Say it ain’t so, Joe
For years I considered Sen. Joe Lieberman to be a great Jewish-American politician. At one point I hoped he would become president. But, no more!
His stand against a public option in any healthcare bill, in my opinion, is a disgrace to the American and Jewish people.
How can he, as a religious Jew, deprive at least 35 million poor of medical coverage?
This shameful act that can’t be forgiven.
Rabbi Gideon Sorokin | Tiburon
Lieberman is wrong
As Congress debates healthcare reform, Sen. Joseph Lieberman has loudly proclaimed that he would “filibuster any plan with a public option.”
I wonder if his abhorrence of the public option for U.S. healthcare extends to that of Israel, where a government-run, single-payer system is supplemented by private insurers. Given his avid support of Israel, does Sen. Lieberman believe that Israel has it wrong? Does he know that U.S. healthcare spending per capita is double that of Israel, though the U.S. ranks well behind Israel in overall health system performance according to the World Health Organization?
It would appear that, in regards to the reality of a robust public option, Israel has it right and Sen. Lieberman has it wrong.
Michael Cooper | Lafayette
Anne Frank’s story is sadly lost
Dan Pine may be pining away for Anne Frank (“Sixty-five years later, I still cannot accept Anne Frank’s death,” Nov. 6). However, with his receipt of yet another book about her, it plays into what the Anne Frank Haus in Amsterdam has become — a high-tech quasi-museum that trivializes her story.
We visited the memorial just last week. What used to be an intimate, solemn and stark place of remembrance is now a high-tech show.
The annex-cum–high-tech museum (where five historic houses once stood) is terribly crowded, has lost the intimacy it once had and has made Anne Frank’s sad story into an allegory. Now her story is not about what Nazis did to Dutch Jews, but how people should treat each other today (“does the U.S. have the right to ask for identification when someone gets on a plane?”).
Something has sadly gotten lost in this — unfortunately it’s her actual story.
Peggy and Sam Gluck | Foster City
Answering Anne’s question
Sixty-five years later, I still cannot accept the death of 1.5 million Jewish children, including Anne Frank, all of whom in their own innocence may have believed that people are basically good at heart.
Anne’s description of the daily routine, absolute and total silence from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., describes clearly how abandoned hidden children felt. It
wasn’t because Germans with revolvers walked in her building, but because one did not know who could be trusted with the secret of where Jews were hiding. Hiding a Jew could mean deportation and death.
Anne did not live to write that the ultimate discovery and betrayal of her hiding place came from a Dutch person who frequented the building, and that they were arrested by four Dutch collaborators commanded by an Austrian officer.
It is the survivors’ responsibility to add this last sentence to Anne’s diary, and to pose the question: Did Anne and the other children maintain their belief that people are basically good at heart?
Anne’s diary is a precious gift to the hidden children who survived World War II. She brilliantly gave expression to all the emotions we had to suppress.
Louis de Groot | Berkeley
JVP speaks up
In a recent op-ed (“To heal post-‘Rachel’ rift, federation needs a new policy,” Oct. 23), three individuals set themselves up as the Jewish community’s House Un-American Activities Committee. They demanded a blacklist for alleged “anti-Israel” organizations, and went on to grossly misrepresent Jewish Voice for Peace, as well as the American Friends Service Committee, a pacifist Quaker group.
Although j. declined to give us op-ed space to respond, you can learn what Jewish Voice for Peace actually stands for at http://jvp.org/diversity, in a letter signed by JVP advisory board members Ronnie Gilbert, Judith Butler and Aurora Levins Morales.
We are neither small nor extreme; we speak for thousands of Jews who care deeply about peace and justice. Anyone who values open debate and free expression of ideas should join us in rejecting any attempts to distort or silence the full diversity of opinion in the Bay Area Jewish community.
Dana Bergen | Oakland
Chair, board of directors
Jewish Voice for Peace
J Street on wrong road
Recently I attended a small J Street meeting in San Francisco with Jeremy Ben-Ami, the executive director of J Street, as the main speaker. As a 50-year supporter of AIPAC, I was interested in how Ben-Ami described his organization and his policies to an otherwise sympathetic audience.
The two elements that he emphasized over and over were that the group had been formed to support the Obama policies affecting Israel and that J Street was an integral part of the progressive movement.
The stress on their being part of the Obama support team was so strong, that my direct question to Ben-Ami in the Q&A was whether J Street would follow Obama if he decided to either cut or eliminate foreign-aid funds to Israel. His answer was yes.
J Street has reflexively either opposed or tried to undermine the support AIPAC offers to the U.S.- Israel relationship, most recently in the vote in the House
condemning the Goldstone report. They were unsuccessful, but are a growing negative influence at this most difficult time.
Larry Goldberg | Tiburon
Inspirational coverage
Thank you for your excellent coverage of domestic violence issues during the month of October, which was National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Your two recent articles on Shalom Bayit perform a tremendous service. By sharing the stories of survivors of abuse (“Breaking Free: Shalom Bayit helps victims of domestic abuse begin a new life”, Oct. 30), you give voice to the silenced and inspire others to take the first step for themselves.
Thank you also for the article highlighting Shalom Bayit’s director, Naomi Tucker, on the occasion of her 25 years of service in the domestic violence field (Oct. 18). Your informative, sensitive and well-written articles bring the issue of domestic violence to the forefront of conversation in our community.
Last week, 26 rabbis from around the Bay Area all spoke about domestic violence on Shabbat Lech Lecha. It is truly an inspiration to be part of a Jewish community that takes a strong stance to raise awareness about abuse in our midst. Thank you.
Rachel Marder | Palo Alto
Community Educator
Shalom Bayit
All must accept Israel as a Jewish state
Maen Areikat, PLO representative to the United States, wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle (Oct. 29) that “in 1988, the Palestinians unequivocally recognized Israel’s right to exist.” That is a clear falsehood and undoubtedly was intentionally penned in order to justify criticism of Israel.
Six decades after its establishment, Israel has not been recognized by the PLO or any Arab state as a legitimate and Jewish state. The PLO may diplomatically boast that they will recognize Israel — but they also go to great lengths to diplomatically hide their “qualification” that they will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Their acceptance of Israel is based on Israel accepting unlimited immigration of Palestinians to Israel, which would destroy the Jewish character of Israel.
If you don’t believe me, ask them directly.
Peace for Israel requires us to enlarge vastly the community of public supporters of the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state.
Peace also requires us to confront lies about the denial of the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state. As Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, has so well documented, the denial of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state is the contemporary focal point of global anti-Semitism.
Lawrence Grossman | Benicia
J Street on wrong road
Recently I attended a small J Street meeting in San Francisco with Jeremy Ben-Ami, the executive director of J Street, as the main speaker. As a 50-year supporter of AIPAC, I was interested in how Ben-Ami described his organization and his policies to an otherwise sympathetic audience.
The two elements that he emphasized over and over were that the group had been formed to support the Obama policies affecting Israel and that J Street was an integral part of the progressive movement.
The stress on their being part of the Obama support team was so strong, that my direct question to Ben-Ami in the Q&A was whether J Street would follow Obama if he decided to either cut or eliminate foreign-aid funds to Israel. His answer was yes.
J Street has reflexively either opposed or tried to undermine the support AIPAC offers to the U.S.- Israel relationship, most recently in the vote in the House condemning the Goldstone report. They were unsuccessful, but are a growing negative influence at this most difficult time.
Larry Goldberg | Tiburon