“What Stirred the Hornet’s Nest” (April 27), J.J. Goldberg’s unreflective assault on my review of Peter Beinart’s book, is a perfect example of how responsible writing is not done.

A few examples will suffice. He says that I believe that Judaism “mandates a xenophobic rancor” against non-Jews, when, in fact, I specifically asked whether the tribal-orientation of Judaism’s classic texts might contribute to “illegitimate Jewish senses of supremacy.” What I wrote, then, was precisely the opposite of what Goldberg said that I said. And he knows it.

Goldberg also says that “Gordis even quotes approvingly the Talmud’s claim that ‘converts are as burdensome to [the people of] Israel as leprosy.’” But that, too, is completely false. I cite the phrase, but not approvingly. I simply note that Judaism’s classic sources are conflicted about converts, because there is something counterintuitive about people joining a tribe. Goldberg knows that my description of the phrase in the context of Jewish tradition is correct, and he knows that just days before my review of Beinart’s book I wrote a piece for the Times of Israel specifically advocating a warmer welcome of converts (“Embrace the Stranger in our Midst,” March 28, 2012). Here, too, Goldberg has simply ignored inconvenient facts.

Goldberg also resorts to despicable injections of irrelevant personal data into his column. He writes, after citing my reference to Kiddush, “Beinart, unlike Gordis, is Orthodox.” Those who know both Beinart and me know how absurd his characterization is, but worse than its absurdity is its utter irrelevance and, therefore, its inappropriateness to his defense of Beinart.

I would most definitely have expected better of The Forward.

Daniel Gordis

Jerusalem

Are you one of our 2%?

Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.

But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses  —  take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.

Don’t just read the Forward — invest in it. Support our work today!

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT