Letters

Dear Subscribers and Members of our community, As the final chapter of this 91-year-old newspaper comes to an end, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the board and staff of The Jewish Sound (a.k.a. JTNews and The Jewish Transcript) for its unwavering support and commitment through theContinue Reading

While I was a bit surprised to learn that the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project has expanded to offer trips for men (“It’s Birthright Israel — for Jewish moms,” Dec. 12, 2014), I was even more surprised to learn that “the women visit a group children’s home and attend a cookingContinue Reading

Apparently the irony of Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP) co-opting both the celebration of Hanukkah and the events in Ferguson, Missouri to promote their virulently anti-Israel agenda was lost on JTNews (“Jews in Seattle and beyond light Hanukkah candles for racial justice,” Dec. 19, 2014). Hanukkah is not just aContinue Reading

Federation CEO Keith Dvorchik echoed many of my feelings in his recent column (“As we mourn, let us stop the divisiveness about Israel,” Nov. 21). We, the Jewish people, are 0.2 percent of the world’s population. In today’s world, however, it’s easy to feel close only to those Jews whoContinue Reading

You published an op-ed written by Ms. Gown and Mr. Bridge (“Fighting extremism and tolerance in Israel and Seattle,” Oct. 3), which urged action concerning the problem of gender-segregated bomb shelters in Israel during the Gaza action. In fact, based on my research, they were referring to one outrageous incidentContinue Reading

Kudos to the Samis Foundation for the amazing work it is doing (“Samis allocations sustain the community, locally and in Israel,” Sept. 19). Although I thought I was familiar with the Samis Foundation, I never understood the full breadth of its work until I saw the list of grants publishedContinue Reading

I’m writing to publicly congratulate Robert Jacobs of StandWithUs Northwest for his leadership and advocacy during this heart-wrenching month of conflict in Israel. We reside in a community in which there’s a “multivocality” of opinions regarding the Middle East. It is essential that Seattle’s Jewish community have an atmosphere inContinue Reading

In my many years working as the editor or reporter on newspapers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and most recently as editor/publisher of The Jewish Transcript, I am shocked — and angry — that the JTNews ran what appeared to be a paid half-page ad blasting Israel, for fighting backContinue Reading

I believe that there is a substantial, well-funded, anti-Semitic movement in Seattle as well as other large communities in Washington State (“Seattle solidarity events find various ways to support Israel,” Aug. 8). Who is funding the movement can only be laid at the doorstep of anti-Semites even though they professContinue Reading

I find it highly offensive that the Jewish Federation demanded that an NRA lobbyist be fired because he voiced his opinion that Jews should be against restrictive gun laws (“On anniversary of shooting, Jewish Federation tells NRA spokesman to step down”). The idea that the Holocaust could not have beenContinue Reading

I am writing about my dismay over the fact that recently there were two separate solidarity events for Israel; the first taking place in Pioneer Square and the second at Congregation Beth Shalom. One was co-sponsored by the Orthodox congregations and the other co-sponsored by the Conservative, Reform and otherContinue Reading

Those of us who support I-594 (background checks for most gun sales) realize that it is not a cure-all for our country’s gun problem. It is better than doing nothing, however. As mentioned in your June 27 article (“Jews and guns: What’s our responsibility?”), when Missouri rescinded its background checkContinue Reading

Are there readers of the JTNews who think that the recent kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers on a hike will hurt the “Palestinian cause”? If so, they should think again. Killers, like other people, follow the news. They know that every new act of terror, the more barbaricContinue Reading

I’m terribly disturbed by a second article written by Janis Siegel about a young Jewish man accused of “inappropriate communication with a minor.” (“Judge grants continuance to August in Varon case,” June 13). How insensitive and callous to villainize and embarrass a young man before the court’s verdict as toContinue Reading