By Albert A. Feldmann , , Seattle
I was appalled to read about the Seattle Repertory Theater�s plans to stage the play My Name is Rachel Corrie (As Seattle Rep kicks off its season…,� Sept. 1). Everyone must regret the death of this young local woman in the course of a misguided idealistic action. She attempted to stop an Israeli army bulldozer from destroying a house in the Gaza Strip in which tunnels had been discovered for the smuggling of weapons. Two investigations determined that her death was an accident, and one must question the judgment of any person stepping in front of a bulldozer to stop it with her bare hands. From an unconfirmed source I understand that Rachel Corrie was a high-strung young woman who had been involved in suicide attempts before this accident. Such a confirmation would throw new light on the subject.
For the Repertory Theater to schedule a play which, according to Janis Siegel, is an out-and-out anti-Israel vehicle, is a reckless disregard of the climate of antagonism in Seattle. There is no �other side� to the story except that of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment. It is but weeks since [allegedly] a self-proclaimed American Muslim killer invaded the Jewish Federation office, murdering one and wounding five other persons.
I suggest a boycott of the Seattle Repertory Theater by the Jewish community and those wanting to keep proliferation of hate messages from our public venues. American Jews are responsible for 20 percent of all philanthropic dollars while making up less than 2 percent of the population. I suspect that the ratio applies in Seattle as well. Let the Seattle Repertory Theater performances be �judenrein� in the future.
Albert A. Feldmann
Seattle