At a party sometime after the white supremacist march at Charlottesville, Jewish friends expressed concern about the anti-Semitism in this country. I attempted to reassure them by promising them that if anyone ever came for them, they would have to climb over my dead body first. Criticisms of the policies of the Israeli government is not anti-Semitism as Bernie Sanders made clear. Farley Weiss, in his guest column, does not.

As Americans, we stand together for democracy and the rule of law. Violence against or persecution of any individual or group of people, be it state or terrorist sponsored, is to be condemmed. The killing of innocent civilians has no place on any political agenda. Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live in peace within secure borders. If a country takes over areas by military force then it is responsible for the populations of those areas. Palestinians have legitimate rights, just as Israelis do. Our Founders made the division between church and state abundantly clear in the Constitution because they understood the dangers of mixing the two. A peaceful solution is possible but only if both sides negotiate instead of trying to kill each other.