Presbyterian Decision Not Representative In light of Israel’s history and centuries of Jewish suffering at the hands of Christians, one might think that Christians would make a special effort to understand Israel’s unique and perilous situation as a Jewish state among Arab neighbors (“Protestant Group OKs Divestment From Israel,” July 16). Such is not the…
Shoah Funds Played Major Role for Israel Although Israel did not have a formal voice in the Claims Conference’s negotiations for compensation for Holocaust survivors, Israel conducted simultaneous and coordinated negotiations with West Germany (“Netanyahu Seen Angling to Control Shoah Funds,” July 16). Under the 1952 Luxembourg Agreements, Israel received 3 billion Deutschmarks in goods…
A Politician by Intent, A Jew by Accident Forgive me for asking, but just what kind of a Jew is Ken Mehlman (“Bush Campaign Manager Sees Virtue in Taking No Prisoners,” July 9)? If the Forward were making an issue of the Jewishness of some ballplayer, that’s one thing. But when it’s someone in a…
Respect Western Wall The women’s section of the Western Wall welcomes all — Jew/non-Jew, Orthodox/non-Orthodox, one-time visitors/regulars, short-sleeves/long-skirts;those praying Sephardic, Ashkenazi or not at all (“Breaking Sacred Ground for Equality,” July 2). There’s almost total freedom, the only request being to respect the minhag hamakom, or the local custom, and abstain from conspicuous group prayer…
Restitution and Justice I would like to correct two misconceptions that can arise from the otherwise important June 18 article on property restitution (“Court Actions Highlight Lack of Special Rep on Restitution”). First, while I believe that it remains important for the Bush administration to have a senior political representative work on Holocaust restitution issues…
Higher Standards Not Matched by Recognition Phrasing used in a June 11 article on the Sudan — specifically, the statements that “after months of inaction [Jewish groups are finally making an effort to help]” and that “Jewish organizations… [failed] to do enough to stop the 1994 genocide that took place in Rwanda” — demonstrate the…
U.S. Support for Israel Not Contingent on Gaza A June 4 news article quotes supporters of Prime Minister Sharon’s withdrawal plan as claiming that Israel’s failure to leave Gaza would set off a major clash between Israel and the United States (“U.S. Groups Warn Israel on Failure to Pull Out”). I and other representatives of…
Vilna Community Calls For Help With Chabad A June 4 article on the Lithuanian chief rabbinate misses the most important point of the current crisis (“Rabbinical Turf Fight in Lithuania Spills From Shul Onto Front Pages”). This is not just a turf fight between two rabbis, nor is it solely a struggle between Chabad and…
Zinni Retort Distorted A May 28 article about General Anthony Zinni’s interview on “60 Minutes” attributes to me comments that are inaccurate and distort my real views and concerns about the recent sharp increase in worldwide antisemitism (“Ex-Mideast Envoy Zinni Charges Neocons Pushed Iraq War To Benefit Israel”). The Anti-Defamation League reported in 2002 that…
Milken Misrepresented A May 14 article previewing Michael Milken’s keynote speech to an Israel Bonds event was partially correct to the extent that it described Milken’s extensive philanthropy, widespread support of Jewish causes and his “message of solidarity” for which “all Jews and the people of Israel should be very grateful” (“Junk-bond King To Keynote…
Teach the Children Well After reading the April 16 account of Holocaust education teachers in New Jersey and Iowa, I found that I could not simply turn the page (“Two Holocaust-Ed Teachers Find That Empathy Is Often Born of Adversity”). My reasons were many and varied. As a combat infantryman in France and Germany during…
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