On behalf of the New Jersey Chapter of J Street, and writing as a Jewish American, I support the Islamic community, which was slandered by the past anti-Muslim, racially insensitive and xenophobic tweets of Edward Durr. Durr was elected as a Republican state state senator from the 3rd District last week.
This type of malicious smear — vilifying the creed of almost one-quarter of the world’s religious adherents as a “false faith” and its founder as a “pedophile” — is, unfortunately, all too familiar to Jewish people, who have suffered just this kind of religious and ethnic defamation. We know the dangerous outcomes of unchecked hatred.
We hope Sen.-elect Durr’s post-election apology was sincere. Beyond his own words, we are extremely concerned about the response by leaders of the state Republican Party. Gloucester County Republican Chair Jacqueline M. Vigilante sounds as if she finds nothing wrong with the tweets and now complains of so-called “cancel culture” in the outcry against them. Both Durr’s original tweets and Vigilante’s justification are deeply troubling, as is the silence on this issue from the higher leadership of the state GOP.
New Jerseyans have the right to expect all of our elected officials to respect our diversity and make positive and unifying contributions to our state community. Durr should be no exception.
Mark Lurinsky, Montclair
The writer is a steering committee member of the New Jersey Chapter of J Street, which describes itself as a “pro-Israel, pro-peace” advocacy group.
N.J. voting glitches few and far between
Last week my wife and I were privileged to serve as poll workers in Denville, Morris County, for the general election. It was our first time doing so, and we found it to be an all-around pleasant experience.
We attended a thorough training session run by the Morris County Board of Elections that explained the overall process, the nuances of the new electronic poll books and how to handle situations that might arise. Election Day, Nov. 2, was as a long day, but we ended up with positive feelings about the whole process.
We are surprised and disappointed to see the media criticism of this year’s voting processes. For the convenience of voters, New Jersey has made several options available – mail-in ballots, in-person early voting, and “day-of” voting — which were communicated well with plenty of lead-time.
There certainly were glitches here and there, but overall the process worked well. To characterize it all as confusing and chaotic is very misleading. We would like to see the media, and the voting public, focus on the positives of what New Jersey is doing, and not dwell on the relatively few problems that occurred.
Don MacGowan, Denville
Keep children safe from guns, injuries
Against the backdrop of the continuing COVID-19 public health crisis, we can’t ignore the toll preventable injuries have also taken on our families. The Injury Free Coalition for Kids is an effective injury prevention initiatives. This nationwide program was developed with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It’s made up of hospital-based, community-oriented programs that are based on research, education and advocacy.
One coalition member is Be SMART for Kids, a public education campaign of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. This is a nonpartisan organization that, among other initiatives, advocates for secure firearm storage. Every day in this country children access unsecured guns, resulting in death or injury to themselves or others. One of the most important actions Moms Demand Action takes is providing support for victims and survivors of gun violence. Their tragic stories remind us daily why we’re in this fight to prevent even one more death or injury due to senseless gun violence.
Along with other leading injury and violence prevention organizations, we are working to raise awareness about the burden of injury and violence.
In recognition of this goal, National Injury Prevention Day is Nov. 18. If you also want to help keep our kids and communities safe, join Moms Demand Action in the fight for a future free from gun violence. More information is available at momsdemandaction.org.
Remember, every voice makes a difference.
Laura Coyne, Hillsborough
The writer belongs to the Hunterdon/Somerset Chapter, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
Follow pope on factory farms
According to PETA.org, Pope Benedict XVI, before his elevation to pope, spoke out as a cardinal in a 2002 interview against some “factory farming” practices, saying that they seem to “contradict the relationship of mutuality (among living creatures) that comes across in the Bible.”
We should write to President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, since they are they are good Roman Catholics, and ask them to sponsor legislation against factory farming.
Alvin Blake, Newark
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