Letters (Page 16)

By Neil Goldberg , , kirkland Richard Silverstein is entitled to his opinion on the divestment issue against Israel (“Divesting, not boycotting,” June 13). That, of course, is his right. What he should not be entitled to: self-proclaimed comments invoking how they are not meant to prevent Israel from protectingContinue Reading

By Dave Kaplan, , Seattle Richard Silverstein writes: “Israel listens when the Diaspora makes its views known. If local Jewish groups don’t, you can’t blame the outside world when it decides it has had enough.” That line alone struck me as the crux of why some of these crazy SeattleContinue Reading

By Ursula Rychter , , Seattle After subscribing to the JTNews for 45-plus years, I am hereby canceling my subscription. The constant anti-Israel bias of the current editorship — and, I assume, the overseeing board — has finally gotten to me and my patience has run out. Your full-page coverageContinue Reading

By Michael Zimmerman , , Chicago, Ill. I am compiling memoirs and stories for a book about volunteers to Israel who traveled there in June 1967 to help. Many served as nurses, mechanics, farm and kibbutz workers, drivers, etc. Time is passing, and the record of the stories must beContinue Reading

By Randy Kessler, , Mercer Island Why is it that “peace activists” like Richard Silverstein (“Divesting, not boycotting,” June 13) always tell us that they are supporters of Israel right as they support anti-Israel policies like Initiative 97? This is the height of duplicity and an insult to the intelligenceContinue Reading

By David Brumer, Executive Committee StandWithUs Northwest, Seattle JTNews’ coverage of Norman Finkelstein’s May 8 University of Washington lecture (“A question of motives, not of legitimacy,” May 16) raises questions the Seattle Jewish community would do well to ponder. Why would a failed academic, a proud Hezbollah collaborator (“we areContinue Reading

By Jeffrey Weiser , , Redmond I don’t have a problem with Prof. Finkelstein criticizing Israel’s policies regarding the occupied territories, the Security Wall, or the settlements lecture (“A question of motives, not of legitimacy,” May 16). These are legitimate topics of discussion and reasonable men can differ as toContinue Reading

By Edward Alexander , Professor Emeritus of English, UW, Since it is now a core belief of academic “progressives” that Israel is the world’s most wicked country, and responsible for all the globe’s miseries except (perhaps) avian flu, it’s hardly surprising that the very day of that country’s 60th birthdayContinue Reading

By Akiva Kenny Segan , , Seattle Many thanks for the reproduction of my drawing “Bar Mitzvah-Age Boy in the Warsaw Ghetto.” As an artist working in old-fashioned traditional media like pen holders with metal points dipped in India ink (used for this drawing), it is dazzling that computers todayContinue Reading

By Julian Sandler and Wayne L. Firestone, Chairman and President of Hillel: The Foundation for for Jewish Life, The JTA article “Hillel’s new strategy” (April 4) has led some readers to conclude that Hillel has shifted its central focus away from Jewish students. Let us be very clear: Our raisonContinue Reading

By Delila Simon, Co-Executive Director Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center, For our Board of Directors, our staff, our supporters and the many students, teachers, and community members who use our resources to teach the Holocaust, tomorrow will never be the same. With the passing of this year’s state budget,Continue Reading

By Eric Leibman, , Portland, Oregon Regarding Miriam Swedlow’s letter about the Torah Day School (March 7): I suspect having a school in Seward Park has a great deal to do with the idea of being able to send your kids to a school within a couple of minutes’ driveContinue Reading

By Sydney Stock, , Bellevue Professor Derek Penslar’s views at the University of Washington, “Sovereigns & Subjects: Jewish Political Thought in the 20th Century.” (“Fighting for their countries,” March 7) were dangerous. He claims that stereotyping Jews as Woody Allens, or as “pink” liberal radical pacifists, requires responding how JewsContinue Reading

By Norman Levin, , Seattle Kudos to the JTNews editor for his courageous stand regarding the unconscionable leniency given to Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz for his conviction of assault injury by vehicle. The letters of support from Rabbi Schwartz’s congregants were not unexpected, but in my opinion were a disgusting displayContinue Reading

By Cliff Godwin, , Olympia Joel Magalnick’s “viewpoint” on Rabbi Schwartz misses the whole point of a sentencing hearing: to take testimony of a defendant’s character and service to his family and community into consideration in setting the sentence for his crime. The purpose of a sentence is to engenderContinue Reading

By Lea Hanan, , Seattle After reading about Rabbi Schwartz’s sentencing and the comments from Rabbi David of the Seattle Kollel, I would like to say the following to Rabbi David and Rabbi Schwartz. I am sorry that you thought that parading a group of a hundred supporters in frontContinue Reading

By Sidney Stock, , Bellevue With my first step onto Israeli soil, my initial thought was of finally being home — but in a surprising way. This thought was: “Now, in Israel, if I commit some illegal act, for the first time in my life I’ll be judged on theContinue Reading

By Celia Y. Weisman, Director of Development, Spectrum Dance, Seattle Thank you for publishing Leyna Krow’s thoughtful article, “Political movement: Spectrum Dance Theater Takes on the Holocaust and other humanitarian crises,” (Feb. 22). As Krow discusses, “The Theater of Needless Talents,” — Spectrum’s world premiere — deals with powerful issuesContinue Reading

By Gary Mokotoff, , Bergenfield, N.J. sthumous baptism of Jews by the Mormon Church, [that it was] was the act of “just nine people out of 13 million Mormons” is not true (The record keepers,” Feb. 22). Until the Mormon Church signed an agreement with certain Jewish organizations in MayContinue Reading