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March 12, 2004/Adar 19 5764, Vol. 56, No. 25
Letters to the EditorMarch 12, 2004
Annual campaign is alive and wellEditor:Although we recognize the light-hearted nature of the "Just for Purim" articles in last Friday's issue (Jewish News, March 5), we also recognize that many failed to do so and were offended and confused. We received some two-dozen messages from individuals concerned about the front-page story regarding the campaign. Because we have a great deal of respect for our donors and dedicated campaign workers, we want to express our appreciation for all those who give so generously of their time and resources. Because we are aware of the thousands of individuals who count on the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix daily for assistance, we want to make certain that the community understands that we take our work seriously and do not take lightly the needs of anyone. We understand that Jewish News did not intend to cause the federation or our supporters any harm and only wanted to provide some levity in the spirit of Purim. I'm happy to report that the 2004 Campaign is off to an amazing start - in the last two weeks more than 1,500 individuals attended Men's Night Out and Challenges and on March 28th, we look forward to the community continuing to act on its support at Super Sunday. Adam Schwartz Executive vice president, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Editor: I am an employee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, and we work very hard raising money for worthy causes. To have this set back and to ruin our reputation because of someone's idea that this is a joke, is sick. ("Annual campaign canceled," Jewish News, March 5) I have had friends call to say they are not going to give donations to the federation or the Jewish Community Center any more. Your so-called joke was not clearly labeled as such, but in any event I think it was in very bad taste. Esther Cohen Administrative Assistant, Women's Department Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix What was Mel thinking?Editor:I want to congratulate Sister Deborah Kalb for writing her article "Support in difficult times" (Jewish News, March 5). It is wonderful to see that some people are wise enough to learn from the mistakes and to follow the path of love, forgiveness and understanding. Hasn't humanity suffered enough in all the wars in the name of religion? I wonder what Mel Gibson wanted to achieve with his film, "The Passion of the Christ." What can anybody expect from a movie that focuses on pain and violence, especially on a subject that caused so much pain to millions of innocent people. I feel Gibson needs to find some peace within his spirit because he still feeds off anger and rage. He will go into history as a poor-spirited man who has not learned from the past and is not aware of the God-given gift that he has as a movie director. He had the opportunity to use the movie to bring goodness to the world. Instead, he is using the mass media to stir up hatred and negativity. I feel very sorry for this man. Or is it the money? He will surely be richer by this movie, but he will be very poor indeed, spiritually. Suzette Bruhn Sedona Kerry's inconsistent rhetoricEditor:In your opinion page, ("Sound bite," Jewish News, Feb. 27) you prominently highlight a quote from Sen. John Kerry that was made shortly before the important New York Democratic primary: "Israel's security fence is a legitimate act of self-defense." Perhaps you could prominently highlight what he said out of the other side of his mouth to the Michigan Arab American Institute earlier in October: "I know how disheartened Palestinians are by the Israeli government's decision to build the barrier off of the Green Line - cutting deep into Palestinian areas. ...We don't need another barrier to peace." ("Kerry defends security fence," Jerusalem Post, Feb. 25) Benjamin Laskin Phoenix Time to learn about ourselvesEditor:I am surprised by the Phoenix Jewish community's response to the movie "The Passion of the Christ." Why run to understand Christian beliefs and perceptions? We don't have to apologize because of a false portrayal of our ancestors. Christians need to respect our beliefs as we do theirs - especially, when so many Christians openly profess their beliefs to the Jewish community and try to convert us. We pray to an infinite God. It is important to make this distinction when so many Jews are turning to Buddhism, Messianic Judaism, Christianity and other stylish new wave ideas. We must begin to speak honestly about reaching out to our own community. With today's climate of intermarriages and Israel's struggles, we must educate ourselves in Jewish beliefs. Many Jews today have no understanding of a Torah life such as Shabbat, dietary laws (kashrut), marriage, holidays and meanings of basic prayers. We have lost fundamental Jewish beliefs like life after death and why we are still waiting for the Messiah. Many Jews today don't understand how spiritual their own religion is. We have a 6,000-year miraculous and ongoing history. We shouldn't give up our inheritance without reading our will. Ken Schnitzer Scottsdale Esther is the true heroineEditor:Reading Jane Ulman's deconstruction of Purim, one would have thought the title of the book was, 'The Scroll of Vashti." ("Purim's troublesome story," Jewish News, Feb. 27) In fact, the true heroine of the story, Esther, does not even appear in her entire piece. In her rush to jump on the feminist bandwagon, Ulman kvetches about a minor character who disappears early in the first act and imagines support for the Persians' mistreatment of women. She manages to completely miss the obvious contrast with the powerful and enduring Jewish feminist heroine who single-handedly saves the entire Jewish people from Haman's final solution. Consider: Esther commands Mordechai exactly how the Jewish people should respond, comes up with her own plan to set up Haman, plays the king like Silly Putty - turning his fated day of annihilation into an opportunity to battle the Nazi-like storm troopers eagerly awaiting the chance to murder every Jew in sight (far from the "75,000 innocent Persians" in Ulman's piece) - all with humble devotion to the man who raised her, fame and fortune notwithstanding. Ulman does us all a truly grave disservice by promoting a senseless ignorance of our Torah. As the Jews then celebrated "enlightenment, joy, celebration and glory," (Esther 8:15) so may we all, once again. Rabbi Dovid Goldman Phoenix Community Kollel/Aish Hatorah Scottsdale More than one way to visit IsraelEditor:In your editorial "Ties to the land" (Jewish News, Feb. 6), you eloquently describe the close relationship that exists between the State of Israel and the Diaspora and the vital role Israel plays in developing Jewish identity through programs like Birthright Israel. We agree that communities must make sending our youth to Israel a priority, and we have. The Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix is working with United Jewish Communities and our fellow federations across the country to find ways to continue funding the Birthright program. However, in Phoenix, Birthright Israel does not provide the only opportunity for youth travel to Israel. In 1994, through the generosity of Harold and Jean Grossman, a $1 million endowment was created to provide scholarship funding for local teens to participate in approved Israel Experience programs. The endowment has helped more than 300 teens to experience Israel. In 1997, the federation created the Gift of Israel Savings program, which partners the federation with parents and congregations to provide children with up to $2,400 for an Israel Experience trip. The opportunity for life-changing Israel experiences is bright, but there is still much more that needs to be done, and we welcome participation from the entire community. Vicki Cabot President, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Vicki Cabot is a Jewish News contributing editor.
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