History check
The FLAME advertisement in the April 12 edition stated that “Harry Truman recognized the nascent State of Israel within minutes of its declaration of independence.” It implied that the United States was the first country to recognize the State of Israel. One can find this assertion in history books.
But reality is more complicated. It is true that the White House placed a call to Israel’s government within minutes, 11 minutes to be exact, and this call constituted de facto recognition. Later the Soviets recognized Israel, and their recognition was de jure (lawful).
The U.S. recognized Israel de jure only the next year, which is no surprise since the U.S. declared an embargo on shipment of armaments to Israel, and it was Czechoslovakia who sent them.
Rudy J. Budesky | El Cerrito
Jewish studies thrive at Davis
The Jewish Studies program at U.C. Davis, briefly mentioned in your April 12 article on Jewish studies at U.C. Berkeley, is thriving.
Our program serves 600-800 students every year in a variety of more than 20 courses offered by religious studies, history, sociology, political science, English and more. More than 70 students have minored in Jewish studies.
The U.C. Davis German Department has just appointed an outstanding young scholar, Sven-Erik Rose, who specializes in German-Jewish, French-Jewish and Yiddish literature. His forthcoming book deals with the confrontation between Enlightenment German philosophy and Jewish literature.
Naomi Janowitz | U.C. Davis
Director, Jewish Studies
Proud to support +972 magazine
We wish to correct a case of misinformation in a recent op-ed by NGO Monitor’s Yitzhak Santis in which he attacked New Israel Fund’s grantee +972 magazine (“Advancing ‘leftist’ agenda, online mage +972 serves to strengthen Israel haters,” March 22).
We accept criticism as a legitimate part of public debate, but this is a case of distorting the facts about an organization and we want to set the record straight.
Santis attacked +972 for an alleged connection to a specific female blogger who was never a member of the magazine’s team of writers. In fact, she contributed only four guest columns (of the over 3,000 pieces they’ve published in a little more than two years), after which +972 banned her from its site.
Even other ideological opponents of the magazine acknowledged publicly that +972 did the right thing and has no relationship with the blogger in question.
The magazine contributes thoughtful, analytical and, yes, controversial ideas to the debate over Israel’s most difficult issues. We at the New Israel Fund see a free press as intrinsic to the survival of Israeli democracy and for that reason are proud to support +972 magazine.
Orli Bein & Becky Buckwald | Regional directors, New Israel Fund San Francisco
No room for prejudice against Palestinians
I read Dennis Wolf’s tawdry response (“A playground for our enemies,” April 19) to Molly Freeman’s April 5 letter “What did you do to create Palestine?”
I find it deeply sad and troubling when members of my community suggest that Jews articulating a pragmatic, urgent path toward a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are Amalek-by-association.
Diaspora Jewry is right to voice forceful feedback to the Israeli government, including where (and if) women pray at the Kotel, who is a Jew and ending the military occupation of Palestinian lands. However, overt and generalized prejudice of the Palestinian people cannot, and should not, be a part of the Jewish community conversation.
I take comfort in the knowledge that not only does 79 percent of the Jewish community strongly support a two-state solution that establishes a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, but 81 percent believe that the two state-solution is necessary to strengthen Israel’s security and ensure its Jewish democratic character (GBA Strategies 2012 post-election survey).
These numbers reinforce J Street’s claim that we must boldly advocate for an end to the occupation and the signing of the two-state-solution. As President Obama recently stated in Jerusalem, peace is “necessary, just and possible.”
Jeremy Elster | Berkeley
Talking to the wrong people about Israel
Molly Freeman’s letter positing the issue of how one might explain to children (“What did you do to create Palestine?” April 5) suggests that having the right “conversation” with American Jews will make a difference.
The conversation needs to be held not with Jews at all, but with Al Qaeda, Salafists and other Islamists who believe Israel has no right to exist.
J Street supporters should organize peace flotillas to visit Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, for openers, to persuade those folks of Israel’s rightful place among the nations. J Street’s success in that endeavor would greatly enhance its credibility. The holy grail of a two-state solution would be attainable once the people who are supposed to be in the other state are fully on board with the concept, contrary to the statistics. For my part, I’ll keep all my options on the table.
Desmond Tuck | San Mateo