Letters 396453

Readers weigh in on previous issues of the 'Magazine.'

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Envelope (photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)
Envelope
(photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)
Making progress
You ran a very enlightening article, “Confronting the past: Poland grapples with its lost Jews” (Jewish World, March 27).
Allow me to add a few remarks from my own experiences there.
I have noticed three major reasons for the great Polish interest, especially among young people, in the country’s Jewish past: Poland’s desire and unsurpassed skill for restoration; its zeal for the exact preservation of history; and a nostalgic awareness of the partial loss of Polish national culture.
Let’s look at the buildings.
Much of Warszawa (Warsaw), once almost completely bombed out, has been rebuilt in the same old style. Gdansk (Danzig) and German cities like Wroclaw (Breslau), Szczecin (Stettin) and others that were added to Poland after World War II have been restored to the shape and color of 100 or more years ago.
History? Despite all the devastation by foreign occupations, Poland has maintained comprehensive records. I was deeply surprised to find records about my Jewish family going back seven generations, and even about Nazi decisions made against me, all documented with photos.
And Jewishness? Before the war, we Jews comprised about 10 percent of the country’s population.
Today, leading Poles have said to me with a sense of nostalgia, “We lost 10% of our culture.”
Today’s Poles consider Jewishness not only a religious aspect of identity, but also a national identity. To them, the country’s Jews are simply Jewish Poles.
Poland really wants to be democratic – and is making progress!
HILLEL GOLDBERG
Jerusalem
Pet sounds
Until his March 27 column (“Flip, flop and fly,” Grumpy Old Man), Lawrence Rifkin was simply a grumpy old man. Now he’s a grumpy old man with PET (post-election trauma).
NATAN NAMIR
Bnei Re’em
Won’t give up
In “Campaign report card” (A Fresh Perspective, March 27), Dan Illouz ends with the message: “As the Jewish state now faces serious challenges, it is time to unite around the elected government – to enable it to successfully address these challenges.”
The Jewish state has been facing these challenges since its birth. The change is that our adversaries are now stronger and more lethal, courtesy of our weak leadership.
Our leaders can tell US President Barack Obama he is too weak on Iran while they themselves allow Iran to continue calling for the destruction of Israel. They have left our security in the hands of Obama, the most pro-Muslim, anti-Israel American president.
The impression is that we are incapable of looking out for our own interests. This, of course, might be true, considering that our prime minister refuses to destroy those whose intention is our complete destruction.
His strategy of concessions and surrender is still the name of his game.
Therefore, I wonder what Illouz has in mind. It won’t mean Jewish sovereignty over the land, or over the Temple Mount.
The pre-election promises have already been retracted. I have no hopes for a strong and just strategy for our country.
But as a Zionist in the true sense of the word (which means, of course, settling the Jewish land and being an observant Jew), I will never give up on it.
EDITH OGNALL
Netanya
CLARIFICATION
In “Faith and feminism” (Community, March 27), Ariel Cohen spoke about the “newfound religion” of Orna Greenman of Ot OoMofet, but did not identify which faith she practiced, which is Christianity.
This was an oversight and we apologize, although the fact that she is a Christian and her organization has Christian roots does not void the validity of the work it does – which does not include missionary activity.
CORRECTION
The illustrations taken from The Lieberman Open Orthodox Haggadah that were used in the March 27 book review “Perceptive Haggada” were improperly labeled due to an editing error.
They were by Caryl Herzfeld, and not as stated.
Write to: maglet@jpost.com Only a selection of letters can be published. Priority goes to those that are brief and topical. Letters may be edited, and must bear the name and address of the writer.