Raise your voices!

Several bloggers are asking their readers today to send the following letter to the editorial board of the Jewish Press (and if you have your own blog, we ask you to post it as well.) It states, simply, that we are tired of the culture of kanois (zealotry) that has made it impossible for our community to solve its own problems. Please make your own objections known by sending the letter that follows - or one like it - to the Jewish Press at letters@jewishpress.com. As it says on the wall of a famous museum in Washington D.C.: Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.

To the Editorial Board of the Jewish Press:

I would like to express horror at the intimidation and harassment of Dr. Benzion Twerski for his efforts to protect our children from molestation, and to salute you for your courage in publishing an Op-Ed column condemning it. I feel that exposing the actions of the kannoim (zealots) is the first step in reversing their campaign of terror against members of our community.

I am fed up with the fact that the extremists in our community are allowed to intimidate peaceful citizens with threats and I would like to see the people who do this arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

If there are any acts of intimidation or threats of violence to Dov Hikind's next appointee to the Child Safety committee I intend to join and support a massive email drive to our elected officials – on the local, state and federal levels – and to ask them to step in and protect those who are helping to protect our children.

I respectfully ask you to run an editorial next week condemning this disgraceful intimidation of Rabbi Twerski that acknowledges the number of these emails that were sent to you and also calls on our leaders and rabbonim to publicly distance themselves from acts of intimidation and violence each and every time they occur with the same fervor reserved for other actions that contradict our holy Torah – and to declare the acts of violence as the sins they are.

Sincerely yours,
Dov Bear