Dumbing Down Identity I was taken by Bethamie Horowitz’s August 27 opinion column (“The Dumbing Down of Communal Identity”). It has always seemed obvious to me that the one key aspect of Jewish identity has to be its meaning, as assessed individually. If I am Jewish because to me Judaism teaches religious truths about the…
Right on Settlements The August 27 editorial about the Bush administration’s questionable approach to Israeli settlement expansion was absolutely correct (“Bush and the Settlements”). The president’s blessing of settlement growth in the Palestinian territories is more than just poorly timed, it’s also substantively incorrect. The expanding settlement movement is not in Israel’s interests — it…
Scapegoating of Pagans Reveals Author’s Bias As a neo-pagan, Wiccan and Druid for nearly 20 years, I feel compelled to respond to David Klinghoffer’s August 20 opinion column (“We Are All Pagans Now”). Klinghoffer bemoans the loss of the undisputed dominance that monotheism, as personified in the Abrahamic faiths, has had over Western civilization for…
History of U.S. Zionism Kudos on the very interesting August 6 article on the history of the organized American Jewish community (“Hearts Ungovernable”). The Forward mentions the American Jewish Congress of the World War I, but does not mention the American Jewish Conference of World War II. It met at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New…
Getting It Wrong On Reform Policy The original headline to an August 6 front-page article — the online version of the article appears under a revised headline that correctly portrays the issue — is belied by the fourth paragraph of the story, which accurately refers to “the Reform movement’s strong support for Sharon’s general plan…
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…
דאָס בוך איז גרונטיק געפֿאָרשט, לעבעדיק אָנגעשריבן — אָבער אידעאָלאָגיש באַפֿאַרבט
