Religious self-respect Those nudniks

The content of “Women journalists banished behind gender barrier during US veep’s visit to Western Wall” (January 24) is disgustingly one-sided and full of a personal agenda.

With a smile on my face, I watched the beautiful and respectful way that US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife entered the Western Wall plaza and prayed to God. Nowhere was there even a hint that either one had a problem following Jewish tradition, with each going to his or her own side for prayer.

As usual, only Jews have to complain and sour a beautiful moment in Jewish history with infighting for their own personal agendas.

While I am a big fan of US Vice President Mike Pence, he spent only about a minute in private prayer. Karen Pence, however, spent about 10 minutes. Nowhere in the article is there any complaint about all the male journalists who were denied access to the women’s section to cover Mrs. Pence, leaving exclusive access there to the female journalists.

Why is it that our friends can respect our religion but our family cannot? YECHIEL AARON

Hashmonaim that Israel is not a partner for a genuine peace deal. MUNJED FARID AL QUTOB London

With Purim not too far away, your article “Why is it so hard to evade all the nudniks in our lives?” (January 24) reminds me of the classic tale explaining the four archetypal idiots in our midst – all of whom we do well to avoid.

The first is the schlemiel, who inevitably spills the soup onto the lap of the second, the schlimazel. (The schlimazel is also the one who must never go into the hat business lest we be born headless.) The third idiot is the tsitser, whose sole contribution to society is to sit watching and then go “Tut, tut!”

However the fourth of these specimens of idiocy, and worst by far, is the nudnik. The nudnik is the one who demands to know: “What flavor was the soup?” STANLEY COHEN

Jerusalem