Dear Tom,
I'm emailing to express my sadness, distress, anger, incredulity and outright exasperation related to your column of December 13th entitled, “Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir." Mine is probably one of many emails you've no doubt received from other angry readers and subscribers of The New York Times. I've been a subscriber of the paper for many years. But now that I've paid my most recent bill I'll be cancelling my subscription.
My decision - not an easy one for me to make - is a result of the unrelenting assault on the Time's Op-Ed page against the State of Israel and it's supporters; one which reached a crecendo this week in your column. I won't restate the critique of your intial words, or of your apology. I'm sure you're well aware of what folks like the AJC's David Harris and the editors of The Jewish Week have written related to both. As a Rabbi who loves and supports Israel but who is also critical of Israel when a tokhekha is necessary, I completely agree with your critics.
I would only add that my decision to leave the Times as a subscriber is also a result of the paper's decision to edit the heart of David Harris' letter to the editor; the only letter published by the Times in response to your column. I find it tragically ironic that the Times rightfully applauds expressions of free speech and political dissent and admonshes political leaders like Vladimir Putin when those expressions are attacked, curtailed or manipluated, but employs some of the same tactics when it comes to its own columnists. Perhaps I'd feel a bit better knowing that you walked into your editor's office and said something like, "I'm a big boy, I can take criticism. Go ahead and print David Harris' letter in full. He's a well-respected leader of the American Jewish community, I'm not afraid of his critique, and print some of the other letters we got too. We should be role models when it comes to expemplifying free and fair political discourse."
I'm hoping in the future I'll want to renew my subscription. In all honesty, it will depend on you and your editors.
Hag urim sameah,
Rabbi Jacob Herber
Congregation Beth Israel
6880 N. Green Bay Avenue
Glendale, WI 53209
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