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Friday February 2, 2007 Letters A close-knit group As an avid knitter, I was delighted to read about many groups who are doing charity knitting in the Bay Area, and wanted to add ours to the list. The Blankets of Kindness group has been in operation for 3-plus years at Peninsula Temple Sholom, Burlingame. It was started in honor, and later in memory, of Helen Raiskin, wife of our founding rabbi, Gerald Raiskin. These small blankets helped us through Helen’s terminal illness. We realized we couldn’t affect her illness, but we could do something loving with our own hands to honor her and help others. We have delivered over 200 lap blankets to the Jewish Home for the Aged in S.F. It’s so rewarding to see the faces of the recipients. We also knit scarves for Shalom Bayit, a clearinghouse for abused Jewish women. Over 50 of them have been given to women who were forced to flee terrible situations with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. What great impact this small act of kindness has had. We meet each month on the second Tuesday at PTS and welcome any interested knitters or crocheters. Sonny Hurst | Foster City
A ‘damn good job’ I was six when my late brother, Richard, and I began the nomadic foster-home journey. Since we never visited “juvie,” we were not tagged “troubled ones.” Still, “HT” (Homewood Terrace’s label) became home when I reached 11. Bruce and the Shero brothers were buddies (Jan. 12 j.). Our stories and pain are camouflaged behind those toothy grins in the photo my brother took of Mel and me. Richard and I were the first guinea pigs in a trial run of HT’s group home setting. Other kids soon moved into similar housing accommodations. Our most difficult and depressing days at HT were nothing in comparison to what we went through in the subsequent group home. Amazingly, Joe Eskenazi did not mention even one of the extraordinary staff who cared for us. Mrs. Welch, Mrs. Kitchen, “Tex” Lawson, Dominic, Leslie Carter, Mr. Leebhoff, the Rosenblatts and the Weils are a small example of the loving and wonderful people who stepped up to the plate as substitutes for what others did not give us. The value and strength of HT goes to the heroic staff. Considering the circumstances, they did a damn good job. Raul Gallyot | Inverness
‘Sacrifice’ lauded One of the keys to the growth and vitality of the Jewish community is interfaith families deciding to raise their children Jewish. But for interfaith families to make this choice, they need to be encouraged, welcomed and even occasionally thanked. That’s why it was so wonderful to read Sue Fishkoff’s recent article on honoring non-Jews during services (“Some rabbis using [High Holy Day] services to honor non-Jewish congregants”). Non-Jews who decide to embrace the Jewish community and raise their children as Jewish are making a significant personal choice; they are choosing to sacrifice the passing on of their own religion for the sake of their partner’s religion, and for the sake of the Jewish community at large. They deserve to be honored. As Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, has said and written numerous times, they are “heroes” of Jewish life. It is great to see that a growing number of congregations throughout the country agree with him. Micah Sachs | Boston
Carter ‘inaccuracies’ Jimmy Carter was interviewed on NPR the morning of Jan. 25. I was disappointed to hear that he continues with the misstatements of his book and tour: • He asserts that all of the current troubles are due to the Israeli presence on the West Bank, ignoring overwhelming evidence to the contrary: Israel has been attacked by Arabs throughout its history, not merely since it gained control of West Bank and Gaza; land that Israel has left (Gaza, South Lebanon) have become bases for attacks on Israel, rather than the seeds of peace; and Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah are very clear that they will continue the “struggle” even if all the so-called “occupied territories” are abandoned by Israel. • The overly cooperative NPR interviewer made no attempt to challenge the inaccuracies in the book, such as Carter’s assertion that UN 242 requires Israel to return to the armistice line of 1948. • Carter continues to try to justify the phrase “Peace Not Apartheid.” To make his point accurately, and instigate peace rather than hatred, he might have called his book “Peace Not Separation.” Art Altman | San Carlos
Carter’s ‘chutzpah’ Jimmy Carter claims that he will have his publishers remove a passage from his book, which justifies the murder of innocent Israelis. Forgive me if I am skeptical that Carter will live up to his word. If Carter ever becomes reengaged with reality, he should ask his publishers to also change the name of his book to Chutzpah. After all, isn’t it an act of chutzpah to charge Israel with practicing apartheid, then deny that this is the case in front of a Jewish audience, and then claim that Israel’s actions go beyond apartheid? Isn’t it an act of chutzpah to claim that the U.S. media does not provide space to pro-Palestinian views while Carter, who could not be more anti-Israel, gets more media attention than Britney Spears? Isn’t it the ultimate act of chutzpah to write a book savaging a nation for the stated purpose of stimulating debate and then refusing to debate Alan Dershowitz (or anyone else who dares to disagree with Carter’s extreme views)? Josh Baker | Bangkok, Thailand
‘True colors’ Democrat Jimmy Carter can’t keep his mouth shut and is showing today’s generation why he was a failed and dysfunctional president. He criticizes everyone, when in reality it was his horrendous presidency that deserves criticism: double digit inflation, gasoline lines around the corner, 21 percent interest rates, unemployment at an all-time high, our hostages held in Iranian captivity for a year and our respect around the globe at an all-time low. When he was president, our country was the laughingstock of international diatribe. Carter’s inflammatory new book just hit bookstores, accusing Israel of practicing South African-style apartheid against Palestinians and pointing fingers. His flame-throwing is not necessary, particularly at this time of world unrest. Bashing Israel will not bring about peace. Causing upset and heated exchanges between supporters and haters of Israel will only cause more hostility around the globe and does absolutely no good. It is clear that Carter, a big supporter of Arafat, is once again showing his true colors. Kevin B. Kamen | Baldwin, N.Y.
A vet’s integrity I write in appreciation of your reporter Stacey Palevsky’s thoughtful and informative feature on the Rebuilding Homes project. One of the volunteer home-rebuilders you profiled in the article, IDF veteran-turned-peace-activist Amir Terkel, is a personal friend. The article accurately represents this young veteran’s integrity and commitment to healing the damage done by war. I look forward to reading more about the vibrant, diverse, and continually growing Jewish peace movement in j. Glen Hauer | Berkeley This page contains a BETA version of Amazon contextual links. They are marked by the dashed underline. Your purchases support our site. At times they point to items which are not related to the actual link. Please alert us by email if you discover objectionable links. |
   
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