To the Editor:
Senator Hagel was ill advised to make some of his statements, but everything he said questioning both U.S. foreign policy and Israel’s actions don’t make you anti-Semitic. If you look at the pandering by people on the right like Rubio and Romney, their blatant "love" for the Jewish people is so ridiculous it screams for apologists. The Mormon church, of which Romney is a member, baptized dead Jews like Simon Wiesenthal, but it doesn’t seem to bother people like Stephen Steinlight. Nor does the far right’s use of religion to impede the growth of American medical research that potentially could help all people. Hagel made mistakes but owned up to them.
President Obama has far outdone past presidents in his quiet, unmistakable support for Israel. Actions speak louder than words, and only actions will define Hagel’s position as either an anti-Semite or a true friend of Israel.
Larry Schwartz
Palm Desert, Calif.
