The following was printed in a Jewish paper in Queens:


To be fair, in the Haredi community, public displays of affection and intimacy, including holding hands in public, between married men and women (yes, even to each other), are frowned upon and looked down upon. I do not know what type of community this is, so I do not know if this is normal for this community and the letter-writer is coming out of left field with an attitude taken from a different community or if this is the local norm and the paper is changing the standards, so I will not comment on it in that regard. While it seems fine to me, I am aware that community standards often dictate these things. My guess would be that the fact the newspaper printed it indicates it is pretty normal for that community. Jewish, frum Jewish, newspapers, are not known for their trailblazing approach on such things matters nowadays, so I would assume they are reflecting the locally accepted norms.

The only other thought I had about it is that the letter-writer might simply have been upset that the newspaper did not blur the face of the Rebbetzin or take her out completely, leaving him snuggling up in an awkward pose against nothing...



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