August 29, 2003/Elul 1 5763, Vol. 55, No. 53
Letters to the EditorAugust 29, 2003
Observe commandments, don't display themEditor:Seems to me that God would rather people observe the Ten Commandments than make monuments out of them. If I remember correctly, when Moses descended from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments had been etched and saw his people engaged in sinful behavior, he threw the tablets down, breaking them. That leads me to wonder if the protesters are as avid about following the commandments in their own lives as they are about having them on display in a publicly owned building. The folks in Alabama might be better off worrying a little more about God and Moses showing up and breaking their stone tablets than the removal of them from the courthouse by court order. Robert M. Aronin Phoenix COEJL coming to the ValleyEditor:Thank you for raising the critical issue of environmental awareness and responsibility ("Remain bound to the earth," Jewish News, Aug. 15). These issues are important both nationally and locally. For the past 10 years, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), a national group based in New York, has articulated a moral and spiritual message about the importance of protecting the planet and has mobilized the Jewish community to take action. COEJL is now examining the role of local affiliate groups within its structure and is seeking to work more effectively with local communities. COEJL has decided to put more emphasis and resources into working with congregations - a local approach that can bring a Jewish environmental ethic into the diverse facets of congregational life - including education, ritual, social action and facilities management. In the greater Phoenix community, COEJL and the JCRC have initiated discussions about where the Valley community fits with COEJL's new directions. We will explore partnerships with congregations and look at how to create more awareness of environmental issues from a Jewish perspective. As always, awareness must lead to action. We will look to our congregational and communal leadership to join us in this venture. Cathy Wolf Director, Jewish Community Relations Council Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Vouchers prevent wholesale assimilationEditor:In response to Richard Spiegel's commentary ("Vouchers remain controversial," Jewish News, Aug. 22), I want to clarify my position. (1) I wholeheartedly want to protect the separation of church and state enshrined in the Constitution and consider it a "mainstay," as it were, for the American Jewish community. But we are not discussing tax dollars to support religious education. The tax dollars he is concerned with are contributed to mightily by parents whose kids are in private schools (and who, were they all in public schools, would overwhelm the system). It's justice, not support for religion, that is the issue here. The Supreme Court agreed with the constitutionality of vouchers. Why shouldn't the Jewish community? (2) My concern is not that the American Jewish community survive. It will. I am focusing on who and how many will be included in our future. Communities committed to Jewish education have demonstrated continuity. Those who haven't, assimilate. Our community, with less than 5 percent of its children in Jewish schools will (according to statistical evidence) see virtually the other 95 percent assimilate completely. We should applaud the efforts of the school voucher movement to seek educational choice for parents, and we should encourage our community to make that choice a Jewish one. Rabbi Zvi Holland Phoenix Community Kollel Israel needs to go on the offensiveEditor:Now that the "road map" to peace farce is over, Israel should take the only steps available that will bring a peace to this region. Israel needs to hit the terrorist groups - Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Arafat's groups - aggressively and completely. They need to shed the restraints put on them by the United States and world opinion (mostly due to anti-Semitism) and decimate these groups. If they need to clear out areas such as the Gaza Strip, so be it. As we are finding out by having our troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq, passive actions only bring forth more terrorist actions. These terrorists must be crushed quickly and decisively. Otherwise, our troops will continue to be sitting ducks for them. The coalition troops and support personnel in these countries are finding out how the Israelis have been living for years. You cannot sit back and wait for suicide attacks and other terrorist actions. The best defense is a good offense. Al Stein Phoenix
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