Let’s agree to disagree respectfully, peaceably
Recent letters argue that neither Trump nor his followers deserve respect (Jan. 8). He is a “monster” and his followers are “scary.” He is “McCarthy” and “Hitler/Mussolini” rolled into one. I disagree with the characterizations but more important question the practice of name-calling.
Even if you strongly disagree with Trump, name-calling does not advance political debate. All you are doing is talking to those who agree with you, not to those with whom you disagree. One could make the same accusations against the letter writers being made against Trump. They are being dismissive and intolerant. Where does it get us when each side refuses to respect the other side?
Even if you do not respect another’s position, you need to engage in dialogue for your own sake, for your own self-respect, so you can say you attempted to engage with the other side, to bridge gaps and do your best to reach agreement.
I continue to advocate tolerance and respect for other viewpoints. I strongly condemn the practice of name-calling. We need to listen, then listen more, then listen again. Then, if you disagree, explain why. If we must disagree, let’s do so with respect and in peace.
Alan Titus | San Francisco
Christmas school activity crossed separation line
I am glad Sloane Citron thinks his elementary school experience regarding the Christmas curriculum was positive, and I would agree that children are coddled today (Letters, Jan. 8). But this parent-school conflict has zero to do with coddling (“Mom’s alarm over Santa visit roils San Jose parents,” Jan. 1).
When your classmates are learning to sing “Christ the savior is born” for the inevitable school assembly (I also grew up in a small town), the holiday is anything but secular. Sloane is welcome to think he was “earning the respect of his peers and teachers” when, as the sole Jewish student in his Amarillo, Texas, elementary school, he was “given the opportunity to go to the library” while his classmates were learning to sing about the miracle of Jesus.
Having tolerance for the largely Christian world around us has nothing to with the First Amendment requirement for separation of church and state. In Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971), the Supreme Court used a three-part test to determine whether the conduct of a public school violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment.
1. Does the conduct have a secular (nonreligious) purpose? If the answer is “no,” the conduct is prohibited.
2. Does the conduct advance or inhibit religion? If the answer is “yes,” the conduct is prohibited.
3. Does the conduct cause excessive entanglement with religion? If the answer is “yes,” the conduct is prohibited.
I am not a constitutional scholar. But with no personal disrespect intended for Sloane Citron, the San Jose public school appears to have violated all three prongs of the Lemon test. Talia was absolutely correct in speaking up on behalf of her daughter.
David Mullens | Palo Alto
Is there any difference among terrorists?
J. reported that “French Jews accused Doctors Without Borders of glorifying Palestinian terrorism… One photo shows the Arabic-language poster of a Palestinian terrorist who died in an attack on Israelis; he is described as a martyr” (Jan. 1). On the other hand, Israel issued postage stamps decades ago honoring David Raziel, who led the Irgun on countless murderous terrorist attacks against the Arab civilian population, which resulted in hundreds of deaths. What is the difference?
Jean Tome | San Francisco
Israelis have right to know source of foreign money
When the CIA funds political movements in other countries to overthrow a regime that we don’t like, people like Naomi Paiss are outraged (“Law targets human rights groups on left,” op-ed, Jan. 8). When it comes to Israeli political movements that receive money from foreign governments, it is OK as long as those movements are supported by her New Israel Fund.
Doesn’t the Israeli public have a right to know which NGOs are supported by Sweden or Saudi Arabia? Shouldn’t Israelis have the right to know which organizations have the financial backing of governments that are hostile to the Jewish state? The New Israel Fund opposes the bill for the very reason I support it. They want to hide the fact that many organizations that they support receive money from governments that are hostile to Israel.
The bill doesn’t ban support, but it requires disclosure. It requires members of those organizations when they are at the Knesset to wear badges like any other foreign lobbyist.
When an NGO receives over half of its budget from a foreign government, it is a de facto agent of that government. Just as J Street tried to hide the fact that non-Zionist George Soros was financing the organization, the NIF wants to hide the fact that it is working with foreign governments.
Gil Stein | Aptos
Attacks in Israel need more attention
I read through the Dec. 18 issue and, aside from a tribute to Israeli American terror victim Richard Lakin, saw no mention of the terror attacks going on in Israel. Given that the general media pay minimal attention to the “knife intifada” that Israelis are enduring, or present a grossly distorted picture of it, J.’s silence on the subject in this issue was doubly troubling — and mystifying.
We are all connected. Those of us privileged to live in the relative safety of the United States need to remain conscious of what our fellow Jews are going through in Israel and hold them in our hearts and minds at all times.
Malka Weitman | Berkeley
German-Yiddish backstory on dreidel game
The Dec. 4 Hanukkah supplement “J. Kids” described the dreidel gambling game but omitted that it starts with each player placing a token — commonly chocolate Hanukkah gelt or nuts — into a “pot” or kitty. In turn, each player spins the four-sided dreidel. Winnings are determined by whichever letter is facing up when the top stops spinning.
The game likely developed in Central Europe, where German and Yiddish were the primary languages of Jews. To provide a double meaning to each of the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hey and shin — “Nes gadol haya sham,” a great miracle happened there — German/Yiddish words with the same initials were used: nichts (nothing), ganz (all), halb (half) and shtell (place/add one coin or token to the pot). As the dreidel fell, all players would gleefully shout “ganz,” “halb,” etc. Now you know the rest of the story.
Fred Korr | Oakland