August 31: It is Shechem

It is Shechem

Sir, – I am sorry that in “Vishnitz rebbe and hundreds of hassidim visit Joseph’s Tomb” (August 29) you said the tomb is “in the Palestinian city of Nablus.”

It may be located in Area A, but Nablus is Shechem, as it is known in the Bible and has been called since antiquity. Nablus is a rather new name and has very little historical meaning.

All in all, however, the news makes one glow with happiness since Joseph is venerated for his association with and love for Shechem, and the holiness inherent in his grave is revealed once again.

Thank you, Jerusalem Post, for revealing how necessary to the lives of so many people this pilgrimage has become.

TOBY WILLIG
Jerusalem

Tibi et al

Sir, – How wonderful indeed that a young Israeli Arab was able to receive medical care from an Israeli doctor in Barcelona and at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, with the cooperation of El Al (“Tibi saved my life in Spain, says Israeli vacationer,” August 28).

How welcome and appropriate it would have been had the patient and his mother expressed their appreciation to everyone involved in that noble effort, and not just MK Ahmed Tibi.

It boggles the mind to imagine such a story coming out of any other country in this region, specifically where someone from a minority group receives such a response after having contacted a member of his parliament.

Kol hakavod for the good our country tries to do for all its citizens (and on behalf of so many others as well).

JOANNE JACKSON YELENIK
Beit Shemesh

Independent voice

Sir, – Richard Marceau (“The real nature of Jewish anti-Zionists,”Comment & Features, August 28) resorts to the self-appointed Jewish establishment’s typical weapon: misrepresentation or slander.

The Zionist political establishment runs away from debating the values that divide Jews. It is afraid of Jews who believe that Israel is wrong to treat Palestinian-Israelis as second- class citizens, that Israel’s settlements, occupation and blockade of Palestine are despicable, and that the manufactured hysteria about Iran is a re-run of the lies about weapons of mass destruction that led up to the catastrophic US war on Iraq.

The political Zionist establishment shamefully supports the creeping annexation of Palestine, if not an apartheid Israel.

Ironically, it has found its positions losing mainstream support while anti-Zionist and liberal Jews reflect the ethical values and political strategy needed to resolve this conflict.

We challenge the Jewish Zionist establishment to stop hiding and sniping, and to start debating.

SCOTT WEINSTEIN
Montreal
The writer is a member of Independent Jewish Voices

Call them ‘enforcers’

Sir, – There is indeed a case to be made that Israeli drivers need training in stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks (“Pedestrian protectors,” Editorial, August 26). But I feel uncomfortable with setting up an enthusiastic army of citizen enforcers. It reminds me of East Germans reporting on their neighbors.

The first thing to do is mark the crosswalks more clearly. Since in Jerusalem they use inferior paint, the road markings wear off quickly. The street signs are usually small and to the side. Many are not lighted at night.

Pedestrians also need training in using crosswalks.

Take one small step off the curb so that drivers see you intend to cross; then stop and make sure the driver sees you and intends to stop. Do not talk on your phone. This is especially true at intersections where drivers turn right with limited visibility of pedestrians.

I would suggest that a criterion be to use people who have a drivers license – they can sense when a driver is behaving in an unsafe way.

ERIC ZORNBERG
Jerusalem