Dear Editor,
According to your 12/21/23 issue on page 12, the Lashon Hora Crusade is once again motoring forth.
The reason I bring this up is that the first two Jewish Temples, according to Jewish lore, were destroyed by God because of baseless hatred (which, in my view, is synonymous with lashon hora).
This is not a pro-Netanyahu letter-I believe unforgivable mistakes were made by the Netanyahu Administration prior to the Gaza invasion which allowed the treacherous attack. Whether he was at fault or not, I’m sure after the Gaza catastrophe is settled and investigated, appropriate fault placing will be determined.
However, preceding the invasion, Netanyahu was pilloried by the Israeli media and the elite of Israel. First because of alleged crimes, which to many (like me) seemed like more of a political vendetta against him. If the charges were legitimate and the laws were breached, then why was he elected again?
Was the majority who elected him wrong? Were those in the minority right?
Once he was democratically elected, many then protested (perhaps once again) during his efforts to achieve judicial reform (which reforms actually just seemed democratic to me, since he had been elected President not the Supreme Court, and the SC seemed to be significantly annulling everything he did).
In part, the protestors are not only vilifying Netanyahu, but abridging free movements and condemning the beliefs of those who the protestors disagreed with.
The result — which may be coincidence but who knows (I guess only God knows) — resulted in the horrid savagery practiced by the Hamas-Amalakites.
What I’m afraid of is Gaza’s horrid calamity might happen again, since, according to the article, Netanyahu’s political foes are again calling for his ouster.
I’m afraid the troubadours of lashon hora are intent, once again, on completing their song-and will be using their lashon hara lyrics again!
Not to recognize and consider this, perhaps, historical and theological theory is just as foolish, in my view, as it was overlooking the fissures in Israel’s Israeli/Gaza security.
Bryan Taplits
Blue Ash, OH