Letters to the Editor7/3/1998
Torah doesn't justify the death penaltyEditor:It was very disturbing to read Barry Aarons' commentary in the June 19 issue of Jewish News, which dealt with his witnessing the June 9 execution of Donald Gretzler. My first concern is with Mr. Aarons' reference to the eye-for-an-eye concept. My first reaction was that this literal interpretation of the Torah was not necessarily a justification for meting out punishment in the late 20th century in a progressive, democratic society, particularly when most of the industrialized democracies have abolished the death penalty. To get a better understanding of the meaning of an eye-for-an-eye, I talked to Cantor Howard Tabaknek of Temple Beth Israel. He said that "an eye for an eye" was a limiting concept, meaning that if you took an eye, you would only lose an eye and no more. Secondly, he said that scholars generally agree that the death penalty is not something that Judaism supports. My second concern was with Mr. Aarons' description of what transpired before, during and after the execution. I was disturbed by his matter-of-factness and his description of how solemn and professional everybody was. This solemnity and professionalism are to be expected. These people were just doing their jobs. What bothers me is how any decent person, especially a doctor, can be part of the taking of anyone's life, no matter how heinous the crime. Basically, there is no justification for the death penalty in the Torah and, in today's "enlightened" society, this barbaric practice should be abolished. Richard Meyer Phoenix Church-state separation is key issue for schoolsEditor:We appreciate the excellent commentary written by Marty Latz, headlined, "Keep fighting the fight on religion in schools" (Jewish News, May 15). The article was an excellent report on the meeting recently sponsored by the Joint Task Force on Religion in the Public Schools and the American Jewish Committee. Since 1988 the Joint Task Force has worked to create an awareness of issues and solve problems regarding the separation of church and state. We have been particularly concerned with the way these issues affect Jewish students in public schools. The kind of article written by Mr. Latz is extremely helpful in making readers aware of the problems that we are trying to solve. This article brought knowledge and sensitivity to the issues we are most concerned with. We wish to congratulate your newspaper in helping to create public awareness concerning the issue of religion in public schools. Our appreciation is extended to Rabbi Robert Kravitz and the American Jewish Committee for co-sponsoring the seminar. Ruth Finn, Gitta Chernin, Lesley Lustgarten (Joint Task Force on Religion in the Public Schools) Mark Tynan, Tami Schultz (Jewish Community Relations Council) Rabbis face time crunchEditor:Thank you for the kind article (Jewish News, June 19) on the relationship between children of male rabbis and their fathers by Leni Reiss. I do need to clarify one aspect. My children and my family never held a picnic in a cemetery, as the article stated. A college friend of ours, a woman, whose father was a Reform rabbi, reported to us that growing up (some 35-40 years ago), her family would sometimes have a picnic at the cemetery Sunday afternoon after unveilings her father conducted. I related the story for historical context. The conflict of finding time for your family is not a new one for American pulpit rabbis. While the struggles to find family time may have been expressed differently in our family than in my friend's family, the issues for rabbis and their families remain the same. Rabbi Mark J. Bisman Har Zion Congregation Scottsdale 
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