…Back in ’97, the devoutly secular Forward newspaper in New York ran a piece by E. J. Kessler who wrote of “the widening rift among the Jewish denominations fueled mainly by the accelerating Orthodox shift to the right.”

And my letter in response began, “This is an optical illusion, like calling dawn sunrise. The sun is not rising; he earth is turning. The Orthodox by definition do not move. Non-progressives they prefer to make no progress in any direction.

“On the contrary, a dispassionate and objective review of the numerous changes in doctrine and practice made by Reform/Conservatives over the last quarter-century such as ordaining women and blessing intermarriage and homosexuality shows there has indeed been accelerating shift but by the secular left.

“Ms. Kessler would do better to redirect the accusation away from the Orthodox right toward its polar opposite in order to find those truly responsible for the tragic rent in the fabric of the Jewish world. Who is drawing away from whom?”