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June 7, 2002/Sivan 27 5762, Vol. 54, No. 38
Letters to the EditorJune 7, 2002
Commendable Middle East coverageEditor:The Jewish News has done very commendable coverage of the Middle East, including the May 10 article of Dr. (Mohamed) Jasser. If we do not learn to understand and listen to the voices of reasonable Arabs, then all we will ever hear are the voices of the unreasonable ones. Thereby, in the name of security, (we are) condemning Israel to live behind stone walls and barbed wire in a ghetto of our own making. Sylvia de Freitas Paradise Valley Community will benefit from rabbis' wisdomEditor:I am very excited that Rabbis Michael Wasserman and Elana Kanter have decided to remain in Phoenix, and I applaud the concept of their new traditional-egalitarian synagogue. The idea of creating an entity to compliment existing institutions in the Phoenix Jewish community is typical of the vision, wisdom and values that Wasserman and Kanter bring to our community. Despite the opportunity to relocate anywhere in the country, Wasserman and Kanter have chosen to remain here. The Phoenix Jewish community will continue to benefit from their presence. Drew Barkley Scottsdale Reader questions Arab-Palestinian relationsEditor:Why do the Arab countries hate the Palestinians? The Arabs have repeatedly expelled Palestinians from Arab countries. The Arabs have provided financial encouragement to Palestinians to destroy themselves, yet have not provided monetary rewards for peaceful behavior. Weapons are provided instead of food. Try as I might, I can find no reason for the Arabs to help the Palestinians on a course of self-destruction. Hy Rosenfeld Phoenix Where were Karsh's supporters?Editor:Congratulations to Albertson's for making the commitment to kosher baking. While I'm glad that there are now other kosher bakeries available, I am saddened by this interpretation of halacha (Jewish law). How can it be that we, as Jews, would rather give our business to non-Jews than help our own first? The fact that Karsh's Bakery in Phoenix was required to give up kosher certification in order to remain in business seems even sadder now that Albertson's, open all hours on Shabbat and not run by Jews, has kosher bakeries. If there are enough Jews in these areas to support a kosher bakery, where were they when Karsh's needed their business? It is sad to see how rabbinic interpretation is being used to drive a wedge between our own. It will be interesting to see how committed Albertson's is to the kosher idea after the first time an oven goes down on Shabbat and the rabbi cannot give them the code to start it back up (that would be working on Shabbat), and they lose that whole day's production. Lynn Ruskin Glendale
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