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In search of unity

As a Reform Jew deeply committed to justice and tikkun olam, I found Ashira Boxman’s feature in the May/June 2025 issue, “Unity Without Uniformity,” disturbing. I read her message as a criticism of Reform Jews, whom she believes prioritize justice for all people over particular care for Jews, regardless of denomination and practice. 

But it is many of the Orthodox who seek to exclude specific kinds of Jews from being fully accepted into Israeli society. Tikkun olam encompasses the whole world—the land, flora, fauna and all people—and supports the idea that we are all made in the divine image and the precept of “love your neighbor as yourself.”

While Boxman may want to see Jews of all denominations come together and accept and support each other, I am unconvinced that Reform Jews should redirect tikkun olam to a more “Jewish” focus.

Andy Amend
Highland Park, Ill.

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I welcome Ashira Boxman’s sentiment that the principles of tikkun olam and ahavat yisrael are not mutually exclusive but should be practiced by all. She uses the moment at Mount Sinai, when Moses witnessed the entire Bnei Yisrael, the offspring of Israel, standing side by side and what it must have felt like at the foot of the mountain as well. And yet, upon descending from the heights, Moses shattered the first set of the Ten Commandments when he observed the apostasy of the Golden Calf.

We all know the expression, “Two Jews, three opinions.” Or the joke about the Jew stranded on a deserted island who built two synagogues. We Jews may not be monolithic, but we do share a common history and fate. More importantly, we share a set of values rooted in the Torah and interpreted by each generation, if not each individual.

We are if nothing else a mishpachah, and in every family there is diversity. We do not necessarily agree on everything, but we should respectfully agree to disagree. When a Jew suffers in one part of the world, we as brothers and sisters feel it in another.

May we always be motivated by the prophetic and universal ideal of tikkun olam while we hold dear the precious practice of ahavat yisrael, caring deeply about our fellow Jews.

Rabbi Aaron Rosenberg
Waterford, Conn.

Unnecessary labeling of sexual orientation

In the interview with Idina Menzel in the May/June issue, the actor’s character in the play Redwood is introduced as “Jesse, who is gay, leaves her wife and job and travels….”

I am unclear why Jesse’s sexual orientation is labeled. Would you categorize another character as, for example, “Jonathan, who is straight, leaves his wife and job and travels….”?

While telling stories about same-sex relationships is important as we work toward greater acceptance and inclusivity, I take issue with this unnecessary labeling. Simply saying that Jesse left her wife would have been sufficient.

Amy J. Goldstein
Bucks County, Pa.

Climate on Columbia’s campus, and beyond

After reading the magazine’s recent stories about campus antisemitism, including Valerie Gerstein’s “When Mom Was a Columbia Student” in the May/June issue, I have wondered why there has been nothing said about the latest confusion among some Jews: that the Trump administration is using campus antisemitism as an excuse to stifle free speech and make universities bow to its will.

Even if we don’t agree with what pro-Palestinian activists say, are we ready to approve of them being arrested and deported without due process? Is the enemy of our enemy really our friend? I think it’s time to explore this issue.

Laura Davids Todd
Phoenixville, Pa.

How things have changed at Columbia since I was a student! When I first registered there as an undergraduate in 1980, I had to sign a document stating that I would not participate in subversive activities. In consternation, I asked the registrar why I had to sign such a statement, and she was surprised that I didn’t know what had happened in the 1960s on the campus. At that time, I lived out of state and was just a child, so I had no idea about the student takeovers of buildings during the Vietnam War.

Now, apparently, the practice of students signing such a declaration is no longer in effect at Columbia.

May Hashem protect and vindicate modern-day Maccabees like Valerie Gerstein as well as Shabbos Kestenbaum, who sued Harvard, and President Trump for demanding that universities take a stand against antisemitism. 

Shoshana Averbach
Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Supporting a ‘canceled’ Jewish author

After reading Leah Lax’s letter to the editor in the March/April 2025 issue about being a “canceled” Jewish writer, I immediately ordered her book, Not From Here: The Song of America. I hadn’t read a single review—it didn’t matter. I simply wanted to support her. But once the book arrived, I couldn’t put it down.

Lax weaves together a stunning collection of stories from immigrants hailing from South America, Asia and Africa. With grace and emotional honesty, she connects their experiences to her own—most poignantly, drawing parallels between their journeys to the United States and her personal escape from the insular world of Hasidic Judaism.

Her writing is rich, layered and moving. It’s filled with pain, resilience and even moments of humor. Not From Here reminds us why people endure so much to come to this country, and what their stories reveal about who we are.

It is beyond sad that Lax was canceled simply for being a Jew. That fact alone makes her courage in telling these stories—and her own—all the more powerful. Not From Here isn’t just a memoir or a collection of immigration narratives; it’s a necessary book for our time. 

Leslie Gonzalez
Newton, Mass.

Owning a Gun May Only Make You Feel Safe

As a representative of the Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable, I am writing in response to “The Era of the Jewish Gun Club,” published in the January/February 2025 issue of Hadassah Magazine. 

In recent years, Jewish gun ownership has increased notably. Driven by antisemitism, attacks on synagogues and an overall sense of fear, more individuals within the Jewish community are turning to firearms for protection. While the desire for safety is understandable, the upward trend in gun purchasing raises critical questions about the broader consequences of owning a gun. 

There are approximately 47,000 gun deaths annually in the United States. Guns are the leading cause of death for children and youth aged 1 to 19 in the United States as well as the weapon of choice in intimate partner homicides. 

While owning a gun might make people feel safer, it often makes them less safe. The decision to introduce a firearm into a person’s home is a grave decision. People need to weigh the risk factors against perceived benefits. If a household member is experiencing depression, anxiety, dementia or a temporary crisis, introducing a firearm into a household can be deadly. Firearms should always be stored safely to prevent accidental shootings, including by children who find unsecured weapons; a significant number of children under the age of 14 are killed every year in the United States in accidental shootings, often by a sibling or friend playing with an unsecured weapon. And consistent training is critical to ensure individuals who possess firearms will hit their target rather than an innocent bystander. 

To learn more about factors to consider when deciding to acquire a firearm and how to be a responsible gun owner, watch the Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable webinar, Gun Responsibility for the Jewish Community, and review the resources in the accompanying toolkit.

Rachel Graber, MA, MSW
Washington, D.C.