By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: REUTERS)Disgusted The language used by two Hebrew University professors in their criticism of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has filled me with disgust (“HU prof: Shaked is “Neo-Nazi scum “ December 29).While I accept that the university authorities do not feel they should interfere with the private views of their academic staff, I, as an emeritus associate professor of the same institution, regard their language as disgusting and certainly not what one would expect from academics.I hope that the justice minister will institute legal proceedings against them, which I trust will succeed.MONTY M. ZIONTel MondOn principleIn regards to “Women of the Wall: PM forgets women make up half of Jews,” December 30, the Prime Minister’s Office said that Benjamin Netanyahu “supports preserving the status quo at the Western Wall.”As confirmed by Justice Moshe Sobel in 2013, Women of the Wall have been part of the “status quo at the Western Wall” for more than 27 years and while this organization may negotiate its rights away, other women, notably the Original Women of the Wall will never abandon our goals and our rights.The article also states that Original Women of the Wall “broke away from WOW.”The contrary is true. OWOW have broken with unjust, illicit rules.We don’t break with principle.It is WOW that has broken away from the charter of our group, which calls for women’s prayer at the women’s section of the Western Wall.CHERYL BIRKNER MACKJerusalemThe writer is a former board member of WOW and an OWOW activist.Vote Eric!After reading the article by Eric R. Mandel, (“The 2016 agenda for the Middle East,” December 30), I realized this is the man who should be leading the United States as the next president.His ideas were cogent, perfectly outlined, and right on target, especially concerning President Barack Obama’s abandonment of all the players in the burning Middle East, including Israel and all of the United States’ once long standing allies.What the candidates should be saying as part of their “run for the presidency,” was laid out for them and stated in simple language what must be done to get back to what was: America, the greatest ally of Israel, with not a hair of daylight between us.America must get back to being the strongest and most trustworthy country in the world.Israel will always be in the sights of all the Arab States and jihadists, but at least they would know for sure that America stands by it’s red lines.I’d vote for Eric tomorrow.DEBRA FORMANModi’inNew oathI read December 27’s editorial, “No kindness,” with interest. I agree with the author’s sentiments, but I take issue with the statement that the Hippocratic Oath should be our moral guide.That oath, as I remember it contains recommendations that in modern terms might be classified as trade union regulations concerning the division of labor and remuneration.May I remind the readers that we are still close to Hanukkah and Hippocrates was a Greek. I suspect that the translation is flawed.Hippocrates was not a monotheist and therefore he would not have said “play at God.” He may have said “play as a god,” referring to a polytheistic choice.But, we are Jews, citizens of our own state. Why not choose Rabbi Moses Maimonides as our moral mentor? The last two lines of his oath as printed in one of my old text books is ‘...oh let me e’r behold in the afflicted and the suffering/ only the human being.”A prayer, that is a supplication, has a degree of humility absent in an oath, and this is why I prefer Maimonides prayer as the yardstick for medical professional behavior.ALBERT JACOBBeershebaNew MuhammadThe jihadist terrorist acts in Europe and other parts of the world, and the unbroken sequence of Palestinian knife attacks and rammings on innocent Israelis are making the Islamic faith increasingly disliked, despised, and feared throughout the world.Almost all attacks invariably end with the killing of the shahids who, in common with their inciters, seemingly fail to realize, or else do not care, in the crazed frenzy of the moment, that they are at the same time murdering and demeaning their own faith, Each knife thrust and car ramming only increases the impatience and disrespect of ordinary, peace-loving non-Muslims for the religion of Islam whose leaders appear to be condoning the acts of the extremists and, in the case of the Palestinians, even praising their insane and bloody acts.The impression that Israelis and non-Muslims around the world seems to be gaining increasingly is that Islam is sinking into a medieval kind of barbarism and darkness, which is turning it into a movement using force, fear and terrorism to achieve world dominion and supremacy that is very far from the aura of light, conciliation, cooperation and progress, which it should be radiating among its followers and from them for the whole of humanity.Instead, their actions are fomenting hatred and disgust.Perhaps then the time has come for a new Muhammad to rise up among the Muslims world, a Muhammad inspiring Muslims everywhere to work together with their brethren of other faiths for world peace, for an end to terrorism and for the good of humanity.DAVID HERMANJerusalemGo home In the article “Ministers advance NGO transparency legislation,” December 28, the writer mentions that EU Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen is trying to influence the legislation process on this transparency bill by all kind of different statements and by meeting with political figures.Since when is an ambassador allowed to intervene in parliamentary process of legislation of a sovereign country, to which he is accredited? He reportedly compares this democratic legal process of our parliament to “tyrannical regimes.”Israel, the only democratic country in the entire Middle East, with the highest legal standards and values, is becoming a “tyrannical regime” in the eyes of this ambassador because the proposed law requires transparency of foreign funding to all kind of organizations that constantly demonize and bash our country, soldiers and democratically elected government.We would not need such a law if Faaborg-Anderson and his and other governments in the European Union would not interfere in our internal affairs by funding dubious so called “human rights organizations.”Since when do democratic friendly countries intervene in each other’s affairs, as he and others are doing so in a very provocative manner, contrary to all diplomatic rules and conventions? Because of this intervention in our legal process, many citizens regard Faaborg-Anderson as persona non grata, and would be happy if he would return and stay in his country.His presence in Israel has become an obstacle to the functioning of our democracy, and I dare to speculate, that he personally promotes the funding of these anti-Israeli organizations, whose aim, – among others – is to discredit our democratically elected government .I hope his next ambassadorial post will be in one of the other countries in the Middle East, where human rights are really trampled down. Maybe then he will appreciate Israel and the good post he had here.SHLOMO FELDMANNGivatayim
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