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Friday April 6, 2007

Letters

‘Propaganda pawns’

Fifteen British soldiers were captured by Iran well outside Iran’s territorial waters, and the United Nations, the British government and the international press rightly call for their swift release. The Iranians use the British captives as propaganda pawns, and the world condemns the Iranian government’s actions in strikingly unanimous language.

Nine months earlier, two Israeli soldiers, Eldad Regev and Udi Goldwasser, were captured inside the United Nations-recognized border of Israel by Iran’s Hezbollah proxy, as Gilad Shalit was, weeks earlier, by Hamas in Gaza.

Shalit remains in Hamas’ custody, and we’ve heard nothing of the two Israelis in Hezbollah’s hands, yet the international community hardly peeps. 

Meanwhile, Fatah and Hamas sign accords in Mecca and the international community pressures Israel and the West to end their boycott of the Hamas-led government that still advocates terror, refuses to abide by previous agreements and does not recognize Israel.

Could someone please tell me what the difference is between the Israeli and British soldiers held captive by these despots? Where is the international outrage? 

I pray for the swift release of all the captives.

Steve Lipman | Foster City

Added strategies

I take issue with the line in the sand drawn by Andrew Silow-Carroll in his essay, “Navigating the left and right: Can’t we just compromise?” I would like to add three strategies and a campaign to his somewhat oversimplified analysis and grim prognosis.

The “let’s talk campaign” of Brit Tzedek V’Shalom seeks to engage the Jewish community in advocating with members of Congress to support efforts by Israel to talk with Palestinians and her other neighbors in pursuit of a two-state solution.

The first strategy of the campaign is to engage with our local Jewish community members in conversations about the value of Israel speaking with her neighbors. The second strategy is to sign petitions to send to Congress and the administration reinforcing the value of U.S. support for Israel to talk with her neighbors.

Third, I would add to Silow-Carroll’s analysis of both the right and left the most important strategy of all — compassionate listening, which is the sine qua non for talking to lead to understanding, if not change.

Molly Freeman | Berkeley
s.f. bay area chapter, brit tzedek v’shalom

Pesach and veggies

As president of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America and author of “Judaism and Vegetarianism,” I suggest we commemorate the redemption of our ancestors from slavery this Passover by ending the slavery to harmful eating habits through adoption of vegetarian diets.

An increasing number of Jews are turning to vegetarianism and are finding ways to celebrate vegetarian Passovers consistent with Jewish teachings. Contrary to a common perception, Jews are not required to eat meat at the Passover seder or any other time.

Vegetarian values are reinforced by the following:

• Passover is the holiday of springtime, a time of nature’s renewal. It also commemorates God’s supremacy over the forces of nature. In contrast, modern intensive livestock agriculture and animal-centered diets have many negative effects on the environment, including global climate change, air and water pollution, soil erosion and depletion, and the destruction of tropical rain forests and other habitats.

• The main Passover theme is freedom. While relating the story of our ancestors’ slavery in Egypt and their redemption through God’s power and beneficence, many Jewish vegetarians also consider the “slavery” of animals on modern “factory farms.” Contrary to Jewish teachings of compassion, animals are raised for food today under cruel conditions.

Richard H. Schwartz | Staten Island

Barely Jewish

Regarding the March 16 j. cover story, writer Michael Fox lists “Boynton Beach Club” among the movies having a Jewish theme. I guess one might assume that, since it is widely assumed that most of Florida is populated mainly by Jews. However, I have just recently seen the movie (on DVD) and found that it was not at all Jewish in any way.

There is one Jewish character, but the only indication of his Jewishness is that he is wearing a kippah at his wife’s funeral. There is no mention of his being Jewish, by him or anyone else.

One of the main characters is Italian, and the rest are generic non-Jews.

Other than that, it was an interesting article, and being a movie buff, I enjoyed it.

Barbara Berman | Oakland

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