Hassidim

On behalf of Agudath Israel of Toronto, I write to comment on the headline
Hasidic Jews used as Drug Mules, Jan. 26.

Agudath Israel is an organization that seeks to articulate the views of
Orthodox Jewry and to fight media stereotyping of Orthodox Jews. As a
general comment, we commend the National Post for what we perceive as the
most balanced of the major newspapers when it comes to reporting on Middle
East issues. For this we thank you. However, we were disturbed to see the
above-noted headline spread across the entire width of the page in bold
letters. Hassidim, are a part of the larger Orthodox Jewish community and
are distinguished by their modest behaviour, respect and adherence to
Rabbis and close-knit family values. The world of drug traffickers is
generally far, far removed from the Hassidic community. And we are
concerned that the banner headline implies otherwise.

We cannot comment on the contents of the article as the matters discussed
therein are in front of the courts or under police investigation. However,
we feel the headline implicates Hassidim in a misleading manner that will
only feed prejudice against the many law-abiding and upstanding Hassidim in
our community.

Mark Mandelbaum, Toronto.