http://www.jstandard.com en-us http://www.jstandard.com N/A editor@jstandard.com Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:45:14 MDT 20 http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4711/1/letters  Questions use of word I find that calling Orthodox Jewish men and women "observant," as in the Aug. 22 article about the writers group, subconsciously means that those persons who follow the tenets of Conservative, Reconstructionism, or Reform tenets of Judaism are felt to be "less Jewish" even though many of these individuals "observe" their rules of faith as religiously as do Orthodox Jews. Jewish Standard Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4674/1/LETTERS Says Lieberman not 'moral voice' If Sen. Joseph Lieberman is "the moral voice of the Senate," as Ben Chouake seems to think (Letters, Aug. 22), this country is in real trouble. When he was running for vice president with Al Gore in the 2000 election, and simultaneously running to keep his seat in the Senate, his Senate campaign staff telephoned my husband, a Jew living in New Jersey, for a contribution to his campaign. Several years later, when my husband wrote to ask Sen. Lieberman for an explanation of a Senate vote, he received a form response saying that the senator does not reply to mail from residents of other states. Jewish Standard Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4649/1/letters 'The moral voice of the Senate' Joe Lieberman is the moral voice of the Senate and former Democratic vice presidential nominee. His comments about Sen. Obama at the NORPAC fund-raiser for Sen. McCain are not that one needs military experience to be president. Rather, Sen. Lieberman acknowledged that Sen. Obama was very talented, but said that he lacked the background and experience to assume the highest office in the land. Sen. Lieberman will likely lose his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and his seniority in the Democratic caucus due to his support of Sen. McCain. That Sen. Lieberman would cross party lines to endorse John McCain says volumes about the merit of both leaders. This crossing of the aisle is a measure of character where one acts according to the belief that his candidate of choice, regardless of party affiliation, is most fit for the position. Whether one agrees with Sen. Lieberman is beside the point. His willingness to put his career and Senate standing in jeopardy for the benefit of his county should be acknowledged and admired. Ben Chouake, President, NORPAC, Englewood Jewish Standard Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4622/1/Letters 'No better catcher' I just happened to peruse the article on Jews loving baseball, which asked the question whether there was a Jewish Major League catcher. As a New York Giants fan back in the 1940s, I can tell the answer is a resounding yes. There was no better catcher than Harry Danning of the late great New York Giants. He lived during the season at Hudson View Gardens in Washington Heights and was always available to throw a ball around with the neighborhood kids. Norm Solon, Bluffton, S.C. Jewish Standard Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4594/1/Letters   Opinions expressed in the op-ed and letters columns are not necessarily those of The Jewish Standard. When writing to the Standard, please include a day-time telephone number. The Jewish Standard reserves the right to edit letters. Because of space limitations not every letter can be published. Write to Letters, The Jewish Standard, 1086 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666, or e-mail jstandardletters@gmail.com   A little history I want to share some history regarding your July 25 article describing HUVPAC's decision to become a subdivision of NORPAC. I had the privilege, at the end of 1991, to be involved in the expansion and growth of NORPAC from a small, but very dedicated, group founded by Rabbi Menachem Genack that used to bring 15 to 20 people to the annual Washington mission. In early 1992, President George H.W. Bush made his infamous comment about being one lonely guy trying to battle 1,000 Israel lobbyists on Capitol Hill. A short time thereafter, NORPAC arrived in Washington with almost 170 members and, to our great surprise, received the heartfelt thanks from the full political spectrum of senators, including Joe Lieberman, Ted Kennedy, and Orrin Hatch, for giving them the encouragement to stand up to the president's chilling statement. Jewish Standard Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4563/1/LETTERS 'We are entitled to differ' It was painful and heart-wrenching to read about the prisoner exchange in the July 18 Standard. The editorial, "Sad and unfair," captured the mood and frustrations of the Jewish people. I understand that 70 percent of the Israelis favored the prisoner exchange. They alone are entitled to make the final decision. But we are entitled to differ and voice our opinions. I read the two Op Ed pieces. I can usually make a decision on the debate. In this case, I understand and appreciate the opinions of both writers. My heart and understanding go out to Chezi Shay who was held hostage by a terrorist group. Jewish Standard Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4535/1/LETTERS 'A caring community' In my capacity as the Jewish chaplain for the Teaneck Fire Department and, therefore, as one who was among the many support services called to the scene of the tragic explosion and fire that took the life of Richard Hass, I want to commend the Teaneck Fire and Police departments, my fellow chaplains, our own Teaneck Township Municipal Administration and its related public service and Works Departments, along with the many other Bergen County agencies who worked so well together, in a very responsive and responsible manner, under what were the most difficult of conditions. Everyone involved, which also included the Misaskim Disaster and Accident Recovery teams that came from Rockland County and Brooklyn, along with the Medical Examiner's office, comported themselves with the utmost respect for the victim and the related religious and public considerations that had to be addressed under these circumstances. Jewish Standard Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4514/1/LETTERS 'Truly a gem' It is gratifying to learn that Ramapo College will open a multi-faith spiritual center, in addition to its existing Center of Holocaust Studies. Ramapo is truly a gem located right here in northern New Jersey. We should be thankful not only to the private donors who have endowed the new facility, but also to the State of New Jersey for enabling an institution of public education to flower in our midst. That being said, Anthony Padovano is quoted as saying that no other college here or abroad has a center with the same emphases as the one being built at Ramapo. I am not sure that is an accurate statement. Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., is no more than 90 minutes from Ramapo. At Bard, Jewish and Muslim students share a facility known as the Beit Shalom-Salaam, which, as its name implies, is dedicated to peace and interfaith dialogue. Bard has a long history of cultural diversity linked with a fine liberal arts education and a noted music conservatory. Jewish Standard Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4486/1/letters 'A true insanity' I am appalled and personally disgraced by the multitude of so-called cease-fires wherein Israel desists and our sworn and true enemies continue to fire to kill. We actually were stupid enough to "disengage" from Gaza and then watch the immediate and incessant barrage on Sderot. Two or more of our soldiers are pawns for a one-more-time "peace talk" wherein we usually return hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for, we hope, one or two (possibly) living Israeli soldiers. How inept our government must seem if to us, then to the larger world. The same went on in the north with much firing of missiles until our army went in, did nothing much of anything, and then retreated. What happened to the Israel of yore? What happened to the bravery of our military past and the halting in its tracks of all forces destined to kill any or all of us? I am truly embarrassed that any Israeli leaders can honestly believe that all our promises will in any way end the battle of Hamas and other even more militant groups to destroy and disgrace our nation. Iran stands behind Hamas, as does Syria. Who stands behind all of our begging and conciliations? Should we withdraw from the Golan, there will be a new influx of terrorists into a civilized area, who give not a damn for the so-called peace treaties made by our leaders in suits and ties which can only result in more bloodshed and deaths. All of this talk will go nowhere if the reality is made perfectly clear; none of our surrounding neighbors, least of all Iran, wish for an Israeli Jewish state to occupy one inch of the land in which it has created a flourishing and renowned nation of millions. If it were up to our enemies, there would not remain a Jew in the entire Middle East. Despite the lack of acknowledgement and refusal to concede one single thing in response to Israeli's pleading for "peace," this government continues in the footsteps of another bad leader. Why do we have this shameless need to demoralize our country still more with cease-fires that are not real, with peace talks that are a huge pack of lies causing our citizens first in the north and now in the south to live in mortal fear? Soon we will not have a safe zone anywhere in our country. How do we explain the return of Palestinian terrorists from our custody back into the hands that will re-arm them? Where is our chutzpah? What happened to the brave and courageous Israel that we boasted of years ago? A one-sided peace is a sham and a fiction and is being begged for on bended knees by fools who have not learned from the past. This is a true insanity and a shame for Israel and its people. Sandra Steuer Cohen, Teaneck 'A fundamental role' We at AMIT greatly enjoyed reading the June 20 articles on Sderot. I would like to add the following, as I have personally visited Sderot many times and can attest to the fundamental role AMIT is playing in the life of this community and its children. AMIT, an educational network throughout Israel, has six schools in Sderot, with an enrollment of almost 2,000 students from kindergarten through high school. We are responsible for the education of all the children in Sderot who attend religious schools, and also administer the only secular high school in the city. Every school has a bomb shelter and additional concrete shelters have been erected in the school playgrounds. AMIT facilities have sustained damage from the kassam attacks; students have been seriously injured, and siblings and parents killed. Throughout the past several years, as Sderot has been under constant assault from kassam rockets from across the border with Gaza, AMIT has been a steady presence in the life of the city and its children. AMIT's principals and teachers in Sderot have been in regular contact, via both phone and by personal visits, with all parents and students. Psychologists have been helping students whenever necessary. Extra tutorials and study sessions have been added to help children keep up with their schoolwork under these difficult circumstances. Special activities, such as arts and crafts, have been organized to keep the younger children calm, and AMIT has organized bus trips for our students, as well as for our faculty and their families, to take them out of the city. AMIT is determined that the terrorists will not win - they will not deprive the children of Sderot of a quality education and the chance for a meaningful future. Should your readers wish to contribute to the well-being of the 2,000 children in the AMIT Network in Sderot, they may visit our Website at www.amitchildren.org or call (212) 477-4725. Francine Stein, President, AMIT, New York, N.Y. 'Near-term solution' Re: Offshore drilling plan faces opposition (June 27): The opponents of offshore drilling are using out-dated anecdotal information that shows a total lack of knowledge concerning the current methodology in use off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. Even Hurricane Katrina and other high category storms did not compromise platform integrity and cause oil leaks. Especially noteworthy was Rep. Steve Rothman's reference to "19th-century oil and gas exploration instead of investing in 21st-century technology." However, whereas "super cell" battery-driven cars (300 miles prior to recharge) might be in production within five years, followed by fuel cell vehicles some years later, does the honorable congressman really believe that most of us would be willing or able to just scrap our cars and go green? I don't think so. We also depend on petroleum for byproducts as well as for fuel. Sen. Frank Lautenberg cites the Exxon Valdez disaster. I respectfully suggest that he review the 1992 Amendment to the Jones Act, regarding the entry of single hull tankers into U.S. ports, as well as the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The Exxon Valdez was of single hull construction. Sen. Robert Menendez states that the "government has already leased 68 million acres to the oil companies but serious oil exploration is largely not being pursued." One would think that the good senator would have gone the extra mile and found out why not. We should have resolved our oil "problem" years ago. "NIMBY" will not do regarding oil platforms and refineries! If the price of oil continues on its present trend, expect the price to double within the next two years. Rep. Scott Garrett called for the development of "sound energy policies so as not to be dependent on foreign sources and unstable regimes." We've been hearing these words since President Carter was in office. Why doesn't Congress act now? Actually, the best near-term solution would be for our politicians and tax-paying public to go all-out for the expansion of light rail and "green" bus routes so that sooner, rather than later, the parking lots of shopping malls and businesses would become virtually empty. If not now, when? Irwin J. Kadin, Washington Township What have lawmakers done re foreign oil dependence? A June 27 article states our local legislators and Sen. Frank Lautenberg stand four-square against drilling for oil off the coast. I would like these legislators to tell us what they have done or proposed during their terms of office to make us less dependent on imported oil. Thanks to their inaction and that of the other legislators, we are vulnerable and somewhat helpless. I am as mad as hell, and I don't want to accept this calmly. Martin H. Gingold, Warwick, Pa. Scores Boteach I read Rabbi Boteach's "Disappearing babies, narcissism" (July 4) with horror. He knows nothing of the cycle of domestic violence. If he foolishly believes that a man with sisters won't abuse his wife, then he probably also believes that domestic violence isn't a Jewish problem. More often than not a man who abuses saw his father abuse his mother and probably his sisters. There is a very high rate of wife-abuse in the ultra-Orthodox community and why? Because not only have these men seen their own fathers act abusively, they are in households with six, seven, or eight children. While they spend their days studying, their wives spend their days caring for the children and trying to earn a living. The stress levels are so high the men react with the violence they learned as a child. It is an epidemic - not an only-child syndrome. Instead of suggesting television shows, Rabbi Boteach should start a not-for-profit program to help save these women. Children need love and attention. They know they are loved when their parents give them attention and acknowledge them. Although older siblings should occasionally assist with younger siblings, they shouldn't be caring for younger siblings on a daily basis. That is parenting. If parents can't do that, they should have fewer children. Not everyone meets their bashert while in their 20s. You should only get married when you are ready and meet the person who shares your goals and treats you with respect and love. Is it narcissistic to want a husband, best friend, and lover all wrapped in one? My husband and I spent at least $150,000 on fertility treatments to make our dream of having children come true. We suffered through four years of hell until we were blessed with the most amazing boy/girl twins, who will be our only children. I wasn't being narcissistic in my choices. I was being true to myself, my best friend. We all must be true to ourselves. If I am not for myself who will be for me? Does Rabbi Boteach know what it is like to go through the trials and tribulations of fertility treatments or the cost and stress of trying to adopt? Has he ever thought that maybe those with one or two children - or none - yearn for more but can't have them? Probably not, since his wife just had No. 9. He should put his money where his mouth is and pay for fertility treatments or adoption services for Jewish couples. Lorraine Breitman Eras, Teaneck Jewish Standard Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4462/1/Letters Blessings of a broken heart In Sherrie Mandel's play "The Blessings of a Broken Heart," shown at the JCC [last] Monday night, the actress Lisa Robins portrays Sherrie Mandel, whose son Kobi was brutally murdered in a terrorist attack seven years ago. Robins, the actress portraying Sherrie, shares also her own cry in the play, because she too (as she said in answer to a question after the play) "has so much to cry about." For me, that line sums up the message of the play. The truth is that no matter how fortunate we are, everybody has something to cry about. As a generation separated, just barely, from the horrors of the Holocaust, we can take a lesson from the Mandels and share our personal grief and sorrow rather than repress and go about our lives - the style adopted by our parents. Jewish Standard Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4437/1/LETTERS Says 'Jewess' in good company I found the June 13 article on the word "Jewess" both amusing and interesting, informing me of associations of which I had been completely unaware. The word has always intrigued me. When I came across it for the first time, as a child, it seemed quite impressive, perhaps reminding me of the words empress and princess. I never found it pejorative, just part of the "ess" series of words - tigress, huntress, seamstress, etc. It actually seemed to have something regal and special about it. The connection that particularly brought a smile to my face when reading the article, however, was remembering that when, in ninth grade, I was discussing with my aunt my studies of Greek and Roman mythology in my English class and mentioning the goddess Aphrodite, my aunt turned to me and in all seriousness and manner of impressing upon me our illustrious heritage, announced, "Aphrodite was a Jewess." Nancy Zwiebach, Englewood   Jewish Standard Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4416/1/LETTERS 'The Jews must fight back' Concerning Rabbi Epstein's May 30 Op-Ed article condemning the burning of the Christian bible in Israel, I should like to point him toward our Torah, our own Bible, in which the Jews are exhorted time and again to throw down the idolatrous altars of other nations in order to prevent the assimilation of the Jews into other religions. The command came from God Himself. If the Christians in Israel were to just keep their religion to themselves, without trying to convert the Jews, no one would have any objections to their worship, nor their Bible. But when they send forth missionaries who try to snare people, especially the young, and try to convert them to Christianity by devious means, then the Jews must fight back. One of the ways the ultra-Orthodox Jews have found is simply to destroy the… very books with which these missionaries try to snare the Jews. These missionaries pretend to be friends of the Jews when, in fact, they are enemies. Their bibles are used as weapons in the quest to erase Judaism. How can you condemn any Jew for fighting back with any means possible? [Rabbi Epstein] speaks as if all books are "holy." Books are holy only if they contain holy words. He says, "Imagine how any Jew could feel if non-Jews burned our sacred texts because they disagreed with them." May I point out that there is a huge distinction between disagreeing and trying to convert (subvert). Throughout history, Christians have indeed been burning our holy texts, but they did this because they wanted to eradicate Judaism, not because the Jews had tried to use our texts to convert anyone. As the rabbi surely knows, the Jews are not proselytizers. On the contrary, when someone says that he wants to become a Jew, he is at first discouraged by the rabbis and is told to consider well how difficult it is to practice Judaism. Only after returning three times and demonstrating [that he] really wants to convert to Judaism of his own free will is he permitted to study and become a Jew. I'm sorry to say that the good rabbi has matters slightly confused. Mimi Lief, Fair Lawn Jewish Standard Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4392/1/LETTERS Applauds article on suicide Thanks to Warren Boroson for his May 30 article on the bitter sadness of death by suicide and the pain of mental illness, particularly among Jews. I feel that our Judaic scholars are a little behind the times in analyzing the causes for suicide. It should be recognized as mental illness and not as an act of [destroying] one's body while in a rational state of mind. This stigma, and so many others, have caused us to hide its presence. The study at Johns Hopkins has been going on for some time, and there are those who do believe that mental illness may well be more prevalent among Jews. Jewish Standard Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4371/1/Letters 'The hearts of the American people are not racist' Re "Trying to get beyond racism" (Letters, May 23), America has clearly gone beyond racism. Today, our laws protect all minorities from discrimination and attempt to improve the situation of those who suffered from past discriminations. This is not to say that there are no racists in America. Our government cannot control what is in the hearts of people. One need only look at the popularity of Sen. Barack Obama to understand that the hearts of the American people are not racist. I believe that the vast majority of the American people will vote for or against Barack Obama because of his policies and not his race.   Jewish Standard Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4343/1/Letters Helping a local hero In your May 4 issue, you tell the story of Rutherford resident Nathan Nadler, who served as a crew member aboard the Exodus, a ship which brought Jewish refugees to Israel only to have the British navy send them back to Germany. In 1948 Nadler did all he could to help them reach what is now Israel. In the article you note that Nadler would like to attend a reunion of the crew members but can't because of the high cost. I think we should do all that we can to help Nadler join, at least once more, in gathering with those who were there to finally reach Israel. I would be honored to help him achieve this goal. I hope that the Jewish community will share in his determination to accomplish what he set out to do for his people and will help him in this endeavor. Leo Lowy, Hackensack Are vaccinations necessary? Your coverage of the vaccine issue by science correspondent Miriam Z. Wahrman was well done and comprehensive in serving and allaying the fears of those who have questioned the necessity and efficacy of vaccines. Modern medical authorities and decision makers, pharmaceutical companies, and field practitioners would all be out of business were it a parental decision whether or not a child should be vaccinated. More [often] than not, parents would not vaccinate. But whatever happened to informed consent and the right to object to mandatory vaccinations? Parents are intimidated and humiliated into vaccinating their child, against their will, and are threatened by numerous health officials across the board that their child will not be allowed in school. If we are to have any discussion with regard to vaccinations, we must include into this discussion the overbearing requirement on parents to [vaccinate their children] and include into health care the parent's right to decide. But this is only one side of the vaccination issue. The other side is the issue of science: biological, physiological, and epidemiological. Claims made by certain advocates of mass vaccination - as to their necessity, essentiality, and their efficacy in preventing a recurrence or new outbreak of diseases that are considered to have been "conquered" or "liquidated" - are exaggerated, skewed to serve the interest of the vaccine backers and their ideological adherents. Advocates tell you that which they want you to hear, what they feel the scientifiic mindset should be, and then claim that if you [oppose] it, you must be a "nut case." The truth of the matter is that a newborn has an immune system that is well able to maintain itself and to thrive. Infants, toddlers, and young children are some of healthiest members of society because of this vitality. Vaccinations compromise this vitality, in the short term and long term. But you wouldn't hear it from those we place such great faith in. A whole empire built on this medical dogma would come tumblin' down. David Subin, Englewood Olmert promises'the whole shop' Every day now, we wake up to the news of new Olmert concessions to the Arabs. He seems so very eager to have the Arabs accept his offers, he promises them the whole shop. All they have to do is nothing, and they are assured even more. To Syria he promises the entire Golan. To Abbas he promises 98 percent of Judea and Samaria (more than Ehud Barak offered Arafat in 2000). To Hamas he offers to cease from attacking them, no doubt in order to allow them more room to strengthen. Despite clear violations by Hezbollah of U.N. Resolution 1701, he allows them to continue to rearm unhindered and even gain control of the entire Lebanon. This, my friends, is truly mindboggling. Nothing can explain such stupidity. Can you? Jack Albalah, Fair Lawn A 'riposte' against strict constructionism Last week's letter from John Chiu, advocating strict constructionism from the United States Supreme Court, requires a riposte: A lifetime's study of American jurisprudence and 45 years of active practice of the law have convinced me that an "activist judge" is any jurist who has ruled against my client. A close study of Supreme Court decisions in recent years shows that the so-called "strict constructionists" currently occupying that bench are as assiduous in inventing rulings and torturing the law so as to favor corporate, law-and-order, and other similar "right-wing" interests and shamelessly politicizing the judicial process as in Bush v. Gore. (Otherwise, there would have been no objective reason to find a federal issue in what has been traditionally a states'-rights matter.) What the "rightists" refuse to admit is that in the struggle to find in the Constitution the "original intent" of its drafters and thus to limit the document's application, those drafters were descendants of Englishmen, were in many instances either practicing lawyers or legal scholars, and were steeped in the traditions of the English common law, under which courts had been making law for hundreds of years and under which law-making was not left exclusively to legislatures. They were wise enough to know that they could not craft principles which would forever be fixed in late 18th-century mores and that future generations would be obliged to find their own principles as times and conditions changed. It is respectfully submitted that the "original intent" that the Founding Fathers sought was in making the Constitution a living and breathing document, not something chiseled in stone. It was recognition of this concept that prompted Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (not known as a raving "liberal") famously to say, "The life of the law is experience, not logic." Arguments to the contrary miss the essence of our jurisprudence. Sanford Kluger, Englewood Cliffs   Jewish Standard Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4316/1/LETTERS Dangers of vaccinations Your cover story titled "Vaccines -Local doctors weigh in on controversy" struck me as one-sided although, in all fairness, perhaps your writer could not find any local doctors who held a differing opinion. However, Dr. Mayer Eisenstein (MD, JD, MPH) of Chicago has declared: ""We have a fairly large practice [4 separate offices employing 5 doctors]. We have about 30,000 or 35,000 children that we've taken care of over the years, and I don't think we have a single case of autism in children delivered by us who never received vaccines." The majority of those children have not been vaccinated (www.homefirst.com/autism_dan_olmstead.html). Dr. Eisenstein is the author of the book "Don't Vaccinate Until You Educate." Jewish Standard Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4284/1/LETTERS The conversion controversy The May 9 editorial "Rabbinic Ruthlessness" accuses Israel's Rabbinic Court of Appeals of creating a "shanda" by not "welcoming the convert" - an interpretation of that court's recent decision invalidating some conversions. I have no knowledge of the legal intricacies of the cases in question (and suspect that the editorial's writer is similarly unaware of those details). But one thing can be said with certitude: The imperative to "not oppress the convert" presupposes a conversion. It would be circular and absurd to understand it as some requirement to consider valid any claim to conversion. Jewish religious law, like every system of law, has standards. If the conversion ceremonies at issue did not meet halacha's standards, there were no conversions. Again, I am not taking a side on the case at hand. But commentary on the controversy is meaningless if it doesn't take as a given that conversions to Judaism cannot be effected by wishful thinking, or that "aliyah at a low level," in the editorialist's words, provides some sort of carte blanche to ignore halachic standards. What is more, the editorial is grossly in error to attribute the invalidation of the conversions at issue to some lack of "subsequent enforcement." The only grounds for invalidating a conversion are either evidence that the neophyte was not sincere at the time of the ceremony, or evidence that the presiding court did not meet halachic judicial standards. And finally, nothing in the controversy remotely implies that non-observant Jews are "not worthy of being Jewish." A person born to a Jewish mother or halachically converted (even if later lapsed) is a Jew forever. Even though a person born in our country is an automatic citizen, no matter his behavior, an immigrant seeking citizenship must meet certain criteria of good citizenship. Similarly, while one can be a Jew by birth, to become one by choice entails meeting certain incontrovertible standards. As it happens, treating halacha cavalierly will only ensure that converts will be viewed with suspicion by halacha-respecting Jews. In the end, only hewing to the standards of Jewish law will ensure that the converts among us will be seen as the courageous, dedicated and beloved Jews they are. Rabbi Avi Shafran, Director of Public Affairs, Agudath, Israel of America, New York, N.Y. The editors respond: To the best of our understanding - and after consulting with several Orthodox rabbis who did a careful reading of the decision - the original conversions were indisputably halachic, and performed by a rabbi of high repute. Therefore, it is disingenuous to say that opposition to this decision is tantamount to ignoring halachic standards. Virtually all commentators agree that the subtext of the ruling was the court's unhappiness with what it considers the "leniency" of Rabbi Chaim Druckman, the rabbi whose conversions have been questioned. And that leniency would appear to be based on his willingness to accept the sincerity of potential converts as regards their future level of observance - something that appears to be common rabbinic practice. Rave review I would like to recommend that everyone see the documentary "Constantine's Sword," which was reviewed in the Standard on April 18. It is an important film and one not to be missed. You will come away discussing this movie for days. The documentary shows James Carroll at his best. It is moving, fascinating, and exceptional. I also highly recommend his book by the same title. James Carroll is truly a gifted writer. It is a story as only he can tell it. Don't miss it! Grace Jacobs, Cliffside Park Virtual solution to real problem Would virtual Hebrew school in a Facebook-style format solve the debate about curtailing after-school activities for Hebrew school or curtailing Hebrew School for sports and other after school activities? It would allow students full access to needed hours of Hebrew studies, at the hours teens are at their best - late at night! Great lectures could be taught by the best professors and archived. Students might just skip the mall to see if that cute boy who is so good at Talmudic Law is logged on tonight. Best of all, students might study more if they knew their photos would be attached to their responses! Jewish Standard Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4256/1/LETTERS 'Wright is not very wrong' I happen to be Caucasian of Jewish descent and by faith an atheist. However, I know enough about foreign, national, state, and local policies toward blacks and Jews to see that what the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is saying rings a whole lot of truth. Jews have suffered under the oppressive boots of a German government that went about murdering them with impunity. Similarly, the United States carried on a massive slave trade until people had enough of it. Yet while Jews in this country have thrived, blacks in this country have not fared very well. Why? Because blacks - and women - have not been given a fair chance. In the real world, blacks and women with the same educational background as white males will be denied the job, the apartment, the house, because of pervasive racist attitudes. Please do not tell me it is not so, because it is still practiced. How many black families live in the West Englewood section of Teaneck? So when this reverend talks about the racists in white America, I agree wholeheartedly. Jewish Standard Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4220/1/letters More on the Sarajevo Haggadah Re: "Sarajevo Hagaddah reprint debuts" (April 25), your readers will be interested to learn that more than 50 years ago, Dervish and Sesvet Korkut, a Muslim couple living in Nazi occupied Sarajevo, in Yugoslavia, risked their own lives to hide several Jews in their home. The favor was returned when their daughter, Lamija Jaha, and her husband, Vikaznim, were among the Muslim refugees from the war-torn Yugoslav province of Kosovo who were offered asylum by the State of Israel. Jewish Standard Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4192/1/LETTERS 'Message not sufficiently clear' Your readers may have heard about the recent horrible incident in which a Los Angeles philanthropist, Daphna Ziman, in the midst of being honored by an African American fraternity, was publicly reduced to tears by the keynote address of the Rev. Eric Lee. Ziman said, in a widely distributed e-mail, that after a harangue about Jews "economically enslaving us," Lee "continued as to how now the salvation has come and the gates have open [sic] for African Americans to come together behind Barack Obama, because now is the time to show them (meaning the Jews)." Jewish Standard Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4166/1/LETTERS 'What is good for Israel' Increasingly, friends tell me that their decision in voting for candidates rests on which candidate's policies are most likely to be good for Israel and for the Jews. It is reasonable for caring Jews to be concerned about that question. By that calculus, some Jews believe that President Bush has been the best president yet for Israel; that feeling is probably based on Israel's support for the Iraq war and Bush's reluctance to negotiate with terrorists. But the Bush administration has given us an ill-conceived and poorly executed war of choice, neglect of climate change, curtailed civil liberties, a sinking economy, and infinitely less regard from the nations of the world. The Bush doctrine for spreading democracy has resulted in democratic elections in Lebanon that brought Hezbollah into the government and democratic elections in the Palestinian Authority that brought Hamas into power. Can that have been good for Israel? Jewish Standard Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4138/1/Letters Temple Emanuel responds to letter The lay leadership of Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley elected one year ago to reduce the number of days of formal classroom instruction for fourth- and fifth-graders in the religious school program. This change occurred in response to the needs of our community and was implemented last September. It was a conscious decision effected to attract and retain parents and students who were considering other alternatives, including forgoing any formal Jewish education. It was not our intention to detract from the quality education we provide at a program recognized as a Framework for Excellence School. This decision to reduce the classroom component of learning was taken in concert with an effort to increase dramatically the educational alternatives offered outside of the classroom. These opportunities seek to engage students in a different fashion: to choose alternative venues to generate interest and excite children already overloaded with didactics and information. This change also provides a chance to involve students and their parents together in the pursuit of intergenerational study. We have the benefit of an energetic religious leadership and a school staff who pursue creative and imaginative methods of teaching in innovative settings. Anyone who has had the privilege of attending and participating in an educational event at our synagogue may attest to this fact. Jewish Standard Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4112/1/Letters 'A wonderful Yiddish evening' "Di Ksube" is the mainstage presentation for The National Yiddish Theater/Folksbiene, our major outreach effort for this season. It runs only until April 6. Some people may think that as a board member I am partial to our performances, no matter what, but that is simply not the case. I am one of our harshest critics. When I don't like something, I let the board and the staff know it. That's why I was shocked, absolutely shocked, to read Miriam Rinn's review of the play. ... Jewish Standard Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4078/1/Letters In support of blue laws As an Orthodox Jew living in Bergen County, I have never had a problem with the Sunday blue laws. I accept the Sabbath, with its time limitations, and work around it. For shopping, you can go late Saturday evening or early on Friday, depending on the season. There is also the Internet for a lot of shopping. It's not as if no stores at all are open in Teaneck on a Sunday. As it is, the parking situation is very difficult in the Cedar Lane area, and often I don't bother to go there for that reason. What would be accomplished for the quality of life by taking out the Sunday blue laws and also by bringing in national chains? Horrible traffic, congestion, accidents, crime, and more stress for the locals, for starters. Jewish Standard Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4049/1/letters Says Spitzer case should lead to 'soul-searching' Rabbi Michel Lerner is one of a very few (including Alan Dershowitz) who are presenting a quasi-defense of Eliot Spitzer's reckless philandering (March 14). Regardless of the moral turpitude Lerner claims is rampant and the foibles and failings of our leaders and politicians, the media and corporations, it is still Jewish law to be faithful in marriage. Jewish Standard Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/4018/1/Letters Bald is beautiful To celebrate my 24th birthday and honor the memory of a childhood friend, I have elected to join 19 of my friends in D.C. to shave our heads to show our solidarity with the kids who lose their hair from cancer treatments. On Saturday night, March 15, we will raise more than $30,000 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a volunteer-driven fund-raising organization for pediatric cancer care and research. Jewish Standard Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3981/1/LETTERS For the record You recently published a story about The Frisch School based on a news release sent by the Middle States Association of Secondary Schools. The headline of the news release was: "Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Welcomes The Frisch School as a Newly Accredited School." In fact, The Frisch School has been fully accredited through Middle States since 1992 and was re-accredited last fall. Although the balance of the facts about accreditation as reported in the story are correct, the news release sent by Middle States failed to distinguish The Frisch School as an institution that completed the rigorous re-accreditation process. Middle States accreditation supports and enhances the educational experience at The Frisch School, a unique educational institution of Bergen County, which promotes the values and study of the Judaic heritage. Jewish Standard Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3951/1/LETTERS Jews and colon cancer March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. While most Jews are aware of the genetically inherited diseases that affect our community, such as Tay-Sachs, few are aware of the increased risk posed by colon cancer to Ashkenasi Jews. While the average American has a 6 percent risk of developing colon cancer, this statistic is just a starting point for Jews. Jewish Standard Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3926/1/Letters Disputes editorial on candidate criteria Do you suffer from memory loss? What were you thinking when you said Israel should not be the deciding factor? Israel should be the only factor. Have you forgotten about the passenger ship St. Louis, with its 937 passengers (mostly Jews) that President Roosevelt refused entry in 1939, sending it back to Nazi Europe? Need I tell you what happened to most of them? This never would have happened had Israel existed. Where are you going to run to if a similar Holocaust should happen here in America? Oh please don't tell me it could never happen here. I'll just reply that you're being naïve. Howard S. Rubenstein, Oakland Jewish Standard Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3891/1/letters Debatable: Boteach vs. Hitchens I recently attended the debate between Rabbi Shmuely Boteach and Christopher Hitchens at the 92d St. Y on the subject of the existence of God, and was generally disappointed with the outcome. Jewish Standard Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3853/1/Letters 'There are other choices' Rabbi Boteach suggests, reasonably, that the expression of unconditional love is necessary in raising our sons (Jan. 11). However, in his examples, he limits our choices to two extremes. He is asked whether a father should lie to his son and tell him his sports performance was great or tell him the truth: "You were awful." He chooses undeserved praise, thus underestimating his son's intelligence. The Rabbi's friend chooses summary criticism: "You were awful and need to work harder." There are other choices. It is unlikely our children are going to be entirely great or awful. Jewish Standard Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3748/1/letters Says Israel has an obligation to Pollard Re: "Offficial: Swap Pollard for prisoners," Jan. 11. I have no special love for Jonathan Pollard (and his naïveté). But I believe that Israel is morally obligated to devise a sophisticated approach to free Pollard from a life sentence behind bars in the United States. The fundamental question in the Pollard affair is: Who is the true guilty party, Pollard or the Israeli intelligence services? Jewish Standard Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3711/1/LETTERS 'A much different place' Jonathan Tobin ponders (Dec. 28) what President Gore and Vice President Joe Lieberman "would have done differently from Bush-Cheney in the aftermath of 9-11, had they been the ones rushed to 'secure locations.'" Enough already! The world would be a much different place today had the U.S. Supreme Court not stopped the Florida recount on Dec. 12, 2000. I firmly believe that the Gore-Lieberman team would have actually listened in June 2001 when Richard Clarke, national security adviser, called for a "principals meeting" with the full cabinet to discuss the imminent threat of an Al Qaeda attack on U.S. soil. In January of that year, when the Clinton and Bush transition teams met to turn over control of the government, George Tenet, CIA director, was asked by Bush what the number one threat to America was. His response, as he testified at the 9-11 hearings was "Al Qaeda…. [T]he threat is tremendous and immediate." Hard to misinterpret or ignore those chilling words, yet that is exactly what Bush-Cheney decided to do. When Clarke was running around all summer in 2001 with "his hair on fire" about the looming threat, they ignored him. When Bush was handed the Presidential Daily Briefing on Aug. 6, 2001, and number 11 on the list of potential Al Qaeda attack methods was "using hijacked American airliners as missiles into major buildings within the United States," he ignored it. No tightening of security at airports, no reinforcing cockpit doors, no security briefings with the FAA, no discussion with the Strategic Air Command. No analysis, no plans, no actions. Nothing. The rest, as they say, is history. Jewish Standard Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3691/1/Letters Department of Amplification Several points that Eric Goldman made in his Dec. 21 cover story were incorrect, including the fact that Darryl F. Zanuck was "the only non-Jewish production head." What about Walt Disney - not only the head of his own studio but also the final word as to what would be produced. He not only was not Jewish but also, reportedly, was anti-Semitic. Also, when discussing "Gentleman's Agreement," the author misidentified one of the stars - it was not Dorothy Malone who was in the film but Dorothy McGuire. Jewish Standard Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3658/1/LETTERS Thanks volunteers I'd like to extend a heartfelt "thank you" to the hundreds of generous people - individuals, families, community and faith-based organizations, and companies - who reached out to help others through the Volunteer Center's "All Wrapped Up" holiday giving program just completed. The Volunteer Center received this fall requests from scores of agencies to help more than 800 families and 1,000 individuals (mostly children, seniors, and people with disabilities) during the holiday season. In response 865 willing donors and groups from the community stepped forward to "adopt" those in need, fulfilling specific gift requests or providing much needed and appreciated gift cards for groceries and discount department stores. Jewish Standard Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3632/1/Letters Neighbor responds to letter from shul Imagine our feelings upon learning that we had been characterized by the Fair Lawn Jewish Center as bad neighbors in a Dec. 14 letter in The Jewish Standard. The letter was in response to an article covering the center's appeal of a Fair Lawn Zoning Board ruling requiring it to stop renting its gymnasium to an external competitive basketball league. As longtime supporters of the center, we were particularly taken aback by the characterizations of the letter. My wife's family has been members and neighbors of the center for over 50 years. We were married there. Our daughter was named there. My wife had her adult bat mitzvah there. We were members for 12 years, I served on the ritual committee, and we continue to have dear friends that are members. We have resided directly across from the center for 25 years and consistently supported the synagogue as neighbors. We have opened our home (and bathroom) to nursery school children and teachers when fire alarms forced them outside. We have always said yes when asked to help make a minyan even in the midst of blizzards. We have hosted shomer Shabbat guests of the center. We have never complained about the traffic, noise, illegal parking, and trash that we accept as inherent in the operation of the center's services and programs. We did attempt to address the noise emanating from the gymnasium since the center began renting to the basketball league. While the decibel level may be within town ordinances, we requested a solution to prevent our home from being filled with the sounds typically associated with a sports arena multiple hours a day, most days of the week. Accordingly, we did suggest that a possible solution would be to replace the gymnasium's 1950s vintage casement windows with masonry that would both be consistent with the external look of the rest of the building and block the noise. To our knowledge this was the first and only suggestion offered to address the noise problem. We didn't expect a sincere suggestion to be met with the mockery in the center's letter. Fair Lawn is a town in which neighbors are separated by feet not acres. It is not unusual for neighbors to request changes to activities and property in consideration of their impact on one another. In my experience, our neighborhood has typically lived by the Jewish values I learned as "Do unto others" and "Shalom Bayit" rather than the limits of town ordinances. I remain hopeful that representatives of the center will step forward and do the same here. Jeffrey Zonenshine, Fair Lawn Jewish Standard Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3601/1/Letters Responds to editorial I read your editorial "Of blood and bombs" on Dec. 7, the day Japan launched a pre-emptive strike against the United States at Pearl Harbor. During the war, Japan engaged in death marches, murder, kamikaze attacks, starvation and mistreatment of POWs, and torture. On the Pacific islands, Japan's soldiers fought to their deaths even when there was no possibility of victory. Yet you criticize our use of the atomic bomb against Japan. You suggest "a demonstration would have done the job." The first bomb should have served as the demonstration but the rulers of Japan refused to surrender. A second bomb was necessary. The rulers of Japan had no concern for the lives of their own people. Jewish Standard Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3572/1/LETTERS Says state should divest from Iran As we celebrate Chanukah, I write to urge all of the readers of The Jewish Standard to call Sen. Richard Codey's office at (973) 731-6770. Urge him to post the Iran divestment bill for a full Senate vote now! The bill has passed the Assembly and been voted out of two senate committees. Now it is up to Sen. Codey to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Senate Bill No. 2615 would prohibit the investment of N.J. public employee retirement system funds in any company that has a tie to the government of Iran or is engaged in business operations with entities involved in Iran's defense, nuclear, natural gas, or petroleum sectors. The treasury would have three years following enactment to divest. Jewish Standard Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3535/1/Letters Good to know The Gerrard Berman Day School, Solomon Schechter of North Jersey has an extensive health and hygiene curriculum that teaches students, among other things, the importance of hand-washing and sanitary behavior. Since the recent MRSA scare, we have increased our diligence in ensuring that students and faculty wash their hands frequently, including the use of sanitizer gel after recess and before lunch. We have also become extremely diligent about wound care, making sure that all cuts are cleaned and covered. Like the day schools profiled in your Nov. 23 cover story, we are concerned about this important health issue. We are working with our faculty and parents to ensure that GBDS is a safe and healthy environment for our students. Jewish Standard Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3509/1/Letters SINAI shares nachas, thanks hosts I would like to share some nachas by describing a recent event that highlights an important element of the SINAI School's educational model: Mainstreaming. As you know, SINAI recently celebrated its 25th anniversary of commitment to excellence in Jewish special education. SINAI operates elementary and high schools within "host" schools throughout northern New Jersey. In addition, SINAI serves as a resource to the entire community, in that most or all of the Jewish day schools throughout the community refer children to SINAI and consult with us on special education matters, whether or not we are hosted within that particular school. Jewish Standard Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3469/1/LETTERS Calendar coincidence? Abbas and the Palestinians want a deadline for final negotiations to be concluded by August 2008, the date of the Republican national convention. In other words, Abbas wants the deal set in stone while Bush and Condi Rice are still around to lean on Israel to muscle it through, before a new GOP nominee is chosen who might just end up being a strongly pro-Israel candidate like Rudy Giuliani who sees little value for the United States or for peace in the region in creating a second Arab Palestinian state unless the Palestinians fully comply with the requirements of both Oslo and the first phase of the Road Map first. Originally, the United States had said that neither it nor Israel would commit to this kind of deadline, but the Americans became more flexible when Abbas threatened not to appear at all. Jack Albalah, Fair Lawn Jewish Standard Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3433/1/LETTERS Better than beer I think the Oyhoo Festival, which you featured Oct. 19, is doing wonderful things for Jewish music through its diversity of performers and musical styles. I also consider Frank London an accomplished musician, an innovator, and certainly someone who is at the forefront of Jewish music today. That is why I found his statement at the end of this article offensive: "A good for the Jews show recreates some of the feelings of being in synagogue - you're among your people, you're asking questions, and examining your identity. But you're doing that when you're drinking beer, so, in fact, it's better than synagogue." Jewish Standard Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:00:00 MST http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3401/1/Letters 'This war will not be won by the military' Four years ago, when President George W. Bush told us that Iraq was preparing nuclear chemical and biological weapons to attack our country and our allies, I believed him. When his Vice President Dick Cheney corroborated the president, I believed him. When the secretary of the army, Donald Rumsfeld, verified all of the above, I believed him. And most important, when General and Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke at the United Nations and showed the world a photo of a trailer that he said was proof of chemical and biological experimentation, I certainly believed him, too. And if I had been a member of Congress at that time, I most certainly would have voted to go to war to save the world from disaster. Jewish Standard Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3381/1/At-160%2C-Barnert-looks--forward-and-back Cipora Schwartz holds her new book on the history of Barnert Temple.Photo by Timothy O. Schwartz American religious freedom enabled everyone in this country to worship - or not worship," says Cipora O. Schwartz, author of the new book "An American Jewish Odyssey: American Religious Freedom and the Nathan Barnert Temple" (Ktav Publishing House). "I'm just using Barnert as an example of the trajectory taken by one group of people." The book, which took the long-time congregant eight years to write, was published in honor of the temple's 160th anniversary this year. Barnert, which is Reform, is the oldest Jewish congregation in the state, founded in Paterson in 1847. It will celebrate the anniversary at a special commemorative Shabbat on Friday, Nov. 9. Schwartz, whose late husband's family came to Paterson in 1892, will sign books during the evening, which will also include a cocktail reception with hors d'oeuvres at 6 p.m. and an oneg Shabbat following the service at 8 p.m. Abigail Schade Gary Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3373/1/Letters 'What message was sent?' Rafael Medoff's Sept. 28 op-ed piece about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Columbia University was very intriguing. According to Medoff, Columbia University, among other American institutions of higher education, has a history of inviting ministers of hate going back to the 1930s and Hitler's Nazi regime. I'm not surprised. Many prestigious American universities had skewed politics and priorities during the 1930s and 1940s. I highly recommend reading the powerful scholarship of Dr. Paul Stortz (University of Calgary, faculty of communication and culture), primarily focused on the challenges many European Jewish academic refugees faced trying to find work at American universities. They failed, and eventually found safe haven in Canadian universities. Dr. Stortz's work mirrors many stories of Jews having to pursue their various levels of higher education and profession in Canada because of quotas at American universities. Jewish Standard Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3337/1/letters 'Striving to be all we can be' In discussions about religion, I am very passionate about mine. I love Judaism for many reasons, one of which is that it allows for so many ways of being Jewish - not short cuts, not easy ways, but different ways. I am proud to be a Reform Jew, my family going back to the very foundations of the movement. While I find this branch of Judaism the right one for me, I respect and feel a deep bond with those whose practice is different from mine. We are all Jews. I am also proud to be president of the YJCC of Bergen County, an organization with deep roots in our community and with a strong sense of who we are as a Jewish agency. In fact, some years ago, we changed our name from the YM-YWHA to the YJCC, reflecting a desire to be recognized for what we were and are, a Jewish community center. Our mission statement includes such phrases as "Jewish peoplehood," "Jewish learning and living," "Jewish pluralism," "Jewish identity," "embracing our heritage," to mention just a few pieces of the whole document. Jewish Standard Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3307/1/LETTERS 'Our job is not complete' In the Sept. 14 editorial, you asked your readers to tell you their thoughts about Iraq. Here are my thoughts. You devoted the major part of your editorial quoting Vice President Cheney from a 1994 interview. I am e-mailing you some quotes of more recent vintage from leading Democrats. I only include quotes by President Clinton and Sen. Clinton in this letter. "One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." President Clinton, (D) Feb. 4, 1998 Jewish Standard Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3270/1/letters 'Bollinger should have been lauded' Not one of us was pleased that Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got a prized opportunity to speak from the podium of an honorable American university. Not one of us welcomes his message or believes his sugary "Iran is peaceful" message. Frankly, I wish he hadn't been invited to speak there, but he was. It was Columbia's right to invite him and Columbia's rationale of promoting open debate is legitimate, even if, in this instance, it was poor judgment. So I support The Jewish Standard's contempt for the speech (Editorial, Sept. 28) but I cannot agree with your arguments or condone your criticism of Columbia President Lee Bollinger. In particular, I cannot agree with the editorial's implication that Bollinger should have had Columbia ban Ahmadinejad. Jewish Standard Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3240/1/letters Says servicemen and woman not mercenaries In response to Irving Gall's Sept. 14 letter, my son is not a mercenary! Neither are the thousands of men and women who serve this nation in the armed forces. He is a member of the U.S. Army who helps provide, among other benefits, for the assurance that the writer of a letter to The Jewish Standard could express his defamatory remarks free of retribution. In many other countries he would be incarcerated for his abusive views. In no line of work would an individual be degraded for accepting advantages to encourage him to pursue the particular job, such as college tuition and medical and dental benefits including vast sums of money. The writer himself most likely can boast enjoying many of the same. Yet he calls the American servicemen and women of the armed forces mercenaries. A brief visit to a dictionary would acquaint him with the meaning of the word mercenary, one that "serves merely for wages." So many of our American forces have motives for serving our country apparently not appreciated by the Sept. 14 writer. Surely the 4,000 dead and 100,000 wounded he falsely equates with mercenaries deserve our respect. If, as the writer says, the president's and vice president's legacy should be to "finish the war they started", should we not examine our own collective legacy to honor all those who volunteer to serve America, in contrast with the letter of Sept. 14 degrading our military? Irving Seidenberg, Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. Jewish Standard Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3204/1/LETTERS Arab lobby dwarfs pro-Israel groups With reference to the Sept. 14 Ron Kampeas interview of Profs. Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, authors of a paper about the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby and its reportedly major influence on U.S. foreign policy, the authors of this admittedly one-sided paper neglect other, much more powerful lobbies, notably the various Arab-sponsored organizations. Their dominant position as exporters of energy and importers of military supplies - from advanced jet aircraft to sophisticated computer technology - not to mention their multimillion-dollar donations to premier academic institutions, such as Harvard and Washington University, dwarf any AIPAC operations. Jewish Standard Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3176/1/Letters 'A sustainable path' Rosh HaShanah reminds us of God's creation of the world. Hence, it is an excellent time to consider the planet's environment and steps toward shifting the world to a sustainable path. When God created the world, He was able to say, "It is very good" (Genesis 1:31). Everything was in harmony as God had planned, the waters were clean, and the air was pure. But what must God think about the world today, when, for example, the rain He provided to nourish our crops is often acid rain, species of plants and animals are rapidly becoming extinct, and the climatic conditions that He designed to meet our needs are threatened by global warming? Jews are mandated to be shomrei adamah (guardians of the earth) (Genesis 2:15). Hence, it is essential that Jews take an active role in applying our eternal, sacred values in struggles to move our imperiled planet to a sustainable path. So at the start of a new year, we should seek to reduce our environmental impact by, for example, using recycled paper, eating less meat, driving our cars less and using more fuel-efficient light bulbs and similar items. The fate of humanity and of God's creation is at stake. Richard H. Schwartz, President, Jewish Vegetarians of North America and Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians, Staten Island, N.Y. Jewish Standard Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3146/1/LETTERS Re: 'Nutty professors' Profs. John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt (University of Chicago and Harvard's Kennedy School, respectively) continue to profess a blatantly pro-Palestinian point of view in the guise of so-called objective scholarship. During the course of the recent hostilities with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Mearsheimer appeared at a Arab-American Group in Washington that was on C-Span, and alleged that the Hezbollah incursion was a part of an Israeli war plan to entrap Hezbollah into war. In reality, we know that it was Hezbollah that was well prepared for battle with advanced weaponry (supplied by Iran) that allowed them to fire off thousands of pre-positioned missiles and battle the Israel Defense Forces to a virtual stalemate.     Jewish Standard Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3119/1/Letters 'The powerful competing moralities' Rabbi Shammai Engelmayer suggests (Aug. 24) that Jewish leaders have dealt dishonestly on the issue of the Armenian genocide. Yet he fails to fully explain the powerful competing moralities that have long defined this issue for major American Jewish organizations and, especially, for the Anti-Defamation League. In all the years we have been dealing with the issue we never denied the Armenian genocide. Indeed, whenever we met with Turkish officials, we pressed them to come to grips with the past. We referred to what befell the Armenians as massacres and atrocities. We just never ourselves used the word genocide. When an organization such as ADL weighs in on issues affecting Jewish communities in any country outside the United States, we take into account the concerns of and the potential impact our actions might have on those communities. Attention to such concerns may be particularly difficult when they may conflict with other major principles of the organization. Such was the matter in the case of the Armenian genocide. We have attempted to put the onus on the Turks. This was our approach to a difficult dilemma. It is fair to disagree with this approach and, clearly, as events unfolded over recent weeks, many did. But at least there is a need to recognize that ADL was struggling to find a way between competing moral principles. With criticism mounting and growing internal disunity within the community, we decided that this approach would not hold. We reaffirmed our longstanding position that the disputes raised by the shared history of Armenians and Turks could be resolved only by the parties themselves and, at the same time, we issued a statement indicating that we would now use the term genocide. This, however, does not end the story. The complexities of these issues will likely continue to play out. It is still our hope that conditions will develop in which the Turks will find a way to deal with their past and together with Armenia reach an end to this decades-old controversy. Abraham H. FoxmanNational DirectorAnti-Defamation LeagueNew York, N.Y. Against sale of JNF land to Arabs The reign of terror that has been unleashed against Israel and the whole Western World has its origins in the people that teach this hatred, this terror. And they can be found in the Arab schools and in the Arab mosques. These leaders preach violence and fanatic hatred of all those who do not belong to their particular group. Several years ago, Bob Simon, the investigative reporter, went to a school for young children in the Gaza Strip. He videotaped what he saw there and had Arab-speaking people translate what the teacher said to her little students. It was an eye-opener. She said, "The bad Israelis came and they stole our country away from us and you, children, have to grow up big and strong and you have to take the country again away from the bad Israelis." And these very cute little 5- and 6-year-olds chimed in their consent. Is it any wonder then that you could find little children dressing up like suicide bombers and practicing shooting, some with real guns? Is it any wonder that young men become fired up with hatred of the Israelis and now also of others they consider their "enemies" and they are brain-washed to believe that their god, Allah, wants them to sacrifice themselves in suicide bombing in order to kill as many as they can? What we should be doing is to go into those schools and those mosques and monitor what they are preaching and forbid the incitement to commit murder. But now we have such as Larry Garber, writing in the Aug. 10 oped page of the Standard lauding the permission of the Israelis to allow an Arabic textbook to describe the establishment of the State of Israel as the "nakba," i.e. the "catastrophe" and decrying the objections of others who recognize this as anti-Israel hate propaganda. Mr. Garber also objects to Jewish National Fund land being used solely for Jewish land-buyers; he would like to see that right extended to the Arabs. Well, I would like to tell him that I and my family have been contributing our hard-earned money to JNF for many decades because we wanted the Jews to settle Israeli land. The money was never intended for Arabs. Mr. Garber is trying so hard to be "fair" to everyone that he forgets to be fair to his own people. With self-hating Jews like him, who needs enemies? Mimi Lief, Fair Lawn Against selling to Saudis The last thing the Middle East needs is a new round of arms sales. The administration proposes to sell more than $20 billion of weaponry to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states. Iran is a textbook case of how badly awry such arms deals can go in a volatile region like the Mideast. During the reign of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Tehran bought large stocks of U.S. weapons, only to have them fall into the hands of the ayatollahs after the 1979 revolution that overthrew the shah. Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia's role in Iraq has been anything but helpful. It promotes a particularly militant form of Sunni fundamentalism, which has helped make Saudi Arabia the source of many suicide bombers in Iraq, as it was for most of the Sept. 11 terrorists. Saudi Arabia has also failed to commit to joining the peace conference planned by the Bush administration for this fall to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To reward such uncooperative behavior by selling the Saudis billions of dollars worth of U.S. arms can only encourage other nations to follow their own agendas and ignore U.S. goals. Jack Albalah, Fair Lawn Jewish Standard Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3092/1/letters Make the intermarried welcome I write to speak in direct opposition to Rabbi Avi Shafran's "Welcoming intermarried couples lowers the gravity of intermarriage" Aug. 3 op-ed piece. I believe that welcoming Intermarried couples into our congregations and encouraging them to raise their children as Jews is both the moral and strategic choice for those of us who believe that the survival of Judaism is a valued goal. Moreover, the welcoming of interfaith couples into the community by the Reform movement and other groups within the Jewish community has not resulted in any increase in the intermarriage rate. There a plethora of studies to back up my statement. Jewish Standard Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3063/1/LETTERS Response to the Claims Conference Hillary Kessler-Godin writes (Aug. 10) that "[t]he Claims Conference acted quickly and decisively to assist Nazi victims in northern Israel in 2006 after the war with hezbollah, not as portrayed" in our July 20 op-ed piece. Roman Kent, the treasurer of the Claims Conference was our source. There was a huge controversy after he tried to send a letter to the Claims Conference board asking for an immediate allocation of $10 million - which the executive refused to distribute to the board. Then Julius Berman issued a letter saying the conference would distribute $1 million, one-10th of the requested amount. Finally, the conference sent $1 million, and when people continued protesting, it sent more money. But our source says he "was fought tooth and nail at each and every turn." Jewish Standard Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/3031/1/letters Sounding off on band article We read with interest the July 20 article titled "Local band turns down the volume." We are happy that in addition to our efforts here at Neshoma Orchestra with regard to these matters, other bands are beginning to address the question of volume on the bandstand.We would also like to point out some misinformation contained within the article that wrongly characterizes the brief relationship between Ari Greene and Neshoma Orchestra. In giving everyone involved the benefit of the doubt, it's helpful to note that Ari Greene did not perform at weddings with our orchestra and he was never in our employ as a performing musician. He did work with us for a short time as a salesman, and we can characterize that relationship as mutually beneficial. Your article gives the impression, indeed states, that Ari Greene "played with Neshoma for an extended period." This is misleading and false. On another note, we thank you for bringing to light important topics that affect our industry. Elly Zomick, Neshoma Orchestra,Cedarhurst, N.Y.     Jewish Standard Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2996/1/Letters Expands on certification of produce In a July 13 letter, Steven D. Starkman raised some concerns about possible ramifications of kosher certification of coatings on fresh produce (to the retail consumer, certification on coatings means seeing an OU sticker on selected produce). Because the OU's position is that fruit without certification is also acceptable, Mr. Starkman felt that certified produce represents a "phony kashrus standard" and that choosing to eat certified fruit "does not add to one's level of observance." Jewish Standard Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2971/1/LETTERS In support of theory of evolution I can only shake my head sadly in response to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's July 6 column "The scientific fundamentalist." The reason Dr. Dawkins was so upset with Rabbi Boteach was that the rabbi demonstrated ignorance. It is difficult to have a rational argument with someone who eschews reality. How rational would he have been if Dr. Dawkins had been referring to "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion"? When Rabbi Boteach says that evolution is only a "theory," he shows he doesn't understand the meaning of the word when used by a scientist. A theory is descriptive, predictive, and analytical. Jewish Standard Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2943/1/LETTERS Seeking testimony about Wallenberg We would like to inform you about our latest project, entitled "Documenting Wallenberg: An Archive of Testimonials," for which we have been meeting with Holocaust survivors who were affected by the courageous efforts of Raoul Wallenberg and videotaping their testimonies in an interview setting with the aim of preserving their stories for future generations. Jewish Standard Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2916/1/Letters O.U. must be kidding me Are we supposed to go along with this? The June 22 FYI, "Kosher fruit: The pits?" had me flabbergasted. As if it weren't difficult enough and expensive enough to be an observant Jew, along comes the Orthodox Union and initiates yet another obstacle to keeping kosher. As he freely admits, Rabbi Leonard Steinberg of the O.U. notes that even if you don't know the source of the wax that coats many fruits, the fruit is acceptable to all kosher consumers. So why bother putting an O.U. on fruit to begin with? To turn it into "glatt kosher" fruit? I have seen the O.U.'s symbol on such mundane items as bottled water. One has to wonder what the organization's true motivation is. Jewish Standard Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2889/1/Letters 'They mean what they say' Iran and its client state Syria have a strategic vision for the Middle East. They wish to take over Lebanon. They wish to destroy Israel. They wish to defeat the United States in Iraq. They wish to drive the U.S. and NATO from Afghanistan. They wish to dominate the region by driving the rest of the Arab world to its jihad-supporting knees. Then they wish to apply their vision to the rest of the world. Negotiation will not offer any reprieve from Iran and partner Syria. They mean what they say. When will the Western democracies believe it and take measures to silence these terrorist governments? Jack Albalah, Fair Lawn Jewish Standard Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2858/1/Letters Objects to term I appreciate the efforts The Jewish Standard makes to cover Jewish news responsibly. I was deeply dismayed, therefore, when, in an article on the Teaneck Jewish Center's efforts to move toward more traditional practice, your writer used the epithet "Conservadox" in reference to the Union for Traditional Judaism. I have received calls and notes from members of both the UTJ and affiliated shuls expressing shock at this insensitive and insulting term, which implies that we have no clearly definable stance within the Jewish religious spectrum. In fact, we have staked out a very precise position on the full range of ideological issues (see "Principles" on our Web site: http://www.utj.org/). The UTJ was born over 20 years ago. Our membership today is primarily laypeople and rabbis long affiliated with Orthodoxy. Calling us "Conservadox" would be akin to calling the Standard a "federag" newspaper poised between being a federation mouthpiece and local periodical. We are the Union for Traditional Judaism. Although we have shunned labels because of the over-politicization of them, we have accepted or used the terms Traditional/Orthodox or halakhic to describe ourselves. In recent years we have placed our young musmakhim (ordinees) in Traditional and Orthodox shuls. We are a rapidly growing organization and would be happy to provide the Standard with much more information about our many programs and services. Rabbi Ronald D. Price, Executive Vice President, Union for Traditional Judaism, Teaneck Jewish Standard Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2826/1/LETTERS The stadium as study hall Being able to take my father, Rabbi Israel Fishweicher, to Yankee Stadium to see the Mets against the Yankees was one of the most memorable Father's Days I have ever experienced. However, seeing my father pull out the Talmud and catch up on his Daf Yomi oblivious to the crowd around him taught me how great people set their priorities. We were all caught up with Derek Jeter and ARod while my father connected with the love he has for the Torah, no matter when and where. The Yankees did win 8-2, so I guess I will take him to many more games. Abe Fishweicher, Fair Lawn Jewish Standard Fri, 22 Jun 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2802/1/LETTERS Jewish Historical Society asks for help It is over a month since the Jewish Historical Society article appeared in the Standard. Many people have commented and called about it. People want to talk and reminisce about their Jewish roots and their experiences. Some have offered items for our archives. I have even received a call from a relative of Nathan Barnert and as far away as California. There have been suggestions to deposit the archives with organizations out of the metropolitan area. On May 13 I received a call from someone interested in purchasing the Temple Emanuel building in Paterson and making it into a Jewish center in an effort to once again attract a Jewish population, with a Jewish museum. But I've not heard a word from any Jewish institution or Jewish federation in the Bergen/Passaic area. From words of thank you and words of encouragement I know I am not wasting my time. I cannot understand the negative attitude and indifference of the many Jewish institutions in Bergen and Passaic counties. The society's archives are now divided between William Paterson University in Wayne and storage space. We desperately need a new home. Between the time of Abraham and Moses and the Holocaust there is Jewish history that must be preserved for our children and their children. Jerry Nathans, West Paterson Jewish Standard Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2772/1/LETTERS Giving credit where it's due Thanks to Abigail Schade Gary for the excellent June 1 article "BCHSJS expands to Northern Bergen County." Unfortunately, I erred in not mentioning that Miriam Gray and Margie Shore, Temple Emanuel's educational director and school administrator, respectively, deserve credit for initiating the idea of a BCHSJS campus at Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake. Miriam, Margie, and Rabbi Benjamn Shull work together as an educational team and are all instrumental in making the new campus a reality. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the staff of Temple Emanuel on this exciting collaboration. Fred Nagler, Principal,Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies,Paramus Jewish Standard Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2743/1/letters Quasi-religious Jews? Acknowledging that Christopher Hitchens, the author of "God is Not Great," has the latest bestseller on behalf of the antireligious, David Brooks of The New York Times wonders who speaks for all the millions of Americans who attend services but are bored much of the time. He defines them as "quasi-religious" and observes that "they find themselves inextricably bound to their faith, but think that some of the people who define it are nuts." Brooks dwells on quasi-religious Protestants and Catholics, and when it comes to Jews, he notes that "quasi-religious Jews, climbing from ancestral orthodoxy, helped shape 20th-century American culture." I would be indebted to hear from any reader of The Jewish Standard who underwent the transformation to a quasi-religious person and who concurs that quasi-religious Jews, in particular, have "helped shape 20th-century American culture." David Quentzel, Englewood Jewish Standard Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2713/1/Letters Historical Society scores a hit I was overwhelmed and humbled by Josh Lipowsky's May 4 article on the Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey. We are grateful to The Jewish Standard for telling the North Jersey public about us. The telephone began ringing at 2 p.m. on the Friday the article appeared. Our e-mail address is jhswaynenjwpu@yahoo.com. To correct the facts, it was Ed Smyk of the Passaic County Historical Society who dove into the Dumpster at the Paterson Public Library to retrieve the Jewish yearbooks, not me. The society requests that anyone who has items to donate allow us the final decision of what we should and should not collect. What you might consider trash might be gold to us. I am ready to retire as president of the society but not as a collector and promoter for the society. Jerry Nathans, President, Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey, West Paterson Jewish Standard Fri, 25 May 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2686/1/Letters 'A compassionate human being' We were so pleased to see our religious leader, Rabbi Harvey Rosenfeld, featured prominently in the May 11 Jewish Standard as part of the cover story "When your rabbi is your counselor." Rabbi Rosenfeld has always been a compassionate human being and a good listener. His recent postgraduate training in social work, however, has given him additional tools that enrich every professional or personal encounter. In case any of your readers should wish to locate Rabbi Rosenfeld, however, we thought it important to correct a minor error that nevertheless could make him difficult to find. Our synagogue is called Congregation Beth Am, not Temple Beth Am. As befits our intimate Reform group, the emphasis is on community (i.e., congregation) rather than on the edifice in which we gather. Those who might be interested in talking with Rabbi Rosenfeld or in learning about Cong. Beth Am can call (201) 836-5752 or go to www.congbethamteaneck.org   Margie Miller, President, Cong. Beth Am, Teaneck Jewish Standard Fri, 18 May 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2650/1/Letters In defense of Wesley Clark According to an April 20 article, Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, feels that Gen. Wesley Clark has "joined the anti-Israel chorus." I feel compelled to write on Clark's behalf. A few months back, he made an off-color, Southern-colloquial remark that was misconstrued and taken to extremes by a Republican-backed Jewish group for political purposes with the intent of painting Wes Clark as anti-Semitic. I can tell you that nothing can be further from the truth on this, with the least of the matter being that his father was a Russian Jew. General Clark's initial statement regarding the Israeli press stressed that any attack on Iran would have dire consequences for Israel, and that such actions would be foolhardy and should not be pursued by or on behalf of Israel, as these types of actions would grow support and activity for Hezbollah and cause more animosity and destruction from Israel's northern border regions. It has been quite a task keeping up with the sentiments that seem to be growing regarding these rather paranoid allegations of "Israeli control" within the United States. And those who propose these views are rather ill-informed and oft-times intent on maligning faiths that differ from their own. We who support Wes Clark will continue to push back against those sentiments as though they were sentiments directed toward General Clark himself. Rich Westcott, Philadelphia, Pa. Jewish Standard Fri, 11 May 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2622/1/Letters Group aids survivors As the Jewish community remembered on Yom HaShoah the 6 million who perished in the Holocaust, all too many are forgetting those who survived but still suffer. Today in the United States, thousands of Holocaust survivors are struggling to meet their everyday needs and live at or near the federal poverty level. Many of these survivors never received a penny in restitution or pensions, or were not "qualified" to receive any of the other payments administered by the Claims Conference. Some live on small Social Security payments and, though they may be insured under Medicare, are unable to pay for Medigap coverage and prescription drugs. If any readers are Holocaust survivors who are struggling or know Holocaust survivors who are, The Blue Card Organization can help. Established in the early 1930s in Germany to help Jews already being affected by Nazi persecution, The Blue Card is the only agency that that provides continuing, ongoing support for medical care, rent subsidies, food, and other basic needs for Holocaust survivors. This wonderful organization would be more than glad to help anyone in need; more information can be found at bluecardfund.org or by calling (212) 239-2251. Melanie Sklaire, Paramus Jewish Standard Fri, 04 May 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2589/1/Letters 'A much deserved apology' It pained me to read your April 20 cover story in which Joelle Asaro Berman recounts her shock at being told as an adolescent by a Young Judaea leader that she wasn't Jewish. My heart goes out to her for the hurt and humiliation she must have felt, and am therefore not surprised that she is still telling the story more than a decade later. We don't know who that Young Judaea leader was, but he or she acted inappropriately, not only in the hurt s/he inflicted, but also in terms of organizational standards. As a matter of policy, Young Judaea accepts as Jewish any young person who says that s/he is: Ms. Berman's understanding of herself as Jewish is sufficient, with no further questions asked. A belated - and much deserved - apology to Joelle, who does us all proud by moving forward and staying active in the Jewish community. Judy Shereck, National Hadassah Coordinator for Young Judaea, Montvale Jewish Standard Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2553/1/letters Prisoner trade an incentive to kidnap? Is it not enough that we have released over time thousands of terrorists and/or prisoners as bargaining chips for one Israeli soldier? The negotiations on this new prisoner exchange are as ludicrous as they always have been, increasing the likelihood of their return to pre-capture activities and making the Israeli government look ridiculous, as always. Certainly, in our hearts and minds, the worth of Gilad Shalit is many times the worth of any group of terrorists, yet the image portrayed of Israel and its ready acquiescence to any large prisoner exchanges for one Israeli makes it even more of an objective to pursue such random kidnappings in the future. Perhaps it would be best to keep these so-called negotiations at zero, deterring the future hopes of the Hamas world. We need to stand stronger on our principles or what were, at one time, our principles, of no negotiation for those accused of terrorist activity in Israel. We have watched in shame often enough the smiling faces of hundreds of clean, well-fed, and well-dressed Palestinians released from Israeli prisons, "in trade" for one or two of our soldiers, as the released return home as victorious conquerers. Sandra Steuer Cohen, Teaneck     Jewish Standard Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2523/1/LETTERS Sad reminder Your April 6 editorial "The week that might have been" contains a wish for the freedom of three of our brothers - Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser, and Eldad Regev - Israeli soldiers who were kidnapped and have been held hostage for almost one year. Please remember, though, that the number of hostages - and families whose lives have not been the same - is eight, not three. We should also never forget Zachary Baumel, Tzvi Feldman, and Yehuda Katz (all missing since June 11, 1982), Ron Arad (missing since Oct. 16, 1986), and Guy Hever (missing since Aug. 17, 1997) and their respective families. In this time of freedom, may we soon see the fulfillment of the words of the prophet: "May the redeemed of the Lord return and come to Zion in joy." (Isaiah 35:10) Ari Wieder, Teaneck Jewish Standard Thu, 12 Apr 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2488/1/LETTERS What it means to 'support our troops' David Quentzel asks (Letters, March 23) what others think about "We Support Our Troops" as a slogan. I am a veteran of the Vietnam era, having served as a Lt. j.g., U.S. Naval Reserve, on active duty from '71 to '73. It is my belief that "We Support our Troops" is a civilian's way of saying to our men and women in uniform, "When you come home we will not spit on you, we will not call you a baby-killer, we will not assume you are likely to become a crazed criminal. We will assume that you performed your patriotic duty with honor, and we will not turn away from you or treat you as if you have a communicable disease." It is the one lesson from Vietnam that our nation learned: Do not take out your anger about the war on the individuals who are putting their lives on the line. Jewish Standard Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2464/1/LETTERS To Sergey: 'Hungry children are waiting' "The story of Sergey Brin" (March 16) was very interesting. It is encouraging to know that a Russian immigrant to the United States can succeed so brilliantly. Sergey knows that he could not have achieved this had his family remained in Russia. I marvelled at the wild success of his enterprise, I was encouraged by his motto "Don't Be Evil," but I kept waiting for news of how he is using his newfound wealth to help his fellow Jews. In vain. He states, "I'm waiting to do the bulk of my philanthropy later, maybe in a few years, when I feel I'm more educated." No doubt, he is thinking of making a splash with a big, maybe huge, donation that will be a political statement - as other very rich men have done. But if Sergey wants to help Jewish people in need, he needs no special "education." All he has to do is read the ad appearing on page 30, right next to the article about him, about Meir Panim. The ad tells us that, in Israel, "775,000 children live in poverty" and "over 1.6 million Israeli citizens live below [the] poverty line." Then let him send a hefty donation to: American Friends of Meir Panim, 5316 New Utrecht Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., 11219. Or, he can contact them via www.meirpanim.org. Hungry children are waiting. If he were to do this, then he would earn my respect. Mimi Lief,  Fair Lawn RCBC commends club for action on agunot "Not just hiking: Outdoors club joins fight for agunot" (Feb. 22) describes the bold leadership efforts of Alon Krausz, founder and president of a 2000-member outdoors club, who recently led his board of directors in banning from its membership any member who is withholding a get (Jewish divorce) from his (former) spouse. The purpose of this non-profit club is to provide the opportunity for modern Orthodox Jews to get together for fun and adventure in the great outdoors. Nevertheless, Krausz possesses the vision to recognize their opportunity and responsibility to help solve some of the most pressing challenges that confront our community. The members of the board were appalled to learn that one of its members was indeed withholding a get, and therefore took action and instituted this new policy. The rabbis of the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County strongly commend the actions of this club. The problem of recalcitrant spouses who refuse to perform the commandment to terminate their marriage through the traditional get process after being directed to do so by a beis din, in violation of halacha and basic decency to their former spouses, is a recurring one in Jewish life. Rabbis are at the forefront of the battle to procure gittin in such cases, but do not possess sufficient power and influence to resolve this difficulty independently. Communal pressure then becomes the strongest form of influence available to us. However, it can be effective only if the entire community is united. Many synagogues have instituted similar bans, excluding any such people from membership and participating in synagogue services and activities. Moreover, rallies are organized to protest these actions of these individuals. These efforts greatly depend upon communal support from the lay community. Rallies are only effective if people attend and boycotts only work if people follow them. It would certainly be appropriate if their peers shunned such people socially by, e.g., not inviting them to meals, smachot, other celebrations, social outings, or even the local softball league. We are therefore gratified to see the responsibility taken by the leadership of the Jewish Outdoors Club in instituting its own ban. This type of initiative greatly strengthens the cause for which we are all working. We strongly endorse the actions of this club, and encourage others to follow suit. Rabbi Meier Brueckheimer, Executive Vice  President,Rabbinical Council of Bergen County Takes issue with AIPAC ovation I saw the last part of the Vice President Cheney's March 12 speech to AIPAC and I was stunned by the audience response when he indicated that Israel has no greater friend than the current president. There was an extended standing ovation after that remark. AIPAC seems to be in the shameful position of placating the powers that be. Perhaps AIPAC members could be somewhat more inquisitive regarding this topic and better determine the facts. If "the mission" in the global war on terror is to stop terror against the West, why is Osama bin Laden still at large? Bin Laden's continued movement in the Afghanistan/Pakistan area is like that of a queen in chess, nearly unfettered multidirectional movement all over the board. Osama bin Laden was "Job 1" and President Bush simply gave up. So much for this president's "staying the course" against our most dangerous enemy. Additionally, the botched, poorly planned invasion of Iraq has spilled American blood, emptied our coffers, and destabilized the whole Middle East. How does a destabilized Middle East help Israel? The essential reason for our staying and dying in Iraq is basically because President Bush said we should. Twenty seven million brutalized, angry, and well-armed Iraqis are not going to be dominated by even 150,000 U.S. soldiers. Most Iraqis remember sanctions imposed by the United Nations and the United States in the 1990s and the unnecessary invasion in 2003. The Iraqi economy is destroyed and there are few jobs. There is nothing to do but keep score of who killed whom on a given day. How do millions of angry Sunni and Shia with current knowledge and experience in fighting a modern guerrilla war help Israel? Consider President Bush's own contention that the enemy is very smart and is always changing tactics. I feel AIPAC should display greater discretion before they stand up to applaud Vice President Cheney's remarks. When AIPAC stands up on this issue I suspect many American Jews have to stand down. Art Vatsky, Teaneck Praises writer We want to congratulate Abigail Klein Leichman on her beautiful March 9 article "Moriah gets a model Mishcan." Not only did she write beautifully, she got all the facts right! Her article showed her knowledge of the Book of Exodus. We also loved the way she incorporated Larry Stiefel's words from his blog "The Maggid of Bergenfield." We were very impressed. Dr. Morton and Tina Freiman, North Miami Beach, Fla. You're welcome Thanks so much for Josh Lipowsky's articles on the Krupnik/Signal Tours Israel ticket scam. We were innocently introduced to Signal Tours by our friend Jill Schaefer, whom he quoted in his follow-up article, and we got taken for $3,000! After Jill alerted us that her family had been scammed, we discovered that we, too, had been fleeced. To make matters worse, our credit card (MasterCard) initially refused to credit us for the tickets, using the excuse that this was all a "dispute" between us and the travel agent. For months my wife and I called and called (speaking with Yoav Karni, e-mailing Karni back and forth, e-mailing Krupnik's Teaneck business associate, e-mailing the associate's lawyer, and calling our bank over and over). We got nowhere. The Standard's article made all the difference. After I was able to send the link to the credit card company, it finally decided to accept my report of fraud and then credit us for the fraudulent charges. Thank you! If all goes well, we will fly to Israel in time for Pesach, significantly poorer (since the replacement tickets were much more expensive than Krupnik's fraudulent tickets), but much wiser. In any case, Josh Lipowsky's investigative reporting was just what journalism should be, and really made a difference for us. Dan Oren, Woodbridge, Conn. Clarification In the March 16 article on the Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative, a statement near the end of the piece about our eligibility policy could be misleading to readers. Jewish Family and Children's Service of North Jersey (formerly known as Jewish Family Service) asks people what they can afford to pay and trusts that they will be truthful. BVMI, which will provide free medical service, will only require information about patients' incomes and their places of residence. We appreciate the coverage given by the Standard to this important project. Janet Finke, Bergen VolunteerMedical Initiative, Wyckoff Opinions expressed in the op-ed and letters columns are not necessarily those of The Jewish Standard. When writing to the Standard, please include a day-time telephone number. The Jewish Standard reserves the right to edit letters. Because of space limitations not every letter can be published. Write to Letters, The Jewish Standard, 1086 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666, or e-mail editor@jewishmediagroup.com. Jewish Standard Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2436/1/letters History lesson Recently, the AIPAC Policy conference in Washington featured an honor roll of speakers extolling continued support of American policy in Iraq. Vice President Dick Cheney told AIPAC that retreat from Iraq will leave America "dangerously weakened." Ehud Olmert told the audience (by satellite) that Israel's security depends on the US staying in Iraq. Hearing these views, I could not help but wonder if Napoleon's advisers were telling him the same things in Russia. If France had only stayed the course there, tout le monde serait français! Lenin and Marx might never have risen, the "war to end all wars" might have been avoided and Hitler would never have come to power. Napoleon, where are you now, when we really need you? If you believe all of this idiocy, there is a bridge for sale in Brooklyn. The truth after two centuries is that if Napoleon had never invaded Russia, France would have had a more pervasive influence in the world. History might well have turned out differently for Prussia and "mittel Europa" in the 19th and 20th centuries, not to mention the Jewish people and about 50 million others killed during the second World War. Let's scroll forward 200 years after Napoleon's collapse in Russia. The sad fact is that America has already been seriously weakened by our disaster in Iraq. The truly smart, courageous thing to do is to admit our mistake, remove ourselves, and live to fight another day. The longer this war goes on, the worse the damage will be to our national will, to the idea of "democracy," and to our moral culture. Vietnam should have been a lesson, but apparently we did not learn from history. As for Israel, its security has been damaged by its foolhardy response to Hezbollah this past summer. The fact is that Israel's future can only be secured by a healthy, united, and strong West. The Bush misadventure is destroying the fabric of this alliance. The American experiment in Iraq must be brought to an end, replaced by forces from the United Nations, NATO, and even the Arab League (if they have the guts) to try and pacify Iraq. We cannot do it, certainly not under this president. As for Iran, the only way to deal with it is by a combination of carrot and stick. If we only paint Iran into a corner, well, just look what happened to Japan in the 1930s. Russia and the West both have a shared interest in preserving peace and stability in Iran. Let's allow international bodies like the U.N., NATO, the G-8, and the International Atomic Energy Agency to deal with Iran. Saber-rattling won't get the Iranians to back down. It will only strengthen the resolve of Ahmadinejad and the ayatollahs to oppose the West which, in their view, is simply massing troops around the Iranian border for a final showdown. It took a world war and atomic weapons to end the last real showdown. Do we want to risk going down this road again? Why can't we learn from history? Eric Weis, Wayne   Anti-APN I believe peaceniks in Israel were sincere people even though the results of the policies they advocated are horrible. The peace agreement with Arafat already caused thousands of Jews to be killed and maimed. Deportation of Jews from Gaza and destruction of Jewish settlements not only robbed and destroyed a normal life of close to 10,000 Israeli citizens, but also created Hamasstan in Gaza, which now has unlimited access to Iranian rockets across an unprotected border with Egypt, which I'm afraid will not sit idly. How can we understand the motives of members of Shalom Achshav today, after such bleak results of the policies they advocated? I think they are different for Israeli peaceniks and American. Israeli Shalom Achshavniks fulfill a great mitzvah of living in eretz Israel. American members of Shalom Achshav, like Ori Nir (March 9), while living securely in the United States, works to destroy 121 Jewish settlements and 102 "outposts" in eretz Israel with a population of more than quarter of a million. The difference between Israeli and American members of Shalom Achshav I see as a difference between suicide and murderer. Boris Gulko, Fair Lawn Autism alarm I read Jane Calem Rosen's March 9 article about the proposed legislation to assist people with Asperger's Syndrome to reach their full potential. As the mother of a 20-year old son with Asperger's Syndrome, I can understand the struggles faced by Michael Mosenkis. It is critical for us as a nation that we address the cause of the epidemic of autism now affecting one in every 150 children nationwide and provide adequate help for those disabled with autism. With the stunning autism rate of one in every 94 children, including one in every 60 boys, New Jersey should be leading the way. No one seems to be asking why so many kids are affected. Our federal health agencies, especially the Center for Disease Control, which recently gave us the updated autism rate, is sounding no alarm over the numbers. They look at the skyrocketing increases from one in 10,000 rate in the 1970s, to one in 2,500 in the 1980s, to now one in every 150, and attribute it to "better diagnosing, greater awareness, and better statistics." They refuse to even acknowledge that there is an increase in the number of children affected by autism. Eighty percent of autistic Americans are under the age of 18. Within the next five to 10 years, hundreds of thousands of them will become adults dependent on the taxpayers. This will occur at the same time the bulk of the post-World War II generation is retiring. The massive numbers of dependent Americans will simply overwhelm those who are working. It gives me hope to read how Michael Mosenkis and Joan Voss's son are employed. We need the same kind of program Voss is proposing for New Jersey everywhere in the United States. People with Asperger's have normal to above normal intelligence and are employable. The mystery to me is why the government is so willing to simply pay them to stay home and do nothing. People in the state and county agencies who work with the disabled have no training and very little experience with autism, yet these children are in our schools in overwhelming numbers. No one seems to realize that the generation of autistic children will very soon be the generation of autistic adults. Anne McElroy Dachel , Chippewa Falls, Wis. Scores 'slogan' During the past few weeks virtually all declared candidates for the 2008 presidential race have made it forcefully known that they support the troops. (Are there any Americans who claim not to support the troops?) Kindly note that at all times U.S. troops operate strictly in accordance with instructions issued by the designated individuals of higher rank. This requirement for rigorous compliance follows from the terms of the contractual agreement between each volunteer soldier and the U.S. Department of Defense. (Throughout the duration of said contracts, all volunteer soldiers serve, in effect, as employees of the U.S. government.) Since the troops are not permitted to exercise independent judgment in the conduct of their activities, there is nothing specific concerning the troops that lends itself to be supported by the American public. The other possible interpretation of the above is that our "support" is addressed to the obligation of the Defense Department to provide the troops with high-quality equipment and training, in order for them to perform their duties competently and safely. But this is as obvious as saying that we support the obligation of the Army to feed the troops properly. It surely does not need to be iterated! Thus, my conclusion is that the slogan we support the troops is devoid of any practical meaning. I am very interested to learn the views of other readers of The Jewish Standard regarding the above. David Quentzel, Englewood On d'var Torah I find Rabbi Meir Konikov's Torah commentary on Parshat Terumah (Feb. 23) uplifting and confusing. The Chabad of Fort Lee rabbi teaches tolerance, asking observant Jews to not look down on Jews who aren't quite as observant. Rabbi Konikov reasons that a Jew is "made in the image of God," therefore one should respect his feelings. In another paragraph, the rabbi says one shouldn't insult a fellow Jew because he is made in God's image and he is a "diamond waiting to shine at his own pace and time." In my reading of Genesis, God says, "Let us make MAN in our image." (Genesis 1:26, Jewish Publication Society.) Do the rabbi and the Lubavitch movement believe that only Jews are created in God's image? Are we to infer that it's acceptable to insult non-Jews? Rachel Lawrence, Teaneck Jewish Standard Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 MDT http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2404/1/letters Teaneck 'inclusive and open' A Feb. 18 article in The New York Times headlined "Proudly Diverse Teaneck Forced to Reexamine its Assumptions," has caused comment and consternation in our "proudly diverse" community. The author repeated the oft-told tale about "people walking in the middle of the streets." Unfortunately, he did not mention that in many areas of our community where this occurs there are no sidewalks upon which to walk. He writes about Cedar Lane's beng dominated by "glatt kosher meat markets," but didn't mention places like the Greek-owned diner-type establishments, the sporty clothing stores, the video stores, the movie theater, the ice cream parlors, the various Asian or European style upscale eateries, or the newest restaurant featuring Dominican-style dishes. I've lived in Teaneck for most of my adult life and my husband Irwin and I were great supporters of welcoming the establishment of the Orthodox Beth Aaron shul into our neighborhood though we were members of the Reform Jewish community. My beloved late husband spent days in court with Beth Aaron founders to help get the initial variance for their Queen Anne Road home. We have worked along with many others to keep Teaneck the inclusive and open community I believe it still is. For those reasons, I did get offended, as did others, by the repetition of the old stereotypes put forth in the Times article. Teaneck is not dominated by folks who walk in the middle of the street. Cedar Lane does have glatt kosher food stores that many of us frequent, but that is not a negative! They add to the richness of the diversity of Cedar Lane businesses, where my own state legislative offices are located. I do not believe the differences discussed in our larger community concerning development and other issues have anything to do with the religious affiliation of any of our council members. People in Teaneck have different outlooks about what the physical environment of our community should be; about budgets and taxes; about government services and our schools; and about a number of other important issues. Residents appropriately disagree about these things and should be able to do so without the religion of members of the governing body or of the residents themselves being commented upon. We are a committed community, and our residents do not live in "silos." The article would have been more balanced had the author taken the time to note that, though we are "proudly diverse," we have differences of opinion about lots of things, which is what makes Teaneck an interesting place in which to live. He could have commented upon our community relations board led by an Orthodox Jew with members from the Christian community, from the Muslim community, from different racial and ethnic backgrounds who are constantly working to keep lines of communication open. I have been listening to some of these old stereotypes about various groups for too many years. Reading them in the New York Times did not add to the caliber of the discussions we are entitled to have as a community about the issues facing