Opinions

Don’t panic over Covid-19

I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the implications of a novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19.

Coping with coronavirus anxiety

For the better part of two decades my wife, Cherie, has had traditionally hosted scores of family and friends for Pesach Seder. This year she reluctantly cancelled our traditionally large event, because of the cloud of fears and uncertainties brought about by the spread of the coronavirus.

Think clearly and act responsibly

What should a driver do when she hears a siren? In high school driver’s education, we learned to respond by pulling to the side of the road and giving the right of way to an emergency vehicle. We yielded to the police, firefighters or ambulances. We learned that if we didn’t, we could be responsible, inadvertently, for potentially increasing the scope of a tragedy.

How Jews should respond

We’ve managed to survive three thousand years, surviving some of the worst in human history.

Open Letter to Bernie Sanders

Bernie. I identify with your wish for justice for everyone. Your feelings for the neglected are praiseworthy. You are promoting Medicare for all. An entitlement that along with social security have people approaching eligibility, eager to enroll in those socialist programs. I believe you will encounter resistance because most Americans are fearful and do not know about what socialism is. As President Trump is aware of those fears, he will take the idea of socialism and use it as a weapon against you. I believe he will defeat you, “crazy Bernie”, his nickname for you. America should not have a candidate that is certain to lose and give Trump the gift of a second term.

Response to another subscriber

Recently, I have been reading Reader’s Forum letters from a Chronicle subscriber. In one letter he compares Senator Bernie Sanders to President Franklin Roosevelt. He is correct that they are both socialists. The difference is, President Roosevelt was trying to bring the United States out of a severe depression, whereas, Senator Sanders policies will put the United States into a severe depression. There is also one other comparison that can be made between Senator Sanders and President Roosevelt. Both have distain for the Jewish people. Senator Sanders is simply a misguided Jew. Whereas, President Roosevelt, I believe was an outright anti-Semite. Let us not forget that two of his good friends were Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh.

Coronavirus prayer

Let us express our empathy, share the pain for the victims and pray for the healing of the sick, wherever in the world this disease, coronavirus, has manifested itself and will strike next.

By Sam Glaser / Guest Columnist

It would make sense to start the Jewish calendar year on Rosh Hashanah, literally the “head of the year,” the anniversary of the creation of humans, but that’s not how it goes in the Bible. Just as we are about to leave Egypt, with great signs and wonders, the first commandment given to the nation is initializing the calendar. Therefore, the Jewish year actually begins with Nissan, the month of Pesach, making the preceding month of Adar the last one of the year. Adar is both a time to celebrate and a season of reckoning. 

The Fellowship of Jewish Athletes

By Marvin Fremerman

Everyone’s heard of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, but not a whole lot of people have heard of the Fellowship of Jewish Athletes.  No small wonder since there really aren’t that many famous Jewish athletes. Except perhaps for Mitchell Schwartz of the Chiefs.  Last count, I heard there were only eight.  And all represented non-violent sports, like swimming, tennis and soccer.