By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Margaret Lemberg, , Seattle All of the evidence that I know of strongly supports the notion that sexual orientation is not a choice, but inborn. So, gays and lesbians who marry would still be gay and lesbian, but simply attempting to repress their true selves. Do we really haveContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Susan Benyowitz, , Los Angeles, Calif. In your article “First Stop: Seattle” (Aug. 21) you neglected to mention that Federal Election Commission filings show that J Street has Muslims and Arabs as donors, as well as people connected to Palestinian and Iranian advocacy. Jeremy Ben Ami admits that atContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Jack Fackerell, , Redmond I would like to remind Edith Isaacs Ervin that the recent murders of gays in Tel Aviv were tragic losses to our entire community (letters, Aug. 21). That they were targeted due to being gay should be shocking and very concerning to every Jew, becauseContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Jeffrey Weiser , , Redmond It isn’t easy to be a Jewish liberal these days. You agree with all your non-Jewish liberal friends on everything: Government control of health care, turning the world green, the mainstreaming of homosexuality, silencing Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly, banishing religion from the publicContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Rabbi's Turn, Viewpoints

By Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, Kavana Cooperative Although the month of Elul is my busy season as a rabbi, I really love this time of year. For me, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are accompanied by meaningful customs, beautiful melodies, and a sense of new possibility. For a number of myContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Opinion, Viewpoints

By Rachel Goldberg , JTA World News Service There’s a lot of noise about health care — wildly false claims, meetings being disrupted, shrill voices shouting down legislators. Amid the din, real ideas and concerns are getting lost. It’s easy and lazy to criticize something. What’s difficult and bold isContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Opinion, Viewpoints

By Larry Greenfield , JTA World News Service Government insurance for health care — the public option — is an inappropriate cure that the American body politic is rejecting. Canadians spend 10 percent of their annual GDP on health care, while Americans spend 16 percent. However, Canadians experience long waitingContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Edith Isaacs Ervin, , Mercer Island Enough with this gay-schmay stuff (“Gay Israelis reeling after shooting attack,” Aug. 7)! If we are intent on replacing ourselves after the World War II slaughter, practicing homosexuality isn’t the way toward that goal. Didn’t your mommies and daddies have “the talk” withContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Robert Center, , Seattle As the chair of the advisory board to the Stroum Jewish Studies Program at the University of Washington, I was pleased to read and agree with Professor Jaffee’s August 7 column regarding the Stroum Lectures (“A learning experience”). The program is proud of its manyContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Chaplain Gary Friedman, , Seattle The last issue of the JTNews carried an ad from a pair of restaurants highlighting their “Kosher Deli Meats (Plus Regular Kosher Style Deli Items).” By “kosher deli meats,” are they referring to their non-recommended brands that anybody keeping kosher for religious reasons wouldn’tContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Rabbi's Turn, Viewpoints

By Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz, West Seattle Torah Learning Center I’m a story junkie. As a child I was always an avid reader and I haven’t lost my love of sinking my teeth into a good book. Unfortunately today, it’s not as easy to find the spare moments to indulge inContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Opinion, Viewpoints

By Stephen J. Savitsky , JTA World News Service NEW YORK (JTA) — I was most privileged on July 13 to be invited along with 16 other Jewish leaders to meet with President Obama at the White House. Much has been written about this historic meeting; it’s hard to believeContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Edward Alexander, , Seattle A main reason why President Obama nominated Judge Sotomayor for the Supreme Court is that he believed she would be “the first Hispanic appointment to the high court.” In fact, the first Supreme Court justice of Hispanic background was Benjamin Cardozo, appointed by President HooverContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Philip R. Scheier, , Shoreline The fact that your lead story in the July 24 issue, headlined, “A prophet for peace or a wedge between peacemakers?” ends with a question mark is not the only question mark on this overlong two-and-a-half-column agonizing on the guest speaker’s true intentions towardContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Dexter Van Zile, Christian Media Analyst CAMERA, Boston, Mass. Contrary to Naim Ateek’s assertion, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, (CAMERA), does not believe that he is “worse than Hamas” (“A prophet for peace or a wedge between peacemakers?“ July 24). Hamas has killed hundreds;Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Rabbi's Turn, Viewpoints

By Rabbi James L. Mirel , Temple B’nai Torah The Book of Jonah (read as the Haftarah on Yom Kippur afternoon) is a constant source of wisdom and insight. Like every great work of literature, it can be read over and over again, always with new discoveries and insights. TheContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Opinion, Viewpoints

By Gila Orkin , JTA World News Service JERUSALEM (JTA) — The gains made by far-right parties across Europe in the recent European parliamentary elections are certainly cause for concern. But Europe is not the only place Jews should be concerned about the far right rising. It’s happening in Israel,Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Jenna Sytman , , Mercer Island Mr. Rothschild’s June 26 letter to the editor is a highly flawed argument that uses a concept most hold in contempt to further his personal disapproval of certain local institutions — crying “discrimination!” and suggesting the Federation address their budget deficit by eliminatingContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Jeremy Alk, , Seattle I think there is an additional reason for Tree of Life being in jeopardy (“Losing its leaves?” July 10): The closing of Leah’s Bakery’s retail business. Stores are a foot-traffic business. People pop in and see what’s new. It’s also seasonal: Jews in the greaterContinue Reading