In covering a recent Michigan Avenue protest of a small group called Not In My Name, the reporter quoted a statement by one of the organization’s leaders, Steven Feuerstein, who said that many Jews are afraid to speak out to oppose Israeli policy (“Jews here protest Israel’s acts,” News, Feb. 13).
As a member of the Jewish community who has long represented the views of Americans Friends of Peace Now, I have had many years of experience publicly disagreeing with of my community’s establishment. Yet I have always found a seat at the communal table and have long been a representative at the Jewish Community Relations Council. The Chicago Jewish community establishment is not a dictatorship but rather a vibrant democratic institution where a vast range of opinions are represented.
