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By Abby J. Leibman , Special to JTNews On Sept. 19, the House of Representatives passed a bill that slashes nearly $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). It’s difficult to capture just how monumental a shift this is in American policy. ItContinue Reading

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By , , In response to Elliott Magalnick’s letter, “Making Provisions for Provisions“ (Sept. 13), differences of opinion about Judaism are common and I welcome his and other points of view, but please let me correct the misconception that I had “punished” Jews for observing Yom Kippur by not makingContinue Reading

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By Carolyn Hale, President, Circle of Friends for Mental Health, Seattle I live at Council House and have for about eight years. I am a “people” person and am the present greeter for new tenants to our building. I know both Knate and Charlene Stahl well and assure you theyContinue Reading

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By Carol Stockton, Chair, J Street, Seattle The New Year is a time of renewal, joy, and, above all, hope for the future, and this year is indeed a time of hope. Twenty long years ago, the world watched as two bitter enemies, Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, found aContinue Reading

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By Salomon Menashe, , Scottsdale, Ariz. As one born in Rhodes, I feel I must correct Vic Alhadeff’s article (“Rhodes: Embracing the past,” Aug. 30). The Spanish Inquisition was in 1492 and the expelled Jews spread along the Mediterranean on both the north and south coasts, and many who movedContinue Reading

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By Steven Hemmat, , Seattle The JTNews Editor and Publisher recently chided several members of the Jewish community for questioning the appropriateness of publishing a letter by Linda Frank defending the Palestinian Authority and its policies toward the Jewish people. In your statement, you defended publishing Frank’s letter by citingContinue Reading

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By Elliott Magalnick, , Denver, Colo In response to the article by Knate Stahl (“Between myself and God,” Aug. 16), I found this article offensive. He seems to know so much of Yom Kippur for someone who totally rejects it by holding a program to help the needy. Offering freeContinue Reading

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By Rabbi Ben Aaronson , Capitol Hill Minyan You’re late for a meeting. You pull into the parking lot, and it’s entirely full except for one illegal spot right near the entrance. If you park there, you’ll make it to your meeting on time. If you have to find anotherContinue Reading

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By Joel Magalnick, Publisher and Editor, JTNews, Seattle The letters that follow this are in response to a letter from a member of our community that ran in the August 16 issue of JTNews. This person, who the respondents below see as vehemently critical of Israel, suggested that comments madeContinue Reading

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By Rabbi Joshua Samuels , Congregation Beth Israel, Bellingham In less than a week, we’re going to be in the thick of the High Holy Days. This might not be a time of celebration like Simchat Torah or Purim, but unlike those festivals, the High Holy Days — and especiallyContinue Reading

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By Nevet Basker, , Bellevue When someone you support says something objectionable, something that’s inconsistent with your values and incongruent with your beliefs, you generally have two options. You can distance yourself from the offensive message — “I mostly agree with this person, but must take exception this time.” Or,Continue Reading

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By Robert Kaufman, , Seattle Linda Frank’s attack on the Pamela Geller bus ads lack both facts and logic (Letters, Aug. 16). Her defense of her interpretation is as damning to Abbas as Geller’s attack. She argues that he did not use the words “Jew-free,” but merely said “…that thereContinue Reading

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By David Shayne, , Seattle Linda Frank defends PA President Abbas after he was caught stating he envisioned a Jew-free Palestine and distorts the record to make it look like Abbas and the Palestinian Arabs on the whole are ready to live in peace and harmony with their Jewish neighborsContinue Reading

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By Michael Behar, , Seattle In your August 16 edition you published a letter from Linda Frank who regurgitated the standard boilerplate common among anti-Israel types. Ms. Frank, a local anti-Israel activist, is well known for her libelous claims against the Jewish State. Her most spurious canard (although not madeContinue Reading

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By Knate Stahl , Special to JTNews I live in a senior-housing complex in Seattle. Many of the residents are Jewish. Each Saturday my wife and I coordinate a program — with the help of other volunteers — that provides free food to our fellow residents donated by a localContinue Reading

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By Herb Levine, , Tacoma Steven Blum’s discussion of the difficulties of covering Holocaust-denial stories, such as David Irving’s impending trip to Berlin, was right on target (“German preoccupation: Why bother with David Irving?“ Aug. 2). However, in his annoyance at the claims of Irving’s supporters that his “right toContinue Reading

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By Linda Frank, , Tacoma Part of what drew me to Judaism and weekly studies at Temple was Judaism’s welcoming, and even encouragement, to ask questions about what I was being told. The article by Janis Siegel titled “Back on the Bus“ (Aug. 2) featured recent bus ads run inContinue Reading