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March 14, 2003/Adar2 10 5763, Vol. 55, No. 29
Letters to the EditorMarch 14, 2003
Contribute to camp scholarshipsEditor:Your cover story titled "Camp Cost Counts" (Jewish News, Feb. 14) highlighted the importance of Jewish children attending Jewish summer camp and the costs that may prevent some of them from doing so. The Jewish Community Foundation is pleased to offer three camp scholarships for day and overnight Jewish summer camp that are administered by the Bureau of Jewish Education:
Sheryl Quen Director of Programs and Grants, Jewish Community Foundation Scottsdale PETA's use of Holocaust decriedEditor:The "Holocaust on Your Plate" campaign by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) exhibited at Arizona State University is a travesty. How can we as people compare the horror of the Holocaust to the plight of animals that are being raised for food for our families? It is an outrage to see pictures of victims crowded into trains next to pictures of animals that imply there is a similarity. Hadassah Valley of the Sun supports the Anti-Defamation League's stance taken in opposition to this horrific campaign. PETA may oppose the slaughter of animals - so be it. But to have the nerve to compare it to the Holocaust is beyond all reason. The remarks credited to Matt Prescott (PETA volunteer) cause one to wonder about his understanding of pain and suffering of six million Jews who died needlessly in the Holocaust. Lee Levine President, Hadassah Valley of the Sun Scottsdale Involve congregants in rabbinic searchEditor:I have not read "The New Rabbi, A Congregation Searches for its Leader," reviewed by Vicki Cabot ("Pulpit fiction," Jewish News, Feb. 21) but her article was certainly timely in view of the recent turnover on the Valley's pulpits. One concern I had in reading it was the relatively negative tone she used to portray the search process, presumably mirroring the book. While it may seem to be an annoyance to a synagogue's leadership to ask the congregants what they want in a religious leader and then to see who is available that best fits the bill, this is an endeavor to be sought, not avoided. Asking congregants how they want to worship will probably be messy and lead to disagreements, but the advantage is that the congregation is thinking and arguing about how to pray. As a former temple president, I realize that practicalities require the lay leadership to spend much time with budgets and calendars and the like, but once in a while it's not a bad idea to deal with why we are a congregation. We shouldn't fear rethinking how we want to deal with God and our own Judaism and even listening to the rear pews while we're at it. Richard M. Spiegel Phoenix
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