Perversion of truth

It is a shame that you continue to polarize the Jewish people and promote a destructive, progressive slant on the relationship between Israel and the US (“Two Jewish nations and the abyss between them,” Observations, November 3).

There is one Jewish nation. The only Jewish nation that exists is a nation with a foundation built on Torah and mitzvot. Not every member of this nation observes the commandments, yet to infer that a State of Israel that supports Jewish values that are true and proper under the dictates of the Torah is causing a rift is a perversion of the truth.

The state and the ultra-Orthodox do not force the progressive fringes to conform. It is the opposite: The leadership of the Reform and Conservative movements (not the individual members) seek to legitimize their weak and watered-down beliefs. They seek to get the kosher seal of approval for their deviant path by having the state stamp its approval.

This attitude has caused friction and discontent for these leaders and their devoted few. They are not a plurality of American Jewry or secular Jewry. Most Jews are happy to respect the right-wing of Judaism for its beliefs and practices. The abyss is the works of people like writer Shuki Friedman who have a deep need to justify their position and make themselves relevant in an arena that should not even exist.

There is no need for tension among Jews. We have enough tension from the antisemites of the world. Let us unify to fight BDS and all the other ills because failure to unify is the downfall of the Jewish people.

ELIEZER COHEN Cedarhurst, New York