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April 27, 2001/Iyar 4, 5761, Vol. 53, No.30
Letters to the EditorApril 27, 2001
Last word on promEditor:I am Jewish. I am a senior at Horizon High School. I went to the prom on Friday night, April 20. (Jewish News, March 30) This needs to be the last letter ever written about this controversy. It's very simple. The planners of the 2001 prom should never have scheduled it for a Friday night. In a more populous Jewish community, such as a city in New York, South Florida, Southern California, or Michigan, this would never have been an issue. Friday night would not have been an option. In Arizona, 2 percent to 3 percent of the state is Jewish. In Scottsdale, that percentage is slightly greater. It seems to me that the percentage of Jews at Horizon High School is nowhere near 30 percent as reported. It may very well be higher than the average across the state, but not 30 percent. I am pleased that the issue was brought up and that our voices have been heard. In the future, it will not be acceptable to schedule an important event on our holiest day. Were we all to observe Shabbat consistently and religiously, we would have a strong argument for rescheduling the prom. A good portion of the Jewish seniors that I know attend Friday night functions, and it is therefore hypocritical of us to ask the student council to move this event because of our religious convictions. I had a wonderful time Friday night. In four years I'm sure my brother will have a great time at his prom ... on Saturday night. Scott Matlick (Via the Internet) Beware B.C.Editor:The controversy about Johnny Hart's B.C. cartoon (Jewish News, April 13) has to be viewed in the context of 2000 years of Christian anti-Semitism. One would hope that 50-plus years after the Holocaust, and as we enter a new century, this knee-jerk Christian hatred would disappear. B.C. shows that it is alive and well. The degradation of the Jew and reaffirmation of the correctness of the Christian is the hidden message in the comic strip. Hart's expression is more than a mere expression of his first amendment rights; it is another manifestation of the apparent ongoing hatred of Jews by certain groups of believing Christians. Gordon Weiner Tempe Make new friendsEditor:I enjoy Marty Latz's articles in your newspaper. This week (Jewish News, March 23) was especially interesting. Mr. Latz was right to respond to the party group (which made stereotyped comments about Jews), and it sounds as if he did this in a dignified manner in spite of his anger. It's always very difficult to know how to appropriately respond in such situations. Sometimes the remarks are considered jokes by the unkind; and sometimes friends who you just hope are misinformed make ridiculous statements. In other cases, the anti-Semitic undercurrents are intentional. So good for Mr. Latz to take the stance he did and if any of those people at the party went away thinking he was too sensitive, then they are not worth his acquaintance. Les Guffey Ahwatukee (Via the Internet) |
