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May 12, 2000/7 Iyar 5760, Vol. 52, No.36
Letters to the EditorMay 12, 2000
Councilman defends 'no' vote on campusEditor:On April 4, the Scottsdale City Council voted to grant a Special Use Permit for the Jewish Community Campus facility at the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Sweetwater Avenue. The vote was 6-to-1 in favor. I cast the lone dissenting vote. My vote had nothing to do with the fact it was the Jewish Community Campus. All other things being equal, my vote would have been the same if it were the Acme Community Campus. My vote was not an expression of anti-Semitism. I am not anti-Semitic. The concerns that prompted my dissenting vote are the same concerns that have prompted me to cast the lone dissenting vote against two score or more of the zoning change proposals that have come before the council since I took my seat two years ago. These encompass myriad potential effects on the city as a whole as well as the right of those immediately affected by the zoning change to be fully and respectfully heard by the city's administrative and elected decision-makers. On the Friday afternoon preceding the Tuesday hearing, a group of residents from the Scottsdale-Sweetwater neighborhood filed a written request that the hearing be postponed so that they could better understand the implications of the project and have the opportunity to ask the proponents to address their concerns. This formal, routine, timely request for a continuance was denied. This was not city government acting in a responsive way to the reasonable concerns of citizens who feared the direct impact of a large-scale non-residential use in their immediate neighborhood. Criticism comes with the turf of being a city council member. But I truly resent any accusation or implication that I am anti-Semitic. George Zraket Scottsdale City Councilman (Via the Internet) Seeking memoriesEditor:The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. One part of the yearlong celebration focuses on collecting memories from members and their families who have taken part in the organization. Past and present members, and members' children and grandchildren, are urged to contact the New York office at 800-922-2558, ext. 226, to record permanently the roles they played in the organization. The organization fosters Jewish identity and participation in Jewish life through Jewish, especially Yiddish, culture and education, friendship, mutual aid and the pursuit of social and economic justice. Alise Kreditor Great Neck, N.Y. Try it; you may like itEditor:I am writing in response to Meyer Turken's letter to the editor (Jewish News, April 28) objecting to Orthodox criticism of the Reform position on same-gender unions. I am sorry that Mr. Turken has not had positive experiences with the Orthodox community. Perhaps if he would attend services and classes on a regular basis, he would have a more positive and informed outlook on Judaism. Specifically, I suggest that he attend any of the local Chabad centers where the love and acceptance of all Jews, regardless of affiliation or gender, is unsurpassed. He might learn that God gave the Torah, and it is not a person's right to change God-given laws. He might also learn picking and choosing which aspects of Judaism to follow, as if from a menu, establishes a very dangerous precedent. And further, he might learn that loving a fellow Jew is a very important mitzvah; criticizing others because of a difference of opinion is contrary to this mitzvah - and intolerant. Leviticus 18:22 clearly states that same-sex relationships are not permitted. There is no room for another interpretation. I am saving a seat for Mr. Turken at Scottsdale Chabad. George Green Scottsdale (Via the Internet) Rabbi taken to taskEditor:In a Jewish News article that explained how The King David School would be adding a kindergarten program (Jewish News, Jan. 28), an implication may have been drawn that Temple Beth Israel, a Reform congregation which leases space to The King David School and which will no longer have a kindergarten next year, would be supportive of King David's new program by passing on leads of interested kindergarten families. Rabbi Kenneth Segel of Temple Beth Israel, in response to the Jewish News article, then informed his congregants in a memo that he does not endorse The King David School because he feels it does not reach out to the entire Jewish community. Instead, he states that congregants support the Reform PARDeS School. The King David School does have a Conservative philosophy, but it welcomes Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and interfaith families. Its student body reflects such diversity. Segel's statements suggesting otherwise are unfair and untrue. As a King David parent, I look at Temple Beth Israel solely as our landlord. The fact that our landlord is Jewish should create a pleasant situation for both of us, based on mutual respect. Ellen Lawson Scottsdale (Via the Internet) Thanks for supportEditor:Thank you for your coverage of the Jewish Community Campus special use-permit hearings in Scottsdale. Jewish News coverage leading up to the hearing was critical in informing the community of the issues involving the campus. You answered the call when the stakes were high. I sincerely appreciate your proactive approach to one of the most vital projects for the greater Phoenix Jewish community, past, present and future. Steven J. Hilton Jewish Community Campus Task Force Scottsdale |
