April 22: Handling officers...

Handling officers...

Sir, – It appears that after the army investigated the incident involving Lt.-Col. Shalom Eisner (“Gantz dismisses Eisner from position as deputy brigade chief following Jordan Valley incident,” April 19), there was absolutely no reason whatsoever for Eisner’s unprovoked and malicious attack. His life was not in danger and there was no national security issue involved, so it was simply a lack of control and very poor anger management.

This act brought shame on the military and shame on Israel. Let’s hope that over the next two years Eisner can work out some of his personal problems.

P. BERMAN
Shoham

...and protesters

Sir, – Ray Hanania (“Put the civility back into civil rights,” Yalla Peace, April 18) states that pro-Palestinian protesters “have an absolute right to protest against Israeli government policies.”

Maybe they do, but they should do so in their own countries.

Once in our country they should be subject to the rules and conditions of entry to the State of Israel.

Why shouldn’t we be suspicious of them? Our experience has shown that “pro-Palestinians” are actually “anti-Israel,” and any democratic country would be on full alert when faced with a provocation such as this.

CHANA PINTO
Ra’anana

Sir, – Has it occurred to anyone that there should be a law requiring all arriving foreigners to sign a waiver against claims of violence perpetrated against them if they are injured while participating in an anti-Israel demonstration?

EVA SCHWARTZ
Jerusalem

Sir, – Those of our fellow citizens described in “Intellectuals and the delusional Israeli Left” (Candidly Speaking, April 19) are endlessly duped by foreigners who are allowed into our country to deliberately foment hatred and confrontation. This takes place while the authorities desist from punishing our own treacherous citizens (“Raed Salah’s return,” Editorial, April 19). All of this takes place, one presumes, under the guise of political correctness.

Give me a break! When will common sense prevail?

GISH TRUMAN ROBBINS
Pardesiya

Sir, – After reading your editorial on Israel’s leniency toward Raed Salah, the contrast with another piece on how difficult it is for even devoted converts to immigrate (“If the Jews came out of Egypt today, many would be denied entry to the Land of Israel,” Comment & Features, April 18) is striking.

Slighting friends while accommodating enemies will accomplish nothing positive.

It’s a good thing for Salah that he didn’t convert to Judaism while in Britain or the Interior Ministry might not have let him back in.

DAVID KATCOFF
Jericho, Vermont

Sir, – I completely disagree with David Newman (“Excluding those who think differently,” Comment & Features, April 17).

He writes that Israel “bends over backwards to give itself bad publicity” and asks what difference it would make “if Israel had totally ignored the activists who flew into Israel [as part of the so-called flytilla]. He says the event “would have made a few inches in the international press” and then be forgotten.

But if Israel had allowed these anarchists into Israel, the message to the world would have been, “We allow in people who wish to destroy us and take part in demonstrations that incite our enemies.” Our enemies’ violence would be upgraded by this support, and Israel would be left holding the bag. Our soldiers would be sent in to calm the situation, and the publicity in the international press would then be more than a few inches.

BARBARA GINSBERG
Ma’aleh Adumim

Sir, – David Newman argues that Israel should allow in people like Günter Grass, Noam Chomsky and Norman Finkelstein. He then associates their criticisms of the Israeli government with “large sections of the Israeli-left-of- center population – people who live in Israel, serve in the army, pay their taxes and are loyal citizens of the country, yet at the same time are highly critical of the government’s policies in the West Bank.”

Newman overlooks a key point: the privilege of sovereignty and the rights of citizenship under that sovereignty. There’s a difference between Israeli citizens who have every legitimate right to express their views, and foreigners like Grass, Chomsky and Finkelstein.

Sovereignty entitles us to keep out of our national home anyone we don’t approve of, even if we have no particularly valid reason.

There isn’t a single country in the world that doesn’t exercise this privilege.

AVRAHAM FEDER
Jerusalem

Headlines and words

Sir, – The headline “Arab family evicted in Jerusalem, Jewish activists move into homes” (April 19) was just the kind to aid and abet our enemies. It should have read, “Arab squatters evicted, Jewish owners move into homes.”

If you doubt the veracity of my words, just read the article. I did.

Surprisingly, even the courts would agree with me.

I would not have thought the Post would mangle the truth and encourage the extreme Left, which has enough help from other sources.

RHEA ISRAEL
Rehovot

Sir, – Wouldn’t it have been more accurate to write, “Eight-year legal battle proves land illegally appropriated by Arabs, legally purchased by Jews?” To state it as you did provides fodder for those who may not read the whole story and just run with the very slanted headline.

COOKIE SCHWAEBER-ISSAN
Gizo

Sir, – While by no means do I consider myself a prude, I believe it was highly inappropriate to print a small, insignificant article about a town in Austria (“Village to keep its odd name,” World in Brief, April 19).

It seems the editors took advantage of this quirky-named town to be able to print a word that most reputable papers would not use without various symbols to replace letters. It is offensive to your readers and detracts from your message.

ZE’EV M SHANDALOV
Ma’aleh Adumim

Unity first

Sir, – I was privileged to participate in this year’s annual ceremony at Bet Israel Synagogue in Netanya to commemorate the Holocaust. Along with a recitation telling of Jewish resistance, we honored six survivors, who lit candles and told of their experiences.

As in the past, those attending included members of our Masorti (Conservative) congregation, as well as brave souls from other English-speaking congregations in the area. I say “brave souls” because in general, the Orthodox have declared our synagogue off limits, and we are not invited to participate in any of their ceremonies or celebrations.

Rabbi Haim Amsalem’s “Holocaust Remembrance Day should not only commemorate a tragic past but also inspire a future” (Comment & Features, April 19) brought our most frightening national problem to the fore. It is the divisiveness, hatred and disdain toward Jews who observe Judaism differently that can destroy us, as it did during the time of the Second Temple.

We look to Rabbi Amsalem and other courageous people to lead the way to encourage tolerance, love and acceptance toward all sectors of religious observance.

We hope and pray our “pious” population will wake up and stop alienating us, and will instead embrace us as Jews before it is too late.

MILLIE KAPOROVSKY
Netanya

Living tradition

Sir, – Your article on New Milford (New Jersey) High School’s dedication of a Shoah monument in the Czech Republic (“Survivors’ grandchildren feel an obligation to share Holocaust memories,” April 17) brought back fond personal memories for me.

I served as rabbi of the community for 25 years until our aliya in 1985. The high school often invited me to address assemblies on Jewish and ethical subjects, as well as the Shoah. It is satisfying to read that New Milford has continued it tradition of openness and study about the Holocaust.

HAYYIM HALPERN
Jerusalem