Honoring CAMERA’s 2026 Letter Writer of the Year: Larry Shapiro
The search for CAMERA’s Letter Writer of the Year is never easy. We are lucky to work with hundreds of devoted writers that have the skills, passion, and tenacity to get their letters published by major outlets and to drive real change in media coverage.
Among these devoted volunteers, Larry Shapiro stood out as deserving this year’s honor.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1933, Larry spent decades working in his family’s book and magazine distribution business. But for the past 40 years, he has also been committed to fighting for truth through writing and publishing letters in the media.
His work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Jerusalem Post, as well as major Canadian outlets—though he notes bluntly that he appears in Canadian papers less often these days “since they subcontracted their content to the Palestinian victimhood movement.”
Standing up to injustice comes naturally to him. His mother was a suffragette, and his father lived through Russian oppression. That background drove his lifelong focus on confronting antisemitism and exposing double standards against Israel and Diaspora Jews—often using humor when logic alone isn’t enough.
He and his wife, Baillie, have five children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. His son Joel, a PhD in philosophy, has carried on the writing tradition and is well known for sharing his own work on social media.
He credits the CAMERA letter-writing team with keeping his writing sharp, noting that the wisdom and commitment of fellow letter writers continue to inspire him.
“I share my honor with them,” he says.
Asked to pass on his advice to others, he recommends brevity and clarity. “You lose people’s attention at about the third paragraph,” Larry says. “Don’t repeat yourself. Say it once and say it well. Make use of the thesaurus. Having the correct word gives you some credibility.”
And fittingly, Larry, known as one of CAMERA’s most prolific writers, stresses persistence. “Keep writing. The more letters you write, the better they will be,” he says.
Please enjoy just two of Larry’s published letters below. We hope they inspire you to take action in the fight for truth.
Published in The Washington Post
October 2, 2024
The Post reported that millions in the Arab world respected Hassan Nasrallah. There are a few exceptions. People in Iran are celebrating the death of their leaders’ favorite terrorist — oops, militant — chief. Videos of Iranians handing out treats, holding up signs thanking Israel and chanting against their own government are all over the internet, as are videos of Syrians celebrating the death of the man whose terrorist — oops, militant — group was partially responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Syrians.
Published in The Washington Post
June 17, 2024
In his recent column, David Ignatius wrote that “surely, it’s in the interest of Palestinians civilians who have suffered so much in this conflict” for Hamas to accept a peace deal with Israel. But Hamas is not concerned with the welfare of the Palestinian people.
As the Wall Street Journal reported extensively earlier this month, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar wants Palestinian casualties with which to demonize Israel. Hamas uses Palestinian civilians and civilian facilities as shields for its war efforts. Ordinary Gazans do not always receive the full ratio of food aid Hamas is supposed to deliver to them and end up relying on black markets.
Hamas is all about Israel, not about Palestinian welfare. Regrettably, Palestinians living in areas governed by the Palestinian Authority seem to support Hamas’s Israel obsession. Two thirds of Palestinians support the Hamas raid on Oct. 7, 2023, outright, and 80 percent see it as an effective tactic for elevating Palestinian concerns on the world stage. If permitted to vote, Palestinian voters would choose Hamas over the Palestinian Authority. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Palestinians would pressure Hamas en masse to stop the war.
Iran is the biggest recipient of all, masterminding the war against Israel without paying a price for its intervention.
Of all the international actors, only Israel is forthright about the necessity of deradicalizing all Palestinians. Only when this is accomplished can the Palestinians accept the legitimacy of the Jewish state and all can live in peace. This will never happen if the war is stopped prematurely, leaving Hamas capable of regaining control.