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By Carole Glickfeld, , Seattle Mr. Wilkes’ response to my recent letter begins with an oleaginous politeness, thanking me for my “thoughtful letter,” and then goes on to totally (and I do mean, totally) distort what I wrote and what I believe (“Providing cover,” Letters, May 27). To remind readers,Continue Reading

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By Wendy Rosen , Special to JTNews The “Arab Spring” that has already toppled autocracies in Tunisia and Egypt and threatens to do likewise to others, raises hope for a transition to democracy in North Africa and the Middle East. But the process could be pushed disastrously off track byContinue Reading

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By Rabbi Steven Wernick , United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism One of Judaism’s most profound ideas is the notion that each year at Shavuot each of us stands at Mount Sinai, poised to receive the Torah as if for the first time.  The holiday, in other words, is an annualContinue Reading

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By Robert Kaufman, , Seattle On May 11 I was escorted out of Temple De Hirsch Sinai, where I had signed up to attend a lecture by Prof. John Esposito of Georgetown U., who characterizes fears of radical Islam as “Islamophobia.” I had prepared information challenging his views and pointingContinue Reading

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By Dr. Jerry Barrish, , Seattle I have followed the series of letters on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict going back and forth over the last several issues. One thing has become increasingly clear — the two sides have both exaggerated their claims and, as a result, may have damaged their ownContinue Reading

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By Robert Wilkes, , Bellevue My thanks to Carole Glickfeld for her thoughtful letter (“World view,” May 13) about my column, (“American Jews are Twice Chosen,” April 29). I write to create a political dialogue on issues left and right, and Ms. Glickfeld is helping to fulfill that goal. WeContinue Reading

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By Larry Broder, Executive Director, Temple De Hirsch Sinai Temple De Hirsch Sinai has a 112-year tradition of leadership in social action, civil rights, and free exchange of ideas. We strive to provide the opportunity for respectful dialog and even disagreement. At the same time, we have a policy regardingContinue Reading

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By Josh Basson, , Seattle I am disappointed by Obama’s speech calling for Israel to return to its pre-1967 lines as the basis for a two-state solution. Those borders have been determined by military experts as indefensible borders. Sadly, he becomes the first U.S. president to do so. Israel’s PrimeContinue Reading

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By Carole Glickfeld, , Seattle I was amused and also a bit dismayed by Robert Wilkes’s chauvinistic piece on why Americans (not to mention Jews) are exceptional (“American Jews are twice chosen,” April 29). He says, “Americans are chosen because each individual citizen knows, or should know, he is responsibleContinue Reading

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By Israel Kochin, , New York, N.Y. The editors of JTNews recently published a letter (“Taking Sides,” Letters, April 29) attacking my mother, Rochelle Kochin, for her defense of the State of Israel’s right to defend herself from the evil actions of an enemy who specifically targets and murders JewishContinue Reading

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By Judy Blinder, , Seattle I applaud Rabbi Mirel’s effort to encourage nonaffiliated Jews in the greater Seattle area to join a Jewish community in his article “An offer you can’t (and shouldn’t) refuse“ (Rabbi’s Turn, Feb. 25). He lists several types of congregations to choose from, including Reform, Conservative,Continue Reading

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By Rabbi Chaim Levine , Hope for Heroism As I write this column I’m sitting in Israel, A few days after Yom HaShoah and a few days before Yom HaZikaron, the Day of Remembrance and Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. Israel is wrapped in blue and white — it seemsContinue Reading

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By Rabbi Daniel A. Weiner, Temple De Hirsch Sinai Is it senseless hype or civil heresy? Simple celebrity stalking or something deeper and more disturbing? Today’s (as of this printing) nuptials of Britain’s Prince William to Kate Middleton have sent the dream-weavers and lotus-eaters of pop culture into unprecedented statesContinue Reading

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By Rocky Silverman, , Rocky Silverman Dr. Baskin believes a fair peace between Palestinian Arabs and Israel is best achieved by arguing equality and the two-state solution (“Encountering peace: The bombs bursting in air,” April 15). However, when I read his articles, I notice that he focuses more on whatContinue Reading

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By Akiva Kenny Segan, , Seattle Re: Rochelle Kochin’s letter, (“A Moral Compass,” April 15): Thanks. If Ms. Kochin cannot see any moral wrong in the 1948 displacement of 750,000 Palestinians from their ancestral and modern homelands, towns, villages, cities and farmlands then “she must have no moral compass.” AndContinue Reading

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By Josh Basson, , Seattle I was appalled to read Fred Ferate’s distorted letter (“The constant struggle,” April 15). He erroneously states that I have described all Palestinians as savages. He should re-read my letter carefully and will find that I am referring to only those Palestinian Arabs that engageContinue Reading

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By Robert Wilkes , Special to JTNews My new friends from Zimbabwe saw their homeland devastated and looted in a manner not seen since Attila swept west from the Volga. They left Zimbabwe for a time and lived in South Africa, where the murder rate is 34 per 100,000 (itContinue Reading

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By Ed Epstein, , Mercer Island Referencing your article on “Washington’s newest congresswoman” (“Where she stands: Washington’s newest congresswoman on Israel,” April 1), I suggest in the future you indicate at the top of your articles whether they are news reports or editorials. Your reference to AIPAC as a “hawkish”Continue Reading