May 20, 2005/Iyar 11 5765, Volume 57, No. 38
Letters to the EditorMay 20, 2005
Students seek forgiveness for shul disruptionEditor:This is a response letter to the letter "Shande at the shul" (Jewish News, May 13). We apologize to the bat mitzvah, the congregation, the bat mitzvah family and the rabbi. We did not mean to hurt anyone's feelings. We understand that having a bat mitzvah is a huge thing because it means that you are growing into a young lady. We are also becoming b'nai mitzvah and we know the hard work that is put into the process. We are very sorry and we would like to share our feelings about that letter, "Shande at the shul." Not only did you embarrass us but you also embarrassed our families and our school. Everyone knows who we are and that's already a punishment to us, but you have no reason to make a letter and embarrass us even more. This letter is not meant to be rude, but we would just like to share our feelings just like you shared yours. We understand that you felt bad for the family and the congregation, and we do too, but we think it would be more appropriate if one of the family members or the rabbi would have addressed this. We are just kids with a lot of energy. We are just a few children who were involved in disrupting the service. We are extremely sorry to the bat mitzvah girl and her family. Please forgive us. Concerned Students Scottsdale Murder not a legitimate form of criticismEditor:Newsweek's publication (and subsequent retraction) last week of the allegation that American guards at Guantanamo desecrated a Koran led to an orgy of anti-American mayhem and murder by enraged Muslims. All of our media discussion has focused on Newsweek's careless journalism. Why has there been no criticism of the people who feel that they are justified in committing mayhem and murder if they think that the Koran has been desecrated? Don't those people bear responsibility for their barbarous acts? Do we consider it somehow acceptable when Muslims kill people whom they find offensive? Carl Goldberg Tempe Preschool oversight demands correctionEditor:It was with great disappointment that I noticed that Temple Emanuel of Tempe's Yad B'Yad Preschool was omitted from the article "Early education options" (Jewish News, May 13). Temple Emanuel of Tempe's preschool has been in existence since 2002 and has grown in leaps and bounds. Our director, Syndi Scheck, and her talented staff have created for our children an environment of caring, warmth and love of Judaism. At least once a month Syndi submits to Jewish News a photo of our children celebrating and learning; how could our outstanding program not be mentioned in this article? We wish the new preschool programs much success. It is wonderful that the Jewish community of the Southeast Valley treasures its children so much that we are now providing Jewish options for their schooling. However, the Jewish News must perform its due diligence and provide the facts about the options that exist in the Southeast Valley, and Temple Emanuel's Yad B'Yad Preschool is one of the finest options. Nanci Wilharber Executive Director Temple Emanuel of Tempe
Other politicos also culpableEditor:In response to the editorial "In the name of faith" (Jewish News, May 13) about lobbyist Jack Abramoff, there has been little reporting on two other Jews in the world of politics who do not demonstrate responsibility to make the world a better place rather than accepting the "system we have." Sandy Berger, the former national security adviser for President Clinton, admitted to stealing top-secret documents. David Rosen, the national finance director for Sen. Hillary Clinton's 2000 campaign, is on trial for breaking campaign finance law. It is possible Rosen will cooperate with the government, which might have serious consequences for Sen. Clinton's presidential ambitions. Will he be committing loshan hara also? Irma Epstein Sun City West Out of the ashes of persecutionEditor:An article in the Arizona Republic on the new Holocaust memorial in Berlin ("Memorial divides Berlin," May 8) reports: "The memorial is a maze of 2,711 unadorned concrete rectangles, or steles. Organizers said the number of steles had no symbolic significance but was dictated by the size of the site." Isn't it remarkable that 2,711 is the number of pages in the seven-year cycle of daily Talmud study known as Daf Ha'Yomi (page of the day)? Even more remarkable is that at the completion of seventh cycle in 1975, the leading Torah scholars in America declared that the Siyum (event marking the completion of the seven-year cycle) be dedicated to the 6 million holy ones who perished in the destruction of European Jewry. If that wasn't enough, each side of a page of Talmud is referred to as an amud, literally a pillar, aptly describing the concrete rectangles of the memorial. Add to this the fact that the pillars are different shapes and sizes just as each page of the Talmud is a different length. No doubt many more similarities exist, but the message is already clear. Out of the ashes of every persecution rises our holy Torah, giving Jews the opportunity to pull themselves up by the pillars of strength found in the pages of our holy writings. Starting with just 300 people in 1930, the Siyum just completed on March 1, 2005, included 120,000 people in 60 cities around the world. Every day since March 2, I have learned the Daf Ha'Yomi in Scottsdale with Rabbi Ariel Shoshan, director of the Phoenix Community Kollel. Even though I have no Talmudic skills to speak of, I have never before been exposed to such a wide breadth of Judaism in such a short time, never before been so mentally challenged, never laughed harder at times and never had such a deep sense of accomplishment as when I participated in the Siyum for first tractate of the Talmud on May 1. For this event, the Scottsdale Daf Ha'Yomi class joined with a group of 15 others learning the Daf in Phoenix with Rabbi Zvi Holland, dean of the Phoenix Community Kollel. If the message of the Berlin Holocaust Memorial speaks to you, then please join us for a Daf Yomi class. As Rabbi Dovid Goldman, also of the Phoenix Community Kollel, told me after I took just one class: "It's already worth it." Boy, was he right. Charlie Meyerson Scottsdale Numbers of Jewish Republicans increasing?Editor:The front-page article that you ran regarding the newly formed Arizona Chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition ("Local Republican group forming," Jewish News, April 29) was of particular interest to me. An April 12 Los Angeles Times article, written by Ronald Brownstein, pointed out that several polls have concluded that although only 16 percent of Jewish women voted for Bush in November, the number was significantly higher among Jewish men (28 percent), and among Jewish men under 30 years of age the percentage was a very striking 35 percent. Even more interesting was the startling discovery that in the group of Jews that attend services on a weekly basis, the split was 50 percent for Kerry and 50 percent for Bush. The trend is obvious when followed over the last several election cycles. More and more American Jews are rethinking their devotion to the tired policies of the Democrats and moving in the direction of progress. Les Cherow Republican Jewish Coalition of Arizona Phoenix Holocaust survivors seek informationEditor:The American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, Inc., the umbrella organization that acts as the voice of the North American Holocaust survivors and their descendants, is seeking to create an e-mail list to make it easier to communicate with its members. The organization is also looking to update the Ben and Vladka Meed Holocaust Survivors Registry at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by seeking those who have never listed their names, as well as information from family members who can update the files with additional information - for example, to let the registry know if a survivor has died. To receive a registration form or to be added to the e-mail list, please send an e-mail to amgathtogether@aol.com. Jeanette Friedman Editor, Together The Voice of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants New York, N.Y.
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