Your Letters

Leading a Double Life

I am a Marine wife and don’t get a whole lot of contact withother Jews. Getting The Jewish Journal helps a lot. I love reading your paper.

After reading, “Leading a Double Life,” (March 7) I feltlike crying. I am only 19, a new mom and a traditional Jewish wife, but I wasraped. I was only 16. I felt shamed and without value. It was painful; I lostmyself, and I’ll never forget it. But I lived according to the Jewish law,because I love my family.

People trusted this rabbi in your article. Children trustedhim. How could he make the conscious decision to be ordained, practice for somany years, have children, and give advice? Each of these takes an enormousamount of awareness and caution to do. If he’s capable of making these types ofdecisions, he was capable of deciding not to pick up a korva (prostitute). Thisis the same kind of man who could perpetrate a rape himself. I’m sorry it happened,but a real Jew can find solace in his beshert, as I have. I couldn’t have madeit through without the support of my husband. Perhaps he should’ve thought oftalking to his wife (no matter how hard it might be). It’s got to be a loteasier than telling her you’ve been sleeping with other women and using heroin.

V. Rachel Lemus, Woodland Hills

The Aftermath

With regard to “The Aftermath” (March 21), you have itbackward. President Bush has not failed in building significant internationalsupport for the war. France, Germany, Russia and their ilk have failed. The”coalition of the willing” is our president’s success.

Carolyn B. Greene, Santa Monica

Editor Rob Eshman writes in his column, “The Aftermath,””After the war comes the time [for President Bush] to push Israeli PrimeMinister Ariel Sharon into a resolution that protects Israel’s security andrespects Palestinian rights.”

So, Eshman prefers to have Bush — rather than Sharon — determinewhat will “protect Israel’s security.” How would Eshman react if Sharon, or anyother Israeli politician, were to publicly declare what American’s foreignpolicy should be, particularly regarding its very existence.

The people of Israel freely elected their prime minister andcharged his government with the responsibility to make life and death policydecisions for Israel. It is the height of chutzpah for Eshman, living in thesafety of Los Angeles, to advocate that foreigners, with their own selfishpolitical interests, should determine the fate of the Jewish nation.

David Friedman, Mission Viejo

Rob Eshman, in his editorial, “The Aftermath,” ignorescertain realities in his article criticizing Bush and the war in Iraq. Hedenounces Bush for failing to build international support for the war. What doyou call a coalition of 48 countries? Unilateralism? Or is he concerned that France, Germany and Russia are not part of it? France was never going to be part ofthe coalition.

Eshman also links the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to theresolution of the Iraqi conflict. What has that to do with it? ThePalestinian-Israeli conflict has always been a red herring dragged across thetable by the Arab world to divert attention from the real problems. If Israelwere to cease to exist today, would that make a difference in the anti-Americanfeelings in the Arab world? Hardly.

It is a disservice to The Jewish Journal readership to coloranalysis of world events with personal political biases and avoid integratingall relevant facts into the analysis.

Emanuel R. Baker, Los Angeles

Who Will be Esther?

As one who also has a special place in my heart for thestory of Purim and what it celebrates, I was dismayed when I finished readingthe article on Purim by Amy Klein (“Who Will be Esther?” March 14). Nowhere inthe article did I find mention of Mordechai, uncle to Esther, and hiscontribution toward the saving of the Jews from evil decree inspired by thewicked Haman who, with his progeny, met his deserved end. I think young Jewishgirls, as proud as they are of Esther, would know there is enough credit to goaround.

Martin Simon, Los Angeles

To Our Readers

Due to some technical problems, The Jewish Journal wasunable to receive any e-mailed letters to the editor atletters@jewishjournal.com between Friday, March 28 and Tuesday, April 1. If youe-mailed us a letter, please resend it because we want to hear from you. Weapologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.