Gas for peace
Sir, – MK Uzi Landau’s threat (“Landau: Israel would defend
off-shore gas find with force,” June 27) to ensure that that offshore gas fields
remain Israeli and not Lebanese is never going to put us on the road to peace
with Beirut.
Rather than threatening to use force, why not use the gas as
a reward for peace? Why not say to the Lebanese that we will share the gas in
exchange for a full and genuine peace? MARLIN LEVIN
Jerusalem
Gimme shelter
Sir,
– Liat Collins’s inherent prejudice against haredim appears in the
second
paragraph of her column (“A black day for education,” My word, June 27)
when she
says they “chose instead to riot....”
What a sheltered life Collins leads
if she is unable to differentiate between a peaceful demonstration and a
riot.
One wonders if she is aware that her revered, democratic Supreme Court
has only
one Sephardi among its 14 members, and that this token representative of
Israel’s majority Sephardi population was chosen to present the decision
as a
device to deflect attention from our racist and undemocratic elites?
MORRIS
ORSZEWCHOFSKI
Nitzan Liat
Collins notes: My choice of the word “riot” was
unfortunate.
I requested that it be changed to “rally” in the on-line
edition as soon as it was pointed out to me that it was not accurate.
However, I
believe that one should take care with words, and therefore prefer not
to
respond to either the second point or the tone of the writer’s
letter.
Polls say it all
Sir, – What a disingenuous article (“Getting
ready to bury the hatchet,” June 25)! There is only one reason US
President
Barack Obama would attempt to bury any hatchet at this time – his poor
ratings
in the polls. With November elections looming, Obama has to recoup the
Jewish
votes he has lost with his dismissive attitude toward Israel and its
problems.
SONYA FEDERMAN
Jerusalem
Tzipi, take note
Sir, – I read with
interest the report in your issue of June 25 by Herb Keinon and Gil
Hoffman
(“Foreign minister’s ‘redraw the borders’ op-ed in ‘Post’ draws fire
from Labor,
Kadima).
The report was, as usual, excellent. The subject matter was
challenging, not only for the proposal made by Lieberman, but because if
the
European Community wishes to help resolve – or at least ameliorate – the
Gaza
situation, its foreign ministers should regard the proposal
positively.
That’s all the more reason we should look with skepticism
upon the reaction from Tzipi Livni. We are effectively at war with those
who
govern Gaza. I well remember that when I was a boy in Britain during the
Second
World War, the country was governed successfully by an allparty
coalition, loyal
to the national interest.
Perhaps there is in that example a lesson for
Livni.
MICHAEL BRUNERT
Modi’in
Wrong destination
Sir, – The entire
country has suffered along with the Schalit family the horror and
illegality of
Gilad Schalit’s captivity. All who are marching feel the pain (“Noam
Schalit
pleads for ‘one small humane step’ – the release of his son Gilad,” June
25).
However, I do not sympathize with making Jerusalem and the prime
minister’s residence the end-point of the march. The end-point should be
at the
Gaza border, with the marchers carrying signs and posters intended for
Gaza’s
leaders, as well as for the UN and International Red Cross, which must
demand,
with outrage, humane treatment for Schalit according to international
law.
NORMA MARX
Jerusalem
Sir, – So Hamas has told Gilad Schalit’s
grandfather to go to hell (“Hamas warns Israel against Schalit rescue
operation,” June 24), and in the same paper, Larry Derfner presents a
new PR
tactic (“Let the flotillas through,” June 24).
Great idea!
CHANA PINTO
Ra’anana
Should’ve known
Sir, – I am a fool. I have sorely misunderstood Larry
Derfner’s columns all these years. The most recent one proves it.
I
thought he was on the far Left, but now I know he’s a brilliant satirist
who
belongs to one of the far-right-wing parties. He seeks to show the
absurdities
and lack of connection to reality on the Left in order to reduce the
number of
people who’ll vote for it.
He has done a masterful job.
Any study
of the decline in the Left shows his impact. His presentations give me
further
confidence in our centrist political culture.
Larry, keep it up!
STEPHEN
J. KOHN
Ra’anana
Pre-nup ed
Sir, – The concern of Sherrie B. Miller
(“Complementary workshops,” Letters, June 24) that pre-marriage couple’s
education be a prerequisite to marriage is whole-heartily endorsed by
our
experience.
Over 20 years of attempts to apply this philosophy have met
with legislative resistance. However, Shalshelet did run engaged couples
groups,
and research into them has indicated threefold benefits.
First is the
benefit of discussing problems known to lead to arguments and family
breakdowns,
such as allocation of money. Second is the benefit of couples
professionally
learning from one another alternative modes of problem solving. Third is
the
benefit of long-term friendships, which lead to support at times of
child-bearing and -rearing, and avoid loneliness when husbands are
called to
army service.
These benefits are among those seen to withstand the
inevitable stress of married life and prevent its breakdown by enhancing
communication and practical skills.
How much longer must we witness
broken homes, broken children and a disturbed society without battering
on the
doors and hearts of legislators to implement pre-marriage couple’s
education?
DR. PESSY KRAUSZ
Director, Shalshelet Enhancing Relationships Center Jerusalem
Outcomes of importance
Sir, – In his column of June 18 (“Equal opportunity means
equal outcomes,” Ethics@work), Asher Meir makes the case for
differential wages
between men and women. He seems to assume that a furniture mover (male)
should
receive “higher-paid work” than a day-care worker or secretary.
Since we
entrust our dearest possessions – our children – to day-care workers
while our
furniture is of much lesser value, shouldn’t a day-care worker receive a
much
higher salary than a furniture mover? Why should a secretary, who has
been
trained in various computer applications, be considered of lower status
than a
construction worker or furniture mover? Teachers and nurses, according
to Meir,
should also expect to be paid less than construction workers, according
to this
view. Yet teachers and nurses train for more years than do construction
workers
or furniture movers, and are responsible for the health and well-being
of our
children and sick.
This wage differential is a matter of custom, and not
intrinsic to gender.
IDA SELAVAN SCHWARCZ
Ganei Omer
Rx for Jerusalem
Sir, – Notwithstanding the terrible realities of Gaza and the West Bank,
the
central issue between the Israelis and Palestinians is philosophical and
based
in Jerusalem.
Like most cities, Jerusalem is divided by competing
political and religious philosophies. Unfortunately, the competition
associated
with these well-meaning philosophies often creates unintended conflict.
I
propose that Jerusalem, and other cities, counteract such conflict by
developing
a new, nonpolitical, non-religious and noncompetitive philosophy based
on our
common humanity. Such a philosophy would emphasize that all people,
regardless
of politics, religion or any other divisive factor, share common
origins, needs
and rights.
HUGH MANN, MD
Eagle Rock, Missouri
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