Letters to the Editor: Republican ad, Jewish Mamas, Prager

Republican Ads Raise Ire

I want to correct an error in the ad placed by the RJC [Republican Jewish Coalition] and NWC [National Women’s Committee of the RJC] in which they state: “Barbara Boxer remained silent as the Obama administration pressured Israel …” (Oct. 8).

The fact is that Sen. Boxer rallied 87 of her Senate colleagues to send a letter to President Obama on Sept. 27 regarding the direct talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The letter reiterates that an agreement must be negotiated and embraced by the two parties rather than imposed from the outside.

After Vice President Biden’s visit to Israel, Barbara Boxer rallied 76 of her Senate colleagues to send a bipartisan message to the administration that disagreements between Israel and the U.S. should be handled privately as is the customary practice among close allies.

Thank you in advance for correcting the misleading ad and setting her record straight as a friend of the pro-Israel Community.

Herta Amir
via e-mail

Looking at this week’s Journal, it appears that the Republicans are convinced that your readers are all right-wing conservatives, with three advertisements appealing for support.

Either liberals don’t read The Journal because its views are also “conservative,” or the [Republican] party has so much money to toss around during this election cycle that they’re hoping to catch a few stray votes.

As a Journal subscriber who pays to read about our community each week, I would hope that it is the latter reason. The L.A. Jewish community is still liberal in its views, or it was the last time I looked.

Mark Aronson
via e-mail

Are Art and Its Creator One?

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the story about Jean-Luc Godard (“Is Jean-Luc Godard an Anti-Semite?” Oct. 8) was Richard Wagner, a genius German composer who was Hitler’s inspiration in his beastly hatred of Jews and the lust for their blood. The age-old question never goes away: Do I or don’t I separate the man from his art? So far, I am sticking with the man and his art as one. It is the same brain and the same heart that creates art and nourishes deathly anti-Semitism. Worse, it is the art that helps the anti-Semitism spread and take root in the public at large. Ironically, the fact that Hollywood wants to bestow this big honor on this man brings up the story of his life, his Swiss family collaborating with the Germans during World War II, his rants and writings against Israel — things that are not so easy to separate from his art. So, had it been up to me, Jean-Luc Godard would do the right thing by not coming here to pick up the prize unless he could find some magical way to erase the damage he caused to a suffering nation.

Batya Dagan
Los Angeles

In Response to Prager’s Response

First and foremost, I want to thank The Jewish Journal for believing in the marketplace of ideas. The First Amendment has undergone many tribulations and tests and in spite of it being in tatters, it has admirably served the nation, and the world, with its broad defense of free speech. In carrying forth and honoring that tradition, I would like to correct Mr. Prager’s inappropriate expropriation (a favorite conservative tactic) of these three words: ad hominem and catharsis (Letters, Oct. 8). First of all, I understood his article perfectly well — I just answered the question he posited in the article (an answer which he obviously disliked or could not prove false). Second, when he could not refute the contents of my letter on factual grounds, he went for the tried-and-true technique of “yelling foul” and classifying all my statements as ad hominem attacks (appealing to one’s emotions or special interests rather than to one’s intellect). And in a sleight of hand that would have made Merlin proud and Freud sit back and take notice, [Mr. Prager] pronounced that my article was a charade and only provided me with an act of catharsis (purging of emotions). Last, but far from least, [Mr. Prager] … cast aspersions about my intellect, my motives and my psychological well-being.

Marc Rogers
Sherman Oaks

In Defense of the Convert

Noa Tishby’s piece lamenting the attitude of those Jewish parents who object to their children marrying converts is right on point (“The Unnecessary Drama of Some Jewish Mamas,” Oct. 8). This parental view is all too prevalent in our community and is at odds with our long-term survival. As a not-as-educated-as-I-would-like-to-be Jew from birth, I welcome the enthusiasm, demonstrated commitment and exposure to Jewish learning of Jews by choice. It is possible that many of our tribe still have an isolation complex due to a lack of exposure to traditional texts encouraging conversion, such as the Book of Ruth, not unlike Octavio Paz’s description of Mexicans who deny their heritage and find themselves psychologically disconnected in “The Labyrinth of Solitude.” To address our insularity problem, as well as the demographic stasis Tishby notes, perhaps we should go beyond mere acceptance to actively promoting conversion.

Peter L. Reich
Professor of Law
Whittier Law School
Costa Mesa

In Defense of Dennis

The letter published in The Jewish Journal by Marc Rogers, attacking Dennis Prager, was not worthy or deserving of being printed in a fine journal such as yours. It was filled with personal attacks and invective. I, for one, appreciate Mr. Prager’s columns because they add diversity of opinion and stimulate thought and discussion. One should be open to other points of view, especially when presented logically, on subjects that interest the Jewish community.

Paul Altura
Los Angeles

Stay Away From Stereotyping

I read with interest the comments of a reader disturbed by a description of Glenn Beck’s “White People’s March on Washington” (Letters, Sept. 17). The thought was expressed that The Jewish Journal could also be considered racist because it is a “white people’s journal” and therefore racist and therefore suspect. As an African American Christian who has been a subscriber to The Journal for many years, I wish to differ with that observation and offer a reminder that stereotyping is something we should all try to avoid.

Charles Palmer
Baldwin Hills

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