May 3: Jews and Obama

Jews and Obama
Sir, – With regard to “Jews vastly prefer Obama to Romney, according to new AJC-commissioned poll” (May 1), I wonder if the respondents were introduced to the fact of President Barack Obama’s continuing cruel punishment of Jonathan Pollard.

My presumption is that either this was not presented in the questionnaire or US Jews are not concerned about Pollard, the Israeli patriot – which would bring into question their commitment to Israel.

I. GENDELMAN
Jerusalem

Sir, – I’m very pleased to learn that American Jews still prefer the Democrats by a very large margin, and, to a lesser extent, President Obama. Never mind – the number who prefer Obama over Mitt Romney (or whoever will be the Republican nominee) is large enough to ensure that the president will be returned for a second term.

All those who were wringing their hands about Jewish Americans flocking to the Republicans can now rest assured that these Jews, and the rest of America’s voters, will give their vote to Obama.

LEONARD ZURAKOV \
Netanya

Rewriting history
Sir, – Benzion Netanyahu (“A symbol of fervent and uncompromising Zionism,” May 1) refuted the claim by the leaders of the Spanish Inquisition (accepted for 500 years) that their “New Christian” victims were really crypto-Jews pretending to be Christians.

He showed that they were in fact genuine Christians whose distant Jewish ancestors had been given the alternative of baptism or death in the terrible anti-Jewish violence of 1391.

The Inquisition wanted to lay its hands on the New Christians’ wealth (as did many others who were envious of them) and drummed up support by preaching that even after the baptism of a Jewish ancestor, New Christian blood polluted the pure blood of Old Christians (the doctrine of Limpieza de sangre).

RUTH RIGBI
Jerusalem

Seeing red(dish)
Sir, – While I am happy that Yael Cohen’s injuries were superficial and wish her a speedy recovery from her traumatic ordeal (“Angry young bull attacks kibbutz volunteer, but blunt horns save her” May 1), it is doubtful if the animal’s attack was provoked by the red color of her T-shirt, as bulls are thought to be color-blind. It was more likely a sudden movement that set it off.

The phrase “red rag to a bull” is an urban myth derived from the bullfighting arena, where a red muleta – the short, red cape attached to a stick the matador uses during the final stages of a bullfight – is traditionally red, both to make the spectacle more flamboyant and to disguise the bloodstains from the now-bleeding beast. The full cape used in the early stages to entice the bull into charging is, in fact, pink on the outside and yellow inside.

Bulls are rather like politicians – they will attack anything they perceive as a threat, irrespective of color.

GEOFFREY PREGER
Caesarea

Don’t even apply
Sir, – Only in Israel can terrorists get payments from the government when they are released from jail (“Bill halving NII benefits for terrorists to be put to final vote,” May 1). Are we crazy? Where else in the world do governments pay murderers or attempted murderers? The reason MK David Rotem submitted the bill is because the Justice Ministry vetoed his original proposal to eliminate the payments altogether.

The Left says the bill is unconstitutional.

What constitution is it talking about? National Insurance Institute benefits are for citizens, not terrorists.

CHAIM GINSBERG
Ma’aleh Adumim

Shut up already!
Sir, – In “Debating Diskin” (Editorial, May 1), you write that former Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin “has been remarkably and aggressively outspoken.” This worries me because the head or former head of a secret service knows a great deal of the secret side of government dealings, and these matters are not for public discussion.

The British secret services (MI5 and MI6) keep silent. Indeed, it was not until recently that even the names of those in charge were known to the public. While a former head of MI6 has written an autobiography, she gives no details whatsoever of the secrets of the secret service.

I am very disappointed that Diskin is unable to keep to himself all matters with which he was entrusted. Had he originally wished to go into pubic life, then the Knesset was available. He chose to go into the “secret” life and should honor his obligations.

Being outspoken may push his name into the headlines, but at the same time can so easily damage the country.

NEVILLE GOLDREIN
Jerusalem

Tough noogies
Sir, – I find it amusing that someone is complaining about the overload of “extreme rightwing” articles in The Jerusalem Post (“‘Post’ too right-wing,” Letters, May 1), since just last week my cousin’s fiancee said she no longer read the Post because it was “too left-wing.” And it must be noted that the Post doesn’t give “grudging (but not equal)” space to left-wing writers “once in a while,” for just off the top of my head it runs on a regular basis columns by such avowed leftists as David Newman, M.J. Rosenberg, Ray Hanania, Hirsh Goodman, Uri Savir, Jeff Barak and Alon Ben-Meir, providing a fair and balanced contrast to the columns of Caroline B. Glick, Sarah Honig, Barry Rubin, et al.

The same balanced approach is also reflected in your excellent “both sides of the story” editorials, and if the letter writer considers that type of writing “extreme right-wing propaganda,” then all I can say is, Tough noogies!

MENACHEM G. JERENBERG
Beit Shemesh

Sir, – I don’t think your paper is right-wing at all. I feel it’s balanced and open-minded.

Every other newspaper in this country is so blatantly left-wing one can barely pick it up without getting nauseous! So let the readers of those papers enjoy the rabble rousers and Israel bashing, and may you keep up the good work! KYNA KAR
Jerusalem

Poor Eustace
Sir, – Congratulations to Steve Frank for a long-overdue exposure of the sad decline of one of America’s exemplars of responsible journalism (“Goodbye to ‘The New Yorker,’” Comment & Features, May 1 ).

As readers of The New Yorker for over half a century, my wife and I looked forward to the weekly arrival of the magazine, delighting in its clever cartoons and humor (remember James Thurber?), and its suave notes on the local scene, and to being enlightened by its incisive criticism and investigative reports.

But in recent years under the misguided tutelage of David Remnick, our pleasure has too often been transformed into a sensation of masochism as we confront the rants against Israel and the unmitigated advocacy of an extreme-Left agenda that now fill its pages.

I can imagine Eustace Tilley, the iconic emblem of The New Yorker since its founding in 1925, shedding a tear as he peers through his monocle and contemplates the lamentable state of his once-proud creation.

JACK E. FRIEDMAN
Jerusalem

Just imagine
Sir, – Regarding “PA denies it violates freedom of expression” (April 30), officials of the Palestinian Authority are showing their true colors.

The plague of the Palestinian Authority’s censorship of websites that criticize it is a prime emblem of fascist and totalitarian governments.

Repressive regimes live and breathe on a tissue of vicious lies.

If the PA does this to its own people, just imagine the whoppers it spins for the nation of Israel.

YONATAN SILVERMAN
Tel Aviv