LETTERS: July 24-30, 2009

Kudos to Suissa

Kudos to David Suissa for his informative and brave article on his recent visit to Israel (“Chaos and Unity,” July 17). I hope American Jews start waking up as well. If they could support Obama in such large numbers, maybe if they start pressuring him … he could be made to stop pressuring Israel.

Jewish congressmen and women, like Feinstein, Boxer, Berman, Waxman, Schiff, just to name a few in this state, can also start standing up for Israel. It wouldn’t hurt.

Marsha Roseman
Van Nuys

Thank you David Suissa for giving us the hard truth of Israel’s view of President Obama.

In just a few months, Obama has turned Israel’s greatest ally into a scary question mark.

Obama might have united the Jews of Israel, but the Jews of America are blind to the dangerous direction Obama is taking regarding the United States and Israel relations. Keep it up; the hard truth will save us.

Hershey Gold
Los Angeles

Room for Liberalism in Jewish Publications?

I wanted to thank Rob Eshman for alerting me to the great job that Commentary Magazine is doing (“Sedentary,” July 10). His over-the-top criticism of that magazine as left-bashing assured me that they have a much better grip on reality and evil than he does. So I went to their Web site and immediately found an article by David Hazony on the bias and conflict of interests of so-called human rights watchdogs like Amnesty and the U.N. Human Rights Council. That clinched the deal, and I immediately paid for a subscription to the magazine. What a great magazine!

Warren Scheinin
Redondo Beach

In one quick breath, President Obama equated Palestinian suffering with the Holocaust and presented us with the Arab narrative of Israel’s founding and history.

So what is Mr. Eshman’s answer? We need more liberal voices in a conservative Jewish magazine.

Liberal Jews in their hopeful reality continue to cling to their hopes for Obama and condemn those who see a danger in President Obama’s world view and threat to Israel’s future existence.

Liberal hopes and dreams come at a very high cost. It’s sad that 78 percent of liberal Jews placed those idealistic hopes ahead of reality and still cannot admit to the danger.

Betzalel “Bitzy” N. Eichenbaum
Encino

Rob Eshman complains that Commentary, like a grumpy old man, so incessantly pines for the past and despairs for the future that Eshman knows what it says without having to read it. Apparently, Eshman took his own advice, because he clearly did not read the last issue.

One article actually refuted those who wax nostalgic about baseball’s good old (steroid-free) days. The author noted many old-time records were artificial due to the pre-1947 exclusion of blacks, and that current achievements are thus more impressive. Hardly the complaint of a grumpy old man — unlike Eshman’s own reminiscence of the magazine’s glory years, when he was a boy of negative 20.

Eshman also slams an author for complaining about Jews concerned with Darfur and global warming. Actually, the article nowhere mentioned Darfur or global warming. Rather, it lamented that “hipster” Judaism has no call to collective action, pursuing neither justice nor holiness, only coolness. Eshman apparently concedes that attending drug-fueled raves and wearing “Shalom, M——- F——-” T-shirts is not quite Rabbi Heschel marching with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. So he describes a straw article, easier to defame.

Eshman’s advice for making a good conservative magazine is to become, well, less conservative. Yes, Commentary is predictable. It consistently supports Israel’s security and opposes global terrorism, anti-Semitism and a nuclear Iran. Sadly, these are increasingly conservative positions.

Of course, Eshman is an expert on publications that readers can skim because the content is predictable. After all, he edits one.

Sheila and Mitchell Keiter
Los Angeles

In his column titled “Sedentary,” Rob Eshman complains that the magazine Commentary has gone from a once venerable magazine of the independent intellectual class to become an Obama/left-bashing magazine without any balance of liberal political views (“Sedentary,” July 10). 

Frankly, I never heard of Commentary and if what Mr. Eshman says is true I wouldn’t pick up a copy any more then I’d watch the unbalanced babble of FOX news. If Mr. Eshman thinks there is a need for the type of magazine Commentary once was then I suggest that Mr. Eshman with his talent move on and get a magazine published that is balanced and meets the standards of the original Commentary. Or, Mr. Eshman, are you too sedentary in your job as Editor-in Chief to take on such and important task?

Leon M. Salter
Los Angeles

I had not read Tevi Troy’s article in Commentary, but was prompted to by Mr. Eshman’s “Sedentary”. In my opinion, Mr. Eshman has exhibited the most egregious example of out of context quote to deprecate a thoughtful and knowledgeable article by an author who had been deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2007 to 2009, and thereby the magazine Commentary as well. The words following Mr. Eshman’s quote are: “Rather, medical treatment came to be considered a human right to which universal access was required without regard to cost. Because people needed these goods so much, it was unscrupulous or greedy to involve the profit principle in them. What mattered most was equity. Consumers of health care should not have to be subject to market forces.” A worthy sentiment and not Mr. Eshman’s interpretation that Mr. Troy meant that “liberals hate to save lives.”

Harold F Powell
Sherman Oaks

Phillips v. Dershowitz

I read the article by Mr. Dershowitz intently (“American Support for Israel Must Remain Bipartisan,” July 17). Apparently, he is beginning to smell something emanating from the current administration’s attitude toward Israel’s survival but is willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and to take President Obama at his word that he will bring about a two-state solution with a demilitarized Palestinian entity. In the meantime, those centrifuges in Iran keep twirling.

Mr. Dershowitz also mentions a generational gap in Europe. He liked the president’s Cairo speech, for the most part. What part didn’t he like? He didn’t like Pat Buchanan or Robert Novak (who does?). He didn’t mention Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh, who are major, sincere supporters of Israel. In Israel, your writer, Mr. Suissa, mentions a recent poll taken there in which 6 percent of Israelis consider Obama to be pro-Israel. I was amazed the support in Israel for Obama was that high. What is it the 94 percent are feeling? They want to live, maybe?

Mark Steinberg
Los Angeles

The Jewish Journal published Alan Dershowitz’s rebuttal to Melanie Phillips without including Phillips’ article. In printing only half the debate, it seems that The Journal is more interested in reinforcing it’s own prejudices.

Further, there were several inconsistencies within the article itself. Dershowitz repeatedly said he takes Obama “at his word” when it comes to Obama’s pro-Israel pronouncements. Yet quickly thereafter, when it comes to “parts of President Obama’s Cairo speech” with which he disagreed, he suddenly decides to “judge administrations by their actions more than by their words.” He writes that “Joe Biden strongly suggested he believes Israel should have the right to take military action to protect its citizens,” failing to mention that a couple of days later Obama retracted Biden’s statement and said there was “absolutely not” any green light to attack Iran. Finally, Dershowitz said that in the 2008 election “Jews were on the winning side, and that is good for Israel.” Using that logic, did he urge Jewish support for Ronald Reagan against Carter and Mondale? Is he urging more Jews to vote Republican so that the Jewish vote is not always so lopsided in favor of Democrats?

Steve Lackner
Los Angeles

Editor’s Note: Ms. Phillips’ entire essay is at jewishjournal.com.

Is Wagner Welcome?

Los Angeles City Supervisor Mike Antonovich is right not to allow Richard Wagner’s music in Los Angeles. Wagner was very anti-Semitic, and he loved Hitler and hated Jews.

I am a Holocaust survivor and I am agreeing with the supervisor’s wish.

Manny Steinberg
via e-mail

Jewish Community Library

I appreciate your continuing coverage of the closing of the Jewish Community Library (“Community Library Moving to AJU,” July 3). However, the news and the decision-making process have been distressing. John Fishel said, “the children’s collection will stay here.” But there is no funding for the library past December 2009. What is the use of a collection if there is no funding to employ librarians, run programs, or keep the doors open? Equally, what does it mean to say that the adult collection has “moved” to the AJU, when less than 50 percent of the collection will actually be moved, and “AJU has not yet determined if it will need to hire a community librarian”? In difficult times, it may be necessary to make cuts in cultural programs and institutions. But let’s be straight and honest about it. Then, the public can be clear on what is at stake. The children’s library in The Federation building serves a diverse and large group of families. If we end up with an interactive, ecumenical children’s museum (the Zimmer) and no place of Jewish learning for children across the hall, that sends a terrible message about the importance of Torah. Let’s understand that the children’s library is effectively slated to close, and let’s rally to do something about it. Please contact me if you are interested in helping.

Rabbi Debra Orenstein
via e-mail

Farmers Market

The calendar’s mention of the famed Farmers Market’s 75th anniversary recalls fond memories of this happy, gregarious landmark, which offers “something for everyone!” (“The Calendar,” July 10). On any given day one can recognize old actors, aspiring young acting hopefuls, out-of-towners, senior citizens who’ve been schmoozing there for decades, and I can recall years ago there was talk of tearing it down, but fortunately Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky prevented it. The thought of losing this important “piece of L.A.’s history” is unthinkable!

Eddi Cress
Sylmar

I’m With Cheney

In my two most recent visits back to my happy hunting grounds of Los Angeles, I have come across two articles written by your columnist, Marty Kaplan, about the former Vice President of the United States, Richard Cheney (“Cheney Meant Well,” July 17). Mr. Kaplan doesn’t seem to think very much of Vice President Cheney, but then again Marty, (who was once married to the Princess of Self-Denial, Susan Estrich, a girl who never met a Democrat, even an anti-Semitic one she didn’t like, nor a Republican that she did) seems to have a hang-up about a Vice President who protected this country, who was — and IS — a firm friend of Israel and isn’t a plagarizer like the current occupant of that position. Or a coward either, like Biden — and of course, Obama.

Kaplan, like fellow Obama cheerleader and excuses-maker Congressman Bobby Wexler, would love to see Vice President Cheney indicted for various reasons, including making sure we were safe after September 11. He claims that Vice President Cheney “didn’t need no stinking laws”.

Very funny, Martin. Considering that Obama, you know, that guy who sat in a pew for 20 years and not only listened to but applauded a Nazi of Color, the guy who for three months straight has smeared Israel for allowing Jews to build rooms and playgrounds but can’t say a damn thing about Neda Soltan until he had to, considering that Obama twists the Constitution every day to suit his own twisted ends, is shoving a health care plan that most of us will not only find useless but will be dangerous to senior citizens, who wants the doors of Gitmo open but certainly won’t bed down Khalid Sheikh Mohammed right next door to either himself and Michelle or Rahm, an Obama that lies and evades the truth about his own citizenship and place of birth, well, that is a bit rich.

Obama and Biden only love LIBERALS. They do NOT love Jews, nor Israel. But give a pass to the Iranian Guards (read: thugs) who murdered Miss Soltan and others, hell, they’ll be the first in line, just as they were as Senators when they voted against Kyl-Lieberman, or the bill correctly designating the Iranian Guards as terrorists. That’s TERRORISTS, Marty. Something Dick Cheney wasn’t afraid to call them but something two little moral relativists (read: moral retards) cannot do.

If anyone deserves to be indicted and impeached, methinks it would be both Obama and Biden.

In conclusion, Marty Kaplan is not even fit to shine Vice President Cheney’s Cowboy boots. Nor are Obama, Biden or Wexler.

Alan Rockman
Tolleson, Arizona

Fact Checking

I seemed to have missed your disclaimer that you do not check the facts contained in opinion pieces you print. For example, Raphael Sonenshein’s article in your July 10 issues claims that “Franken … had a successful radio talk show.” The fact is the show folded due to miserable ratings and, indeed, the entire Network he was part of, Air America, went bankrupt.

And how could you in good faith print “he cannot hold a candle to the vitriol of the right’s talkers,” this, a man whose book’s title calls someone “a Big Fat Idiot”? I challenge you or Mr. Sonenshein to find anything approaching vitriol from Dennis Prager, Jean Hannity, Michael Medved or Bill O’Reilly. The worst I have heard so far is Mr. O’Rielly’s habit of calling opponents “loons.” Can’t you impose even a modicum of reality in your left-wing articles?

Warren Scheinin
Redondo Beach

Tired of Excuses

Over the last ten years that I’ve been involved in the Orthodox world, I have been told something over and over again. The way to determine if someone is Orthodox is if they keep kosher and are shomer shabbos (keep the sabbath). If the individual is a man, he is also required to be a part of a minyan (a group of 10 men praying together), praying three times a day if possible.

Whenever there is an individual who follows the above rules, yet does something that brings negative attention to the Orthodox world, then I am told that they are not really frum, haredi, Orthodox, or practicing Judaism. To be honest, I see this as a lame excuse to perpetuate the vision that those who are Orthodox are perfect.

I personally believe that when someone parades around in the Orthodox traditional clothing, keeps kosher and shabbos, and when the individual davens three times a day in a minyan, usually at an Orthodox synagogue — even if they do something against the cultural norms, they are still considered Orthodox, haredi, frum or what ever else you want to call it. The rest of the world will not buy into the excuse that keeps being given.

Those who perpetrate sex crimes against children come from all cultural backgrounds. This includes those of other faiths, neo-Nazis and the Orthodox Jewish community. 

I’ve also recently been given the excuse that the haredi men in Jerusalem that are rioting against the parking lot being open on shabbos are “not really practicing Judaism” or are not really Orthodox. 

To the rest of the world they are seen as Jews. It doesn’t matter if one group does not feel they are practicing Judaism correctly or not. They are all seen as Jews. As a people we need to do something about this, besides saying they are not really practicing or doing it correctly. We are one people, no matter what our skin color is, how we daven (pray) or don’t pray. We are all responsible for each other. We must stop being in denial and face the fact that there are those who are orthodox who also molest children, sexually assault adults and act in ways in which one does not feel an Orthodox person should behave. The first step in healing is recognizing the problem. Denial will get us nowhere, except to allow more children and adults to become the next victim of sex crimes and/or more journalists to be spit at, or worse.

Vicki Polin
The Awareness Center, Inc.
Baltimore, Md.

Correction

In the July 10 Torah Portion column, it was Pinchas who speared Zimri and Cozbi.