news.  The problem is it means so little. In 1998 I was living in an apartment in Queens, NY and found myself in the midst of a serious roach problem.  The bad thing about roach control is that when you kill one, you’ve really done nothing to eliminate the infestation.  Imagine if I had celebrated killing the biggest roach I had yet encountered. My celebration would have been short-lived once I saw 3 more crawling around the kitchen and a couple in the bedroom.  Roaches are quite disgusting creatures.  It’s kind of a sick irony that God chose to make some of his most disgusting creations the hardest to eradicate. Nevertheless that is how it is when it comes to roaches, and to an even greater extent, ISIS.

Rest assured the roach problem was solved.  I managed to get it somewhat under control on my own by cleaning everything over and over again and using every roach killer I could find.  Even then the occasional roach would pop up, sometimes accompanied by a friend or 2.  It wasn’t till the building identified the location from where the roaches originated and totally cleaned it out and got rid of everything in the vicinity that the roach problem was finally over.

Eliminating Jihadi John is like eliminating one of the biggest most disgusting roaches.  The problem is there are still countless running around and as they do their numbers grow.  It’s more of a victory than anything else, but to celebrate his death as though the problem  has diminished significantly is a foolish mentality.  Destruction of ISIS has got to be at the source and it has to be harsh and ugly.  Anything else and the bad guys will keep popping up.  Just like the roaches in my old apartment were only gone when the powers that be destroyed them completely and powerfully at the source.

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July 26, 2015

Open Letter to Senator Charles Schumer

By davidgroen1

ChuckSchumer

Dear Senator Schumer,

I write to you today in the hope that when the time comes for you to make a choice, a choice that will confirm your legacy not only as an American Senator but as a Jew, that you make the choice you know to be right, not the choice you see as politically expedient.  I am of course referring to the vote on President Obama’s deal with Iran.

I have heard the arguments in favor of making a deal with Iran. I also understand the difficult position politicians in the Democratic party, particularly Jewish politicians, find themselves in at this time.  Your president is calling for your support. Your party is calling for your support.  Politics is at play on the grandest scale.  Oppose the deal and you risk alienating yourself from the top people in the party who have chosen to maintain their ranks by supporting their leader.  Oppose the deal and you yourself may fall far down the political ladder, destroying all you personally have done to achieve your current status.

I am not a politician, however I have a layman’s understanding of the basics in politics.  Sometimes you have to go against your better judgment and principles in order to ascend in the ranks.  I also understand that sometimes doing this causes an internal struggle only another politician can truly comprehend.  That being said Senator, as much as I sympathize with the personal challenge you are faced with, this is one of those times when you are required to answer the bell of those who elected you into office and supported you till now.  This is a time when the choice you make may determine the future safety not only of your home state but of the entire planet.

I have heard you say enough over the years to believe in my heart that you know that making this deal with Iran is a mistake.  That leaves me believing that the struggle you have is far more a personal one than an ideological one.  To make my point I will quote a line from the movie The American President, in which President Andrew Shepherd, played by Michael Douglas says the following: “I was so busy trying to save my job that I forgot to do my job.”

Senator Schumer, your job is to protect and serve the citizens of NY State and to represent us nationally in what is right and safe for all Americans.  It is my absolute belief that you know that dealing with Iran is wrong for the country and that the only reason for any hesitation on your part is concern for losing your job and or standing in the Democratic Party.  I urge you, as do so many others to do the right thing and oppose what you know to be wrong not only for New York, but for the rest of the country and the entire civilized world.

Sincerely,

David Groen

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October 31, 2014

Open Letter to Amos Shocken:Publisher of Haaretz

By davidgroen1

haaretz301014

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr. Shocken,

It was my hope that this letter would not be necessary.  As a Jew and as a Zionist, I wanted to hide my head in the sand when I originally saw this cartoon published by your paper. My plan was to ignore it and hope it would go away before it attracted too much attention.  Unfortunately that ended up not being possible.   Although one could say that since I was far removed from this cartoon I should not feel such a tremendous level of embarrassment, I am someone who believes and hopes for the unity of the Jewish people, so when an Israeli publication does something, be it good or bad, I feel at least somewhat connected.

Although I know many people who feel Haaretz is a publication too far to the left in the political arena, and some even feel too sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, I’ve never felt compelled to address anything I’ve seen from the paper until now.  To me, whether I agree with it or not, the ability to have a newspaper that has a more moderate viewpoint is merely an expression of the freedom and democracy that makes the modern State of Israel a shining light in the darkness that is the Middle East.  However, despite the fact that freedom and democracy allows for irresponsible and insensitive behavior, that doesn’t make it good.

I don’t feel I need to rehash the events and consequences of the attacks that took place on 9/11.  I live in New York and as a New Yorker experienced one very bad day.  People who live in Israel may not have experienced days as tragic and intense as 9/11, but cumulatively one could make the case that they have experienced conditions just as bad if not worse.

I could have handled an editorial criticizing Netanyahu.  I would have even said nothing to an article giving the entire blame for the strained relations with the United States on Netanyahu.  What I can not accept and be OK with is this irresponsible, unfair and detrimental depiction of what Netanyahu is guilty of doing.  Although I personally support the Prime Minister 100%, I accept that there are those who are not fond of his actions and methods. Again I say that I can appreciate the right of a democracy to criticize and if enough people wish, replace their leaders.  What I can not appreciate is depicting an Israeli Prime Minister as being of the same makeup as terrorists that hijacked planes and murdered 3,000 innocent souls.  What I can not appreciate is the insensitivity this cartoon shows for the relatives of those who were murdered on 9/11, and what I can not appreciate is irresponsible nature of this cartoon. It adds fuel to a fire already being fueled regularly by supporters of terrorists. Terrorists that would murder the creator of this cartoon as quickly as they would murder me.

Like anything in life, whether you agree or disagree with someone, there is a way of doing things with class.  This was not only done with no class, it was done with a brazen lack of respect for the very people Haaretz claims to care so much about.  The innocent.

I’m not sure I even know what I want to see happen.  It is already out there and unfortunately in some ways it is already too late to take anything back, but I hope that the editorial staff at Haaretz will reexamine what it does in the future and realize that it has a responsibility to do more than make a point.  It has an obligation to show understanding and compassion.

I leave you with one question.  Since I believe this cartoon was put there to bring attention to the publication at all costs, when you assess the consequences of your actions the question I have for you is this.  Was it worth it?  I hope you answer it honestly.

Sincerely,

David Groen

 

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