To the Editor:
I must register my disappointment with your blurb concerning the article on Yeshiva University’s basketball coach, Jonathan Halpert ("Bad News Maccabees"), in the Daily Briefing of Feb. 21. In fact, he is one of the "winningest" coaches in college basketball, a fact that is born out in the article, which stresses his special values and perspective. This is not to make an excuse for his having many teams that didn’t register a winning record, but rather that the yardstick for success transcends "W’s" and "L’s."
The JTA of all news organizations should be better attuned to the role played in life by "middot," personal qualities. The negative and cutesy copy that couched the article’s link did a disservice to one of the most outstanding coaches — and people — who I and thousands of others admire.
David Kufeld
New York, N.Y.
The writer played for Halpert at Yeshiva University in the late 1970s.
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