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September 10, 2004/Elul 24 5765, Vol. 57, No. 1
Letters to the EditorSeptember 10, 2004
Call for debate actually denialEditor:Jewish News' Aug. 27 editorial "Enter the debate" misses the point regarding the Union of Reform Jews' public stand criticizing the U.S. policy toward Israel. URJ claims it engaged in "careful analysis" and that the administration is not forcing Israel to return to the negotiating table. Consider the following:
Our rabbis must use their pulpits, classrooms and boardrooms to teach Jews the real facts to effectively defend Israel, and not to deny the reality of evil in the world. Helen and Jim Freedman Tempe Engage in meaningful dialogueEditor:I'm writing in response to a cartoon that I considered to be offensive and in poor taste (Jewish News, Aug. 27). It depicts Ariel Sharon calling to French Jews to "come home to Israel!" Standing behind him is caricature of a Frenchman with neo-Nazi symbol prominently displayed on the front of his shirt and a gas can in his hand, expressing agreement with Sharon. Perhaps the cartoon was inspired by the recent burnings of synagogues and Catholic churches in France. Or, perhaps it's just a crude attempt to be humorous. In any case, the cartoon could be interpreted as representing the beliefs of the French people - in much the same way as American talk radio interprets the remarks of a few French politicians as representing the beliefs of the French people. Although I was born and raised in Paris, I have been living and working in the United States for 25 years. I am a U.S. citizen, and I own and operate a small French bistro. We and our employees and suppliers are being hurt by French-bashing over the war in Iraq. Without differences of opinion there can be no change. The key is how we address our differences. Let's engage in meaningful dialogue rather than publish hurtful, inflammatory cartoons and editorials. Serge Boukatch Phoenix Obligation to help SudaneseEditor:As an American Jew and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I have been alarmed and saddened by recent events in the Darfur region of Sudan. For the first time, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has issued a genocide emergency, while humanitarian aid in the region continue to lack funding and personnel. On Aug. 25, a national Sudan: Day of Conscience was held in U.S. cities to bring attention to the crisis. The American Jewish Committee cosponsored this interfaith call to action in Phoenix. I was disappointed by the poor participation by members from our Jewish community. If there is any lesson that we can take from the message of the Holocaust to "never forget," it is to do everything in our power to halt hatred, ethnic cleansing and genocide. Holocaust survivors were arrested on the steps of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., recently as they demanded action. As those who lived to tell of the horrors of genocide firsthand, they refused to stand idly by. I urge readers to write to our U.S. Congressional delegation about the genocide occurring in the Sudan. Information about the crisis in Sudan is available at www.ushmm.org. The American Jewish World Service Web site, www.ajws.org, has a form letter to make correspondence easier. Leslie Kornreich Paradise Valley Bush policies helpful to IsraelEditor:Until President George W. Bush took office, the American attitude toward Israel and the situation in the Middle East was a bit confusing, with calls for negotiation and the indictment of Israel as responding too harshly to terrorism by bulldozing homes of homicide bombers and conducting air strikes. Proposed agreements and treaties were ultimately doomed because in Yasser Arafat, Israel did not have a partner to deal with. Bush realizes that Arafat is a terrorist, and while he has not advocated killing or expelling him, he has agreed to the Israelis' marginalizing his presence and restricting his freedom of movement. By isolating Arafat, assassinating terror-group leaders and building the highly controversial security fence, the Israelis have managed to better protect the citizens of Israel. Bush has done a remarkable job in supporting Israel and has worked side by side with the Israelis, many times disregarding the wishes of our European so-called allies. America must continue this support of Israel by re-electing him. Cory Mandall Phoenix
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