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Thursday November 29, 2007

Letters

France 2 a hoax?

Thank you for publishing “Is Mohammed al Dura Alive?” (Nov. 23), questioning whether the notorious France 2 video of the shooting of a Palestinian boy was a hoax.

There has long been reason to doubt the original France 2 report, which blamed Israel for killing the boy. In 2000, Israeli physicist Nahum Shahaf and engineer Yosef Duriel concluded that Israel could not have shot the boy. James Fallows reached the same conclusion in a 2003 article in The Atlantic Monthly.

Also in 2003, three senior French journalists viewed the entire raw footage. Daniel Leconte, formerly of France 2, and Denis Jeambar thought much of it seemed staged; Leconte added that “the only ones who could [have] hit the child were the Palestinians.” Luc Rosenzweig, formerly of Le Monde, thought the entire shooting was a hoax.

Reports that the raw footage shown in court on Nov. 14 appeared to show the boy not only lifting his arm but also peering through his fingers at the camera after supposedly having been killed raise further doubts.

If the video was staged, as French media watchdog Philippe Karsenty contends, this was one of the most malicious blood libels in history, directly responsible for the deaths of more than 1,000 Israelis.

Stephen A. Silver | San Francisco

Save our latkes

I was reading “The liberated latke” story (Nov. 16) and was struck by the how distant the root has become for our famous latkes.

My wife, Terry, makes the best latkes in California because they embrace tradition. She uses a recipe that has been passed down from my Bubie’s Bubie dating back to Krakow centuries ago.

You take the cheapest potatoes you can buy (or dig up). Adding a little ground onion and flour for consistency to the grated potatoes, you fry the batter in the oil from the chicken you made earlier. If it’s a good year financially you add an egg to the mixture.

Terry has modified the ancient recipe to use canola oil so I, a vegetarian, can also enjoy the treat my poor ancestors took pleasure in on this festive occasion.

It’s not about applesauce, sour cream or sugar that covers the pancake, but the love and joy that went into its creation. Those shtetl dwellers may not have had much ‘gelt’ to give the children, the Chanukah tradition, but they made up for it in family spirit. We can all learn a little from them.

Happy Chanukah.

Howard Roth | South San Francisco

Offensive letter

I am absolutely appalled by David Rocha’s letter in the Nov. 23 issue of j. in which he states that Israel is controlling Gaza like a prison camp, that the state of Israel is dealing in terror and that “ethnic cleansing” is the appropriate term to apply to “what Israel has done to the Palestinians on their land.”

Why would a Jewish publication print such derogatory garbage about Israel and about the Jewish people? Our enemies abound and we don’t need to hear the dirt that self-hating and renegade Jews wish to spew out. Freedom of speech is great, but j. does not have to print everything that comes in the door. It should use editorial discretion so as not to offend and confuse its readers.

Gerardo Joffe | San Francisco

You go, Jews!

I enjoyed reading Martin Abramowitz article “Let’s hear it for the Hebrew Hammer(s)” (Nov. 15). I got to meet many of my Jewish baseball idols. I even take some credit for the 1948 Champion Cleveland Indians Pennant. Prior to the season, as an 11 year old, I sent Hank Greenberg a mezuzah. I saw him play in his N.L. debut at a Cubs Opener in 1947.

In 1950 I wrote Greenberg that I thought Yankee manager Casey Stengel was unfair for passing over Al Rosen. Hank took the time to write back, and tell me that Rosen was young and he would get more chances to play in future All-Star games. Rosen went on to win the 1950 A.L. Rookie of the Year honors. I met Rosen when he was the Giants G.M., and Greenberg when he dedicated a couple of grandstand seats from Tiger Stadium at the old San Francisco Washington Square Bar and Grill in 1981.

Jerry Pritikin | Chicago

Peace-lovers unite

Israel accepted that there should be a two-state solution in 1929, in 1937 (even before Israel was re-created), then again in 1947, at Camp David in 2000 and in the Road Map process. Israel supports a two-state solution where both sides can live in peace. For the purpose of peace, Israel also gave the Gaza and the response was a barrage of rockets. Now this summit should be the last effort.

Peace comes from peace lovers. Israel should live in peace and security. Let’s all pray this to happen.

Workineh Liben | San Jose

Pointless parley

The Annapolis Conference is an exercise in futility. Every Arab nation invited to the conference is “at war” with the Jewish state except for Jordan and Egypt. Until the Arab nations announce, in Arabic, to their own people that Israel has a right to exist as a sovereign nation, the proceedings will only produce a photo-op on the south lawn of the White House.

Michael J. Franzblau | San Rafael

What good is it?

Syria, which has just agreed to attend the Annapolis parlay, wants the return of the Golan Heights. Mahmoud Abbas wants statehood for the Palestinians and the return of the “refugees” to what includes Israel, plus the release of thousands of prisoners, many who murdered innocent civilians.

Saudi Arabia wants Israel to give up control of the Temple Mount, and the U.S. to bring pressure on Israel for other concessions, among them land and return of the “refugees.”

Lebanon is in chaos and likely will end up under Hezbollah control, thus cannot attend. Gaza is controlled by Hamas and will escalate terror attacks to demonstrate their continued rejection of Israel’s existence and opposition to the conference.

In summary, Israel must give up the Golan, agree to return all land gained in the 1967 War, give up control of the Temple Mount, release murders from prison and allow the “refugees” to return —all of which would render the demographic destruction of Israel as a sovereign home for the Jewish people. Will someone explain what the upside is for Israel?

Dan Calic | San Ramon

Why so eager?

A notable issue receiving little discussion regarding this week’s Annapolis “peace conference” is, Why is the United States so eager to establish a PA state?

The PA espouses ethnic cleansing. Their state MUST be free of any Jews on day one. The PA is also expelling all Christians. When the PA took over in 1994, the population of Bethlehem was 90 percent Christian, 10 percent Muslim. Today, the statistics are reversed as Christians flee PA-controlled areas to avoid persecution. Soon there will be no Christians in the birthplace of Christianity!

Thus, the U.S. now supports ethnic cleansing by PA-Muslims of all non-Muslims in a nascent PA state (although we went to war in Kosovo to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Muslims there). The PA treats women as chattel and incites (in schools, newspaper, TV and radio) the mass murder of Jews as the noblest goal to which PA citizens (including children, of course) can aspire.

How does the creation of a state espousing values all contrary to American norms help? If the PA were applying for American statehood, their very goals would thwart their request — and Americans would need little debate to reach that conclusion!

Fred Korr | Oakland

Bahrain no ally

Our “good friend” Bahrain has just snubbed Israel’s request to commence diplomatic relations with the Jewish State. It insists that Israel first resolve all issues with the Palestinians.

In the grand scheme of things, Bahrain is an oil-rich island in the Persian Gulf ruled by an Arab king and his family. Aside from having given women the right to vote in 1999 and instituting various other reforms not generally present in the rest of the Arab world, Bahrain toes the official Arab political line.

Nevertheless, Bahrain can claim to be one of the more liberal Arab countries. Unlike Saudi Arabia, Jews are not banned from living there, although most fled in 1947 after Arab rioting that occurred throughout the Arab world in response to the 1947 partition of Palestine.

Bahrain is an important bellwether for Middle East peace. With Gaza the only true Palestinian democracy, run by Hamas (i.e., evil personified), it is little wonder that many Israeli’s feel they are chasing their tails talking peace with the “other” Palestinians led by Mahmoud Abbas. Hopefully the State of Maryland will somehow benefit from the Annapolis conference. I seriously doubt that anyone else will.

Desmond Tuck | Menlo Park

A mensch

Joby Shinoff was a mensch. Years ago, in the heyday of Mount Zion, I opened a private practice in psychology that continues to this day. I decided a good way to inform the professional neighborhood of my presence was an ad in the Jewish Bulletin. In those days, the Bulletin came into almost every doctor’s mail on Friday at Mount Zion and surrounding offices.

Joby not only helped me design my ad, even arranging to print my name in Hebrew, he was supportive, kind and funny. I will always remember him as a person who helped me get started in those long ago days. When things were slow, he was encouraging. He was always available, and always had good-humored advice. As my practice grew, I stopped advertising, and we lost touch. I wish I had known he was ill. My deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

He will be missed. He was a truly good person, a mensch in every way.

Dorothea Z. Lack, Ph.D. | San Francisco

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