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March 22, 2002/Nisan 9, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 27
Letters to the EditorMarch 22, 2002
NW Valley needs programming, not poolsEditor:Over the past several years, synagogues and the Bureau of Jewish Education's Hebrew high school program moved to the Northeast Valley. The Jewish Community Center moved to Scottsdale and the B'nai B'rith youth groups moved with them, leaving our Jewish children little choice but Christian churchs' youth groups. Though newcomers to the Valley may be told the Jewish community is in Paradise Valley and Scottsdale, there is a viable Jewish community in the Northwest Valley that includes young married and single-parent families, middle-age families, young singles and seniors. Jews have always had a presence in the Northwest Valley. Thirty years ago when my family moved to Phoenix, we built a home west of Interstate 17 and north of Peoria. We drove our children to Hebrew school and BBG (B'nai B'rith Girls) and BITY (Beth Israel Temple Youth) functions, no matter where they were. If the Jewish federation is sincere in wanting to bring services to the Northwest Valley, what is needed here is programming for our most precious possessions - our children and grandchildren. The federation needs to establish a satellite Jewish Community Center in the Northwest Valley. We don't need fancy tennis courts, swimming pools or buildings. We need quality programming NOW! Sandy Shedroff Phoenix Israel's faces uncertain futureEditor:Israel faces a dilemma as a result of Yasser Arafat's successful terrorism campaign and the intervention of outside forces. How can Israel be expected to negotiate with Arafat, who authorizes the targeting of innocent lives? How much consideration can Israel give to the so-called Saudi Peace Plan? In preparation for the Arab League Summit scheduled for March 27, the Saudis have already backed down from their proposal to offer Israel "normalized relations." The diplomatic language now used is "a complete peace," as it stresses diplomatic or government-to-government ties. President Bush gave mixed messages the week of March 8. On one hand, he stated, "There can be no peace in a world where differences become an excuse to target the innocent for murder." Later, he was critical of Israel's methods of defending itself. He then referred to the importance of implementing the Mitchell and Tenet plans. Israel, surrounded by enemies and pressured from its "friend" the United States, faces a future fraught with fear, hypocritical demands and uncertainty. Irma Epstein Sun City West
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