February 3, 2025 — New York, NY
This piece originally appeared in The New York Times
To the Editor:
Re “States Don’t Have a Right to Exist. People Do,” by Peter Beinart (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, Jan. 27):
As one of the American Jewish leaders who often feel the need to reaffirm and assert Israel’s right to exist, I can tell you that is because Israel is the only state whose right to exist is regularly challenged, not because I hold the country to a lesser standard.
Equating the connection American Jews feel to Israel with idolatry, as Mr. Beinart does in his essay, perverts one of Judaism’s basic tenets, ignores millenniums of history and tradition, and denigrates the vast majority of American Jews.
It is also wrong to argue that such a connection precludes criticism of the state. There are numerous, well-documented examples of American Jewish organizations publicly disagreeing with actions or remarks by Israeli governments.
Finally, Mr. Beinart wrongly minimizes the threat of global antisemitism. History and the recent experience of the Soviet, Arab, French and Ethiopian Jews forced to find refuge in Israel, along with the current global resurgence of antisemitism, prove that a Jewish state is the only guarantee of safety in a world where antisemitic violence and hate persist.
