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October 8, 2004/Tishri 23 5765, Vol. 57, No. 6
Letters to the EditorOctober 8, 2004
Let the Presbyterians divestEditor:While I applaud your editorial ("Isn't it ironic," Jewish News, Oct. 1), unfortunately it doesn't go far enough in suggesting what our recourse should be. Union of Reform Judaism President Rabbi Eric Yoffie's statement to the Presbyterian Church "that despite our past contacts, it seems apparent that we don't yet know each other well enough" tells us all we need to know about the success of interfaith dialogues. The Presbyterian Church obviously had no clue or did not care how American Jews would react to its call to disinvest in Israel. Likewise when Mel Gibson released the movie "The Passion," we witnessed how other Christian groups reacted to Jewish concerns about this controversial movie. When will we as Jews finally learn who we and Israel can count on? If the Presbyterians want to divest from Israel and if the Anglicans do the same, let them. It is up to us to invest in Israel, to travel to Israel and to buy Israeli products. We as American Jews can make the difference - and we must make the commitment. Warren Breisblatt Scottsdale Stee-rike!Editor:Barry Kluger incorrectly lists Bob Feller as Jewish ("Taking faith, and baseball, seriously," Jewish News, Oct. 1). Feller was a devout church-going farm boy from Van Meter, Iowa. Mark Winograd Paradise Valley Barry Kluger offers his apology for the error and responds, "If I was a ball player and made a mistake like that, I'd be sent down to the Minors. All I can say is this is the last time I use Dan Rather's assistant." Violence in Israel not accurately representedEditor:Gil Sedan's article ("Violence continues into fifth year," Jewish News, Oct. 1) is one example of why Israel is losing the war to win the hearts and minds of many non-Jews. He writes, "Palestinians and Israelis, who for almost a decade seemed on the verge of historic reconciliation, turned in opposite directions - killing each other, hating each other and losing hope." This is not what happened. Barak and the Israelis were happy to continue seeking peace and a two-state solution. But this was not what Arafat and the Palestinians wanted. They wanted and still want the destruction of Israel. As a result Arafat and the Palestinians used Sharon's visit as a subterfuge to restart and continue killing Israelis in terror attacks, hoping that this would cause the destruction of Israeli society. It didn't, and Israelis retaliated with necessary force, only to defend themselves. How can we expect non-Jews like the Presbyterians and Anglicans to understand what is happening if Jewish reporters for Jewish news agencies fail to report the truth, which is that the latest round of destruction and hatred resulted from Palestinian resolve to destroy Israel? Sandor Shuch Phoenix Gerda Klein's story still striking chordsEditor:I am a gentile American born in 1946. I grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., but never had the opportunity to meet one of the heroines of my life, the truly noble lady Gerda Klein ("Lunch at home with Gerda Klein," Jewish News, July 23). Due to her harrowing story of survival in a world gone mad, I have dedicated myself to making the study of the Holocaust a lifelong devotion. Thanks to the heroic retelling of Mrs. Klein's life, the people who suffered and were the victims of horrific intolerance have come to life for me. I weep for Mrs. Klein's parents, her brother Artur and most especially the Jewish people of Poland. As long as I live, the Jews of Bielitz (Bielsko), Lodz and Warsaw are alive with me and live in my heart. Phil Schultz Buffalo, NY Israel a missing topic in presidential debateEditor:As I was watching the presidential debate on Oct. 1, I was waiting for the subject of Israel to come up. Considering that it is obviously a terrorist hot spot and the debate was on foreign policy, I thought it would be only logical for there to be at least one question on Israel. There wasn't. It is a sad day that the plight of a close ally goes ignored in our country. One candidate did have Israel on his mind even though it was not brought up as a formal question. When talking about having to fix the Iraq war, Sen. Kerry said, "I'm going to get it right for those soldiers, because it's important to Israel, it's important to America, it's important to the world, it's important to the fight on terror." Kerry understands that we have to do better in Iraq not just for the safety of our soldiers and our country but for the entire world. We need a president who will help Israel, our ally in the war on terror and so much more, and not stand idly by as the condition gets worse - as peace seems to slide further from our grasp. Though the rest of the country may not find Israel an important enough topic to debate, Kerry does, and as Jews, so do we. Daniel Stegman Tempe
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