I applaud your call for actively increasing Jewishliteracy (“What’s Your Jewish I.Q.?” Jan. 9). We are the mosteducated Jewish community of all time — in everything but Judaism.We are doctors and lawyers, professors of history and French, but forall too many of us, what little Judaism we have was acquired inchildhood. I especially praise your view of literacy in whichreligion occupies the central role.
But I looked in vain for a direct reference tolearning Hebrew. Yiddish was mentioned specifically. So was Torah –yet Torah can (and should) be studied with much help from English.The goal, of course, should be knowledge of Torah in Hebrew. And the”ABC” of Hebrew must mean more than the alef-bet! After all, recitingwithout comprehension is what drove many away from the tradition inthe first place.
And, difficult as language study is, as comparedwith just talking about ideas, I find that many college students”turned off” to Jewish religion are nevertheless interested in Hebrew(along with Israel). So Hebrew should be not only a central goal, butalso a means to achieving the whole goal.
Zev bar-Lev
Professor of Linguistics andHebrew
San Diego StateUniversity
Chevra Kadisha
In regard to “Mortuary Troubles”(Jan. 2), I wantto relieve many fears that members of the community may have inregard to a shortage of volunteers to perform the taharah (ritual purification ofthe remains)and shmira (staying with the deceased in the mortuary and recitingprayers for the decedent’s soul from the book of Psalms).
Chevrakadisha is simply a generic term for thethousands of volunteers worldwide who perform this most important actof taking care of the dead for proper Jewish burial. Los Angeles usedto have a volunteer chevra kadisha some 20 years ago, until the namewas incorporated into a for-profit mortuary.
With nearly a dozen Jewish mortuaries in LosAngeles County alone, there are enough people to handle this mostimportant religious requirement.
Sholom Chapels Mortuaries have always had therequisite staff members that are able to perform these services. Weoffer these services to the community with the reassurance that theJewish dead will be taken care of properly.
Know that there are enough mortuaries, with enoughchevra kadisha staff members to handle the services for ourcommunities.
Moe Goldsman
Mortuary Manager
Sholom ChapelsMortuaries
Los Angeles
Clarification
International Media Placement, Jerusalem,publisher of the “After 40 Centuries It’s Great to Be 50” advertisingsupplement on Israel travel distributed by The Jewish Journal withthe Dec. 12 issue, wishes to clarify that the entire supplement waswritten by New York author Ann Birstein with the exception of thearticle “A Birthday Surprise.”
Correction
The Jewish Journal printed an incorrect phonenumber for Ann J. Elkin, Ph.D. last week in a Senior Sceneadvertorial titled “Psychologist Deals With Issues of Aging.” Thecorrect phone number is (800) 317-5433. We regret any inconveniencethat may have been caused by this error.
THE JEWISH JOURNAL welcomes letters from allreaders. Letters should be no more than 250 words and we reserve theright to edit for space. All letters must include a signature, validaddress and phone number. Pseudonyms and initials will not be used,but names will be withheld on request. Unsolicited manuscripts andother materials should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope inorder to be returned.Publisher, Stanley Hirsh
THE JEWISH JOURNAL welcomes letters from allreaders. Letters should be no more than 250 words and we reserve theright to edit for space. All letters must include a signature, validaddress and phone number. Pseudonyms and initials will not be used,but names will be withheld on request. Unsolicited manuscripts andother materials should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope inorder to be returned.Publisher, Stanley Hirsh
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