By Ezekiel Kweku Politics Editor, Opinion |
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My name is Ezekiel Kweku, and I’m the politics editor for the Opinion section. I’ve been on the job for only two weeks, but it feels like six months. That’s not just because of the incredible pace of the news, but also because it has so quickly felt like home. I have my colleagues to thank for that, but also the readers (devotees, critics, superfans) of The New York Times Opinion page. So thank you!
The confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett begin this week, and both the newsroom and Opinion sides of the Times are covering them from all angles. But I wanted to highlight this piece in particular from Meir Soloveichik, the rabbi at Congregation Shearith Isreal in New York City. |
Congregation Shearith Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in America, but it doesn’t have the oldest synagogue building in the states; that honor belongs to Touro Synagogue in Rhode Island. Meir draws a narrative line between that synagogue’s early years and the present, arguing that religious pluralism is not just a matter of law and norm, but is woven into the fabric of American civil society. |
And it is here that Meir finds a kinship between his own community and that of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, in the sacred strangeness of religious practice. He asks us to judge the judge not by her creed and its solemnities, but by her own words and actions. |
This is an argument, well made, with which I do not entirely agree, from a perspective, vividly illustrated, which I cannot share. To me, this is one of the most important functions of any newspaper opinion section, and especially at The New York Times: to engage with cogent arguments and illuminating perspectives with which we disagree, sometimes deeply and passionately. |
We must do this wisely and carefully, steering clear of bigotry and hatred. But that is one of our goals, and I hope to aim for it. I’m looking forward to getting to know one another better (quick primer: I love trees, basketball, house music and art; I live in California) over the weeks and months to come, and I’ll see you again in the newsletter soon.
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