Reaching Out to the Elderly, George Floyd Protests, Jews of Color

Reaching Out to the Elderly
Several weeks ago, members of the various boards of the Los Angeles Jewish Home were asked to volunteer by calling the residents to say hello and let them know that we are thinking about them during this difficult time.

Because the of the isolation and COVID-19 pandemic, physical contact was completely cut off. I was given the names of 30 residents to contact by phone.

They all understood the necessity of the lockdown and expressed deep appreciation for the extraordinary measures the facility took to keep them safe. All spoke glowingly about the extra efforts of the administration, doctors, nurses and staff to make them comfortable and knowledgeable about social distancing and masks. One woman expressed her disappointment in not being able to play cards with her friends, and a 92-year-old man from Ukraine said, “This isn’t a retirement home … this place is paradise!”

We should take great pride and satisfaction that our most vulnerable elderly members are so happy, so well taken care of and so safe during this unprecedented health crisis.
Sheldon Steier, via email

Watch New Life Emerge
We are the children of the “Parparim” (butterfly) class at the Early Childhood Center of Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am. Our parents read Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson’s story (“Sheltering in Our Cocoons, Preparing to Soar,” May 29) and we all could relate to the metaphor of being in a cocoon because we recently did an amazing project: We ordered caterpillars online and watched them develop into butterflies in a mesh habitat that we kept in our homes.

We would like to recommend this as a wonderful activity for people of any age to witness this incredible, magical transformation. It is a particularly appropriate activity for this period of quarantine, when you might be lucky enough to be present to see the butterfly emerge from the cocoon like we did. We hope that, as Artson described in his story and as we saw with our butterflies, our society will indeed do the work necessary to emerge from this challenging time changed, stronger and more beautiful than ever.
Pressman Academy’s “Parparim”, Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles

George Floyd Protests
I agree that there are many layers to the relationship between the police force and the black community. I also agree that the conduct of the officer who is charged in the death of George Floyd was simply wrong. However, I don’t see it fitting to fight fire with fire. Some of the things we’re seeing at these protests are not peaceful.
Gal Cohavy, Los Angeles

I am writing to thank David Suissa for his thoughtful column “When the Riots Took Over the Story” (June 5) and Tabby Refael’s insightful piece “Mourning in Fear” (May 5). I had almost forgotten about the Journal but had been on a protest march in Hollywood and afterward went to the Farmers Market and picked up a print edition. As a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, I appreciate the diversity of stories in the Journal. I plan to continue to read online.
Kerry Thorne, via email 

In 2018, Keith Ellison, currently Minnesota’s attorney general, posted a Twitter photo of himself holding “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook.” Ellison’s post said the book should “strike fear into the heart” of President Donald Trump.

Antifa is believed to have fomented some of the rioting, with violence and looting, that has erupted alongside legitimate protests against the death of George Floyd while in police custody. Trump has asked that antifa be declared a terrorist organization. (It is a movement with no official members or leaders, and there is a debate as to whether Trump or his administration has the legal authority to declare antifa a terrorist organization.)

Minneapolis City Councilman Jeremiah Ellison, Keith’s son, has tweeted support for antifa.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wants Keith Ellison — not the Hennepin County prosecutor — to lead prosecutions related to Floyd’s death.

Before Walz announced that Ellison would lead the prosecution, Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights activist and former head of the Minneapolis NAACP, was among those calling for a special prosecutor, and she didn’t endorse Ellison for the job. “There needs to be a completely independent special prosecutor,” she said.

That seems like a judicious assessment, considering that riots across our country have left several dead (so far), dozens injured, hundreds arrested, synagogues vandalized and many buildings and businesses destroyed.

“Days of Rage” aren’t the American way.
Julia Lutch, Davis, Calif.

Jews of Color
We are finally recognizing that in the Diaspora Jews went everywhere (“Jews of Color Campaign Goes Viral After Article Relegates Them to a Statistic,” May 29). Some went underground; some are reemerging and returning to the fold. And they all don’t look alike.
Enriqué Gascon, Westside Village

2020 Must Be the Year of No Tobacco
May 31 marked the 32nd annual World No Tobacco Day, a global public health campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to expose the deadly tactics of the tobacco industry, the impacts of the tobacco epidemic it drives, and offer solutions for people to claim their right to healthy lungs and lives.
As the world’s eyes are on the COVID-19 pandemic, we can’t lose sight of another deadly epidemic: Each year, tobacco kills 8 million people globally. Almost a half-million of those deaths occur in the U.S.

This epidemic is driven by the tobacco industry, which seeks to profit off the sale of addictive and deadly products. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Tobacco has doubled down on its time-tested tactics: marketing its products to young people and interfering in public policymaking. The industry is using aggressive public relations campaigning to position itself to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Luckily, the world has a powerful tool to curb Big Tobacco’s power: The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), also known as the global tobacco treaty.

The U.S. has yet to ratify that treaty, but state and local governments still can use the guidelines in the WHO FCTC, which is one essential way to counter the devastating impact of COVID-19 and future respiratory-related pandemics and save millions of people’s lives from the effects of tobacco use.
Our elected officials must look past Big Tobacco’s publicity stunts and enact policies in line with the global need for strong corporate accountability measures that save lives.

I’m calling on our elected officials to take steps to stop Big Tobacco’s marketing to youth, reject tobacco industry interference in policymaking, and make Big Tobacco pay for its abuses.
Lisa Laureta, via email

Praise for a Podcast

It was a mechayeh listening to David Suissa’s podcast recently after the weekend’s events. His message to not let the violence detract from the important message of the peaceful protests struck the right tone. Our society is in pain. In 2007, Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote a poem (“Pity the Nation”) about the systemic problems in our nation, and it is even more relevant today.

Thank you for your intelligent and insightful words in these troubled times.
Bonnie Voland, Los Angeles

Now it’s your turn! Don’t be shy, submit your letter to the editor! Letters should be no more than 200 words and must include a valid name and city. The Journal reserves the right to edit all letters. letters@jewishjournal.com.