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Friday April 13, 2007

Letters

Booing Pelosi

I did not boo at Nancy Pelosi at the AIPAC conference, but I am booing her now.

I hope she and Tom Lantos washed their hands, their faces, their mouths and their souls with Clorox after visiting Syria. With friends like her, Israel does not need enemies.

People like them had neither the guts nor the integrity to stand up to the Soviet Union and Stalin’s gulags. People like them did nothing to stand up to Hitler’s “Final Solution” because they had been paralyzed by fears of offending Germany. People like them are ready to sacrifice the Jewish state — oh, yes, they are.

Shame on you, Nancy Pelosi, shame on every member of your delegation.

You cannot pull the wool over our eyes, not anymore, not after the Holocaust, not after terror in Jewish land and shreds of Jewish bodies hanging from the trees.

Sofia Shtil | Fremont

Speaker lauded

I applaud Nancy Pelosi for leading a congressional delegation to the Middle East. She is one of Israel’s best friends in Congress, and what a blessing to have her as Speaker of the House.

I truly believe that the United States should engage with world leaders, even Assad of Syria, as much as possible. Engagement in deft hands, such as Congresswoman Pelosi’s, can lead to understanding — and understanding can lead the way to toward peace.

Her speech to the Knesset comes at a critical time, and holding the dog tags of missing and kidnapped Israeli soldiers was a heartfelt expression of our special relationship with the state of Israel.

Her request to Assad in bringing about their safe return is a strong statement of U.S. support for the soldiers and their families.

While some of Israel’s most vocal detractors are liberal Democrats, it’s reassuring to have the nation’s leading Democrat in our corner.

Overall, the trip underlined the fact that our nation’s leadership, both Republican and Democrat, stands by Israel in its quest for a safe and secure Jewish state.

Bravo, Madam Speaker.

Ron Berman | Kentfield

‘Disappointing’ trip

I write to express my disappointment in the trip to Syria by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and friends.

Syria is a “rogue state” craving legitimacy among the family of nations, and Pelosi has played into the hands of President Assad by being photographed with him in the world press, which will be used by Syria to proclaim to the world that their government is benign.

The facts are that Syria is a major supporter and supplier of arms and other resources to Hezbollah and Hamas, whose stated goal is the destruction of Israel.

Recent headlines included the idea that “Olmert aides say Pelosi botched message to Assad.”

This is no time for amateurs. Our brothers and sisters are being put at continued terrorist attacks because Assad thinks he will get a better deal from the Democrats than from Bush and has to be patient until the Democrats win the 2008 election.

Michael Franzblau | San Rafael

JCHS lauded

In the fall of 2003, we learned, through your newspaper, that the Jewish Community High School of the Bay was seeking students and was offering scholarships to the first three incoming classes. Never one to pass up a sale (50 percent off), we, as a family, discussed this unusual opportunity for our daughter, Natasha.

We live in Napa. (Her two siblings had attended the local high school, less than a mile away.) Even if Natasha was accepted, we would have to find a family with whom she could live, in order for her to be exposed to this unique educational experience.

Natasha is graduating in June. Her spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual blossoming is palpable.

This caring Yiddishkeit environment, from the faculty and staff, to the Harrington-Schley, Cohn-White and Simon families, to the students themselves, made for an unsurpassed high-school experience. While we, her family, gave up the weekday pleasure of her company and entrusted others to her well-being, Natasha gave up the known entity of her nuclear family, including her beloved pets.

We thank the JCHS from the bottom of our Jewish hearts.

Linda Silverberg and Dr. Larry E. Miller | Napa

The ‘best people’

It’s good to see that Israel’s settlement movement is still strong and growing stronger despite the misguided attempts by some of Israel’s political leaders to cripple it (April 6 j.).

Those who insist on the right of Jews to settle everywhere in the land of Israel, and who are willing to stake their lives and everything else they have on this principle, are among the best people the Jewish state has to offer, and the ones most likely to lead the nation into a brighter future. 

Compare them to the corrupt and cynical political leaders who think that faith is only for fools, who reject Jewish belief outright, and who are unable to explain, even to themselves, why Jews have an inalienable right to the land.

These politicians think that Jewish rights to the land depend on Arab approval. Their first impulse when facing an Arab threat is to retreat, and their first impulse when facing an Arab demand is to submit to it. Such “leaders” can lead Israel nowhere except to defeat and destruction. 

Martin Wasserman | Sunnyvale

Not a peace plan

Before we get carried away by all the hoopla over the so-called Saudi peace plan, we should understand one thing — it’s not a plan for peace. 

The Saudis have offered to have the entire Arab world recognize Israel’s right to exist if Israel withdraws to its pre-1967 war borders. What kind of an exchange is that? 

It is obvious that every peace agreement since the beginning of time was negotiated. Here, there is no negotiation. So if Israel withdraws, all it gets is its right to exist. Big whoop. It doesn’t eliminate the Palestinian demand for the “right of return.” So it doesn’t mean the Palestinians will stop attacking Israel. Those things would still have to be negotiated. 

At this point, the Palestinian negotiating partner is Hamas, which is not an Arab country bound by the so-called Saudi peace plan. Moreover, Hamas is Israel’s eternal sworn enemy. 

We all know that in negotiations each side has to give something up. What does Israel have left to give up after it withdraws to its pre-1967 war borders? Stock options? 

Desmond Tuck | Palo Alto

Puzzling letter

We were very puzzled by Avi Goldberg’s March 30 letter to j. regarding our play “Jeans! The Musical.” Had he or anyone else from the Levi Strauss company actually attended the performances they would have realized that Levi Strauss’ philanthropic efforts were mentioned three times in dialogue and once in music. The excellent young actor portrayed Levi Strauss as a dignified, compassionate, generous individual.

The program listed the Web sites for the Levi Strauss and Ben Davis companies with the disclaimer that the timelines had been altered for dramatic purposes. The authors consulted the sites, among other materials, while writing the play.

It also would have been interesting for Goldberg to hear the comments after the play. Many in the audience had not known that Levi Strauss was an actual person, or that Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss invented the first jeans.

Diane Levy Claerbout | Stanford
Caryn Huberman Yacowitz | Palo Alto

Let Israelis come

I think that there may come a day when Israel will be a part of the United States. I personally would welcome her with open arms.

Don’t get me wrong; I hate what’s happening at the border. Those people break our laws by coming here and continue to break our laws.

I just feel that Israel is our sister country, and I fear for her safety. If anyone should be allowed to immigrate here, it should be Israelis. I am not Jewish; I am an atheist. Like you, I am free to believe or not believe in God in this country.

Kathleen Harrison | Orlando, Fla.

Scrapbooking site

I am writing in reference to Joanne Hartman’s March 23 column, “In a world full of Easter eggs, what’s a Jewish scrapbooker to do?”

As an avid Jewish scrapbooker myself for the past eight years, I experienced the challenge to find appropriate Jewish scrapbook supplies as well — until inspiration struck a few months ago and I decided a change was in order.

I want Jewish scrapbookers to know about Shalom Scrapper — a Bay Area company devoted solely to Jewishscrap-

bookers (www.shalomscrapper.com). We have papers and die cuts for bar/bat Mitzvahs, Jewish weddings, b’rit milah/simchat bat, Passover, Purim, Rosh Hashanah and more.

Our products can be found in temple gift shops in the Bay Area, as well as Stampers Warehouse in Danville — please see the store locator tab on our Web site.

We donate a portion of our profits to tzedakah each month, and truly believe in the inherent power of scrapbooking to preserve our Jewish faith, culture and values.

Rachel and Jason Simon Walnut Creek

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