Yali Elkin’s  utilization of recent parshiyot (“The Great Negotiation,” November 21, 2019) to posit that Jewish existence is tenuous is a truism. His reluctance to recognize the big picture is glaring.

Adherence to the rule of law, the equal application of justice for all and the credo that no one is above the law, are the true measures of the well-being of a democracy. It is revealed by its treatment of its minorities and the least powerful. Is it a coincidence that we have had a crescendo in hate crimes in the atmosphere of the last three years?

We have had a president who mainstreams right-wing conspiracy theories. A self-described “Nationalist,” he provides a platform for the “very fine people” emerging from the dregs. A cornucopia of racial stereotypes are employed by those in power. The financially powerful, international, cosmopolitan Jew (currently embodied by Soros) is a rallying point for demagogues in Poland and Hungary in their successful efforts to destroy democratic institutions. Similarly, minority leader McCarthy stated that Soros was financing the immigrant caravan from Central America. Fox/Trump News presented DeGenova, who stated that Soros controlled the “deep state’” in the State Department.

Our Justice Department presented legal arguments that the President is not only immune from criminal prosecution, but that legal authorities are powerless to stop him even in the active commission of a crime. Sycophantic myrmidons, Jordan, Nunes and Graham et al., are enabling and abetting the attack on the foundations of our democracy. We are a government of laws, not men. Yali’s refusal to provide a solution suggests resignation and impotency. The attack on our way of life is not a partisan issue.

If you fully advocate the Torah values of universal justice and the control of unchecked power, there is no choice but to step forward and become an advocate. Use your fears as fuel for social and political action. As Jews, we cannot remain spectators at this junction in history. Make your voices heard!