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Friday October 10, 2003

How God might reply to an editorial cartoon in j.

J’s Sept. 16 editorial cartoon asked God to “supersize the peace part” of the good year. If j. printed God’s reply, it would probably say something like this:

“I would love to grant you peace but there are issues unresolved — one is Arabs in Israel. They serve Allah, a false God. They reject — sometimes in the most vile ways — myself and my Torah including my biblical promise to you regarding the land of Israel. And your response? No transfer. Just silence and appeasement while my name is dragged through the mud.

“You are strong militarily. While strict Shabbat and dietary observance are great, they don’t substitute for transfer. Therefore, expel my Arab enemies from Israel. Show them that I am stronger than Allah. Show Michael Savage that Israel isn’t a vassal state to George W. Bush.

“If you refuse, I will create a situation whereby you will be forced to expel my enemies anyway. So why not do it now and avoid so much pain and suffering?”

Let’s hope and pray that transfer becomes a reality and may peace be bestowed upon all of Israel.

Neal Wohlmuth | San Francisco

A note from Austria

I want to share the following note that I just received from an e-mail friend whose father, an eminent Christian theologian in Germany, took his family to South America as soon as Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933:

Hi, Harry,

For your sake I sincerely hope the Austrian you elected will cause less trouble than the one we elected three score and 10 years ago.

Best regards

Hermann

Harry Gluckman | Ukiah

A message to ‘butchers’

In the 80s Israel took out an Iraqi nuclear power plant on the pretext that Iraq was getting awfully close to have nuclear weapon capabilities, a major threat to Israel and the region.

The U.S. administration during the Gulf War agreed that if not for Israel that war may have been nuclear, yet the Arab world and much of the international community condemned Israel for its action.

In the same decade, Syria murdered over 25,000 men, women and children in the town of Hama to make a statement for people opposed to its totalitarian rule. The silence from the Arab world and much of the international community was deafening.

Sunday, Israel attacked a vacated terrorist camp to make a statement that Syria must stop supporting, harboring and nurturing terrorists. These terrorists and those living in the West Bank and Gaza are responsible for the ongoing murder on innocent men, women and children in Israel.

How many of our soldiers have been murdered because Syria allows terrorists from around the Middle East to run free and cross into Iraq? Too many.

It is time that we send a stronger message to the totalitarian butchers of that terrorist haven.

Howard Roth | South San Francisco

Failure in outreach

I was saddened by your Sept. 19 cover story, “High Holy Days: Who cares?” The underlying tone of disaffection from Judaism, community and culture points to the failure of synagogues and the Jewish community to outreach effectively to adults.

Jewish leaders have their heads stuck in the sand, waiting for young Jews to procreate and return to synagogue for education of children.

Meanwhile, a demographic shift has been taking place. More non-elderly U.S. residents live alone, according to the census. Marriage is being delayed in the United States, and so among Jews, according to the National Jewish Population Survey.

Demographically, there are simply more single adult Jews. Like those in the article, these Jews find little belonging in synagogues that center activities around family, ignoring the singles.

Many synagogues in suburbia and in Jewish far flung areas lack effective programming and education.

Consequently, these ambivalent individuals are less likely to continue to affiliate themselves with Judaism and the community.

I hate to say it, but this ambivalence will affect the amount of donations these individuals are going to be willing to give, if at all.

Wise up, Jewish leaders; provide outreach to the future of the Jewish community.

Rob Weisskirch | Marina

Does j. stand for jerks who don’t attend?

I had planned on giving subscriptions of the Jewish Bulletin to my daughters-in-law as New Year presents but I have now decided not to do so. The new name, j.,  is an embarrassment. Are you ashamed of being called “The Jewish Bulletin?” 

j. could stand for jesus, jerk, junk, jokes, jumble, or many other things, but it most certainly doesn’t stand for Jewish.

You first issue was a downer. Four people who don’t want to go to High Holy Day services because of foolish reasons — who cares?  j. is not a sociology journal.

I want to read an article on reasons for people to stand up proudly and say, “We are Jews and we will follow a long and beautiful tradition of attending High Holy Day services.” 

Perhaps the j. is for the jerks that those people who don’t attend services are.

Sanne DeWitt | Berkeley

Youths reflect older ages, too

As a 72-year-old senior I found your new version of the Jewish Bulletin quite appealing, and I especially like the articles ending on the same page.

I want to quickly comment on the “High Holy Days: Who cares?” feature in the first issue. I agree with Hazi G.’s comment about the disgust “that several rabbis refuse to marry couples who are not both Jewish.” I agree with Seth F.’s lack of interest in “long boring shul experiences from a rabbi I don’t know.” Aliza W.’s statement about “why God wants us to believe in this religion over another just because we were born into it” is provocative. Josh N.’s claim “services are always the same and many times the service is not meaningful” is true. As are both Tanya S.’s and Michele F.’s comment that they are “not thrilled with the high cost of High Holy Day tickets and are far from willing to drop a wad of cash to attend services anywhere.”

These young people reflect my older-age thoughts too. I find that writing almost 50 New Year cards to friends and relatives much more rewarding.

Larry Epstein | Fremont

Not broke? Don’t fix it

Forgive me if I’m too old to have my interest stimulated or my understanding and appreciation of Judaism expanded by your new “magazine.” I couldn’t believe your first offering. I thought surely you were joking. The second offering wasn’t much better, but the third I found only appalling.

I guess imitation is the greatest form of flattery and if Oprah could get away with calling a glitzy magazine on good paper with interesting reads “O,” then “j.” would work for you.

As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t.

I don’t find the magazine very interesting, let alone attractive. I can’t believe that young Jews who read and are very interested in many things, maybe and hopefully including Judaism, will go out of their way to subscribe to a publication that attempts to titillate rather than take on serious concerns for all ages.

Finding a husband with a push-up bra? Puleeze. Do you have any idea how many people you’ve offended? Somehow even the humor comes off stale and repetitive. Let’s get past Woody Allen, shall we?

I think change is sometimes good and I also think “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

Evelyn Sackler | Rohnert Park

A ‘great change’

My husband and I would occasionally read the Jewish Bulletin. Now, with the new j., we will be reading much more.

We like the look and feel of it. It’s modern and up-to-date and is much more interesting for a young family such as ours.

Thanks for the great change.

Deborah and Raphael Wynd

Campbell

No cutting edge?

I find the new j. to be very assimilationist. Lots of information; little inspiration.

Most serious is the decline (in just three issues) of the jokes. I laughed at the chauvinism of “He brews” (the coffee), and groaned at the lengthiness of Zen blasé.

Since “brevity is the soul of wit,” I ask for a return to the one-liners, the double meaning (if superb, triple meaning).

Surely, since we’re losing our identity we need not lose our cutting edge.

Barbara Mannheim San Francisco

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