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Friday March 16, 2007

Letters

Not an extremist

Considering the number of standing ovations Pastor Hagee received Sunday night, March 11 in Washington D.C., I can hardly see him as a controversial speaker at the AIPAC Policy Conference. 

John Hagee is not an extremist, he is rather a realist. He sees and tells things the way they are instead of distorting the facts like the left and the main press do when it comes to Israel. He is not anti-Muslim but rather anti-Islamism. And who can blame him for that? Islamism equals terrorism, a good reminder of Nazism. 

When we remember the Holocaust, we say “Never Again” and we regret the fact that no one came to the Jews’ rescue as Hitler was sending 6 million to their atrocious death.  Now let’s not complain when a Christian Pastor comes to our help because unlike many others, he understands the gravity and the extent of the Islamist terrorist threat to Israel and the entire world. Political correctness and appeasement don’t work when we are dealing with terrorists. For me and no doubt a vast number of other attendees, Pastor Hagee was the highlight of this year’s AIPAC conference.

Francine Gani | Palo Alto

Cemetery for all

I read with great interest last week’s informative article on interfaith burials.

I know that this subject is of great concern to many in the Jewish community of the Bay Area as well as in the entire country.

I am very pleased that, as stated in the article, there are good options available for most families.

However, I must take issue with the statement “Insiders of Gan Shalom Cemetery say its real purpose is to provide an alternative for the intermarried [of the East Bay].”

Who are the insiders? To use that ambiguous description does a great injustice to the many individuals who have worked long and hard for over 20 years to establish a Jewish cemetery in the East Bay. The true purpose of Gan Shalom is to provide burial spaces for the entire Jewish community which is shared by the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox synagogues as well as the non-affiliated Jews.

Gan Shalom Cemetery looks forward to opening its gates later this year and to serving the entire East Bay Jewish community for the rest of the century.

Gene B. Kaufman | executive director
Gan Shalom Cemetery

Soft spot for L.A.

Dan Pine nailed it (March 9 j.) for this native Angelino as I prepare to hit the road for seders with my family. Want to know where are the L.A. Jews are? Take a look at the 101/405 on Erev Pesach! 

A friend told me when I moved here, “you’ll never leave.”  I was incredulous, but I think she was right. To this day, I cannot give up rooting silently for the “hated” Dodgers at AT&T Park, or not so silently when the Angels played in the World Series or for the Lakers, or UCLA. And I even got his Phillipe’s reference. It’s a slice of heaven before a ballgame at Chavez Ravine. 

With almost 13 years under my belt in the Bay Area, I’ve learned asking the same question here about “where are all the Jews” yields a very different answer. On arrival, opening the “Resource Guide” I recalled thinking, “there’s a lot of Jewish stuff going on here,” but there is no recognizable center here, like the strip malls of Encino. 

Yet, despite the familial roots of my Orange County past, I’ve come to the conclusion, as Dorothy in Kansas, there is no place like my new Bay Area home. 

Steve Lipman | Foster City

No authority

In his article about AIPAC (March 9 j.), writer James Besser incorrectly uses the phrase “Palestinian territories” when he is actually referring to the biblical areas of Judea and Samaria. 

The Arabs rejected the use of the term “Palestine” because it was used by imperialists, such as the Roman and British empires, until 1965 when Arafat came along and decided to call his group the Palestine Liberation Organization. Until then the only people who called themselves “Palestinian” were the Jews who lived under the British Mandate.

The Arabs are not legally in control of Judea and Samaria, and certainly Besser has no authority to give the land to them. 

Yehuda Sherman | Lafayette

Abbas caved in

In last week’s j., Leslie Susser of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency spends almost a complete page describing how the Saudi Arabian 2002 peace initiative may revive the Israeli-Palestinian Arab peace process. Not a word in the article about how their recently sponsored move to help Hamas and Fatah reach an agreement in Mecca has virtually killed all chances of Israeli-Palestinian Arab negotiations for peace.

The agreement at Mecca leaves no one for Israel to negotiate with. Abbas caved in. Hamas was neither compelled to recognize Israel or to renounce terrorism or to recognize previously signed agreements. Hamas still holds the majority in the Palestinian Arab cabinet. Hamas still sends rockets into Israel. Hamas still smuggles sophisticated

arms into Gaza. Hamas is still strongly allied to Iran.

In effect, Abbas surrendered to Hamas who still calls for Israel’s destruction. Israel has no one to talk with now. The “road map” is dead.

Edward Tamler | San Mateo

Peretz should resign

A recent event that occurred in Israel received widespread publicity. It concerned the apparent inability of Israeli Defense Minister Peretz to remove the lens caps from the binoculars he was using on a field trip with the new Chief of Staff General Ashkenazi. In my view, Mr. Peretz’ behavior during the Lebanese war last summer has put all of Israel at risk. The lack of a decisive victory over Hezbollah may have emboldened the leaders of the surrounding Arab states to consider the war option once again. It is my hope that Minister Peretz resigns to “spend more time with his family.”

Michael J. Franzblau | San Rafael

‘Warm, compassionate’

Having read your recent cover story, “Between Home and Homewood” by Joe Eskenazi, I am compelled to add my piece to the historical jigsaw puzzle.

I lived there with my husband and two sons from 1959 to 1964. My husband was assistant director at Homewood under Dr. Jack Regal, who created a treatment center with psychiatrists and a professionally trained social-work staff.

There was an ordained rabbi conducting Shabbat and holiday services. The facility was managed by Arthur and Hilda Weil, a devoted, hands-on couple who also resided there.

My husband, Isaiah, was sensitive to the needs and wants of the rebellious teenage boys and girls.

The home had a school facility for those unable to function in the public school system, under the leadership of Dr. George Walker. The home was staffed with carefully selected, compassionate cottage parents who were closely supervised on the punishments they meted out.

Being separated from one’s parents is very hard. I have experienced it as a Holocaust survivor. But credit should be given where credit is due. Homewood offered a warm and compassionate caring home away from home for many decades. It is missed by many who were part of it.

Agnes Rothblatt | San Francisco

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