August 28: The Beck goes on

Why on earth should it be presumed that the Israelis who support Beck and his strongly pro- Israel stand and attend his rallies are exclusively right-wingers?

By JERUSALEM POST READERS
Glenn Beck Restoring Courage 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Glenn Beck Restoring Courage 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Beck goes on
Sir, – I take issue with the comment by Gil Hoffman that Glenn Beck’s Jerusalem rally was attended by more than 1,000 Evangelical Christians and “right-wing Israelis” (“Beck vows to defend Israel against UN, NGOs,” August 25).
Why on earth should it be presumed that the Israelis who support Beck and his strongly pro- Israel stand and attend his rallies are exclusively right-wingers? I think that many patriotic Israelis, even those who don’t necessarily see themselves as right-wingers, love Beck for loving Israel – and for his loyal and ardent support of our country.
RHONA YEMINI Givatayim
Sir, – Michael Evans (“The right kind of friend for Israel,” Comment & Features, August 25) laments the lost opportunity in not wholeheartedly embracing a popular figure like Glenn Beck.
It is precisely because Beck is popular and mainstream that he alienates so many Jewish liberals.
Since Jews were traditionally marginalized themselves, they tend to identify with others who have been marginalized.
This can have heroic consequences, as when US Jews aided and sacrificed for civil rights in the 1960s. But this same tendency can result in self-destructive behavior, leading some intellectuals, such as Noam Chomsky, to champion the rights of terrorists.
Marginalized does not always equate to worthy.
Glenn Beck, as an individual, has little in common with Jews except for his love for the Jewish people and Israel. Please don’t marginalize him.
DAVID KATCOFF
Jericho, Vermont
Sir, – The Media Comment piece by Israel Medad and Eli Pollak (“The anti-Beck crusade,” August 25) sounds pretty much like an anti-anti-Beck crusade.
These two gentlemen see nothing at all wrong with Glenn Beck coming here right after being fired from the extreme-rightwing Fox News (probably for being too far to the right even for them). They too are saying that “they know what the Israeli public wants and feels.”
LEONARD ZURAKOV Netanya
Sir, – Regarding “The anti-Beck crusade,” whatever one might think about Glenn Beck (and let’s admit it, he is controversial), it strikes me that his message about restoring courage might be of particular interest to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who keeps on talking about apologizing to Turkey without knowing what he would be apologizing for.
FRANK J. VAN BERS Moshav Zofit
Sir, – I’m thrilled that The Jerusalem Post has run against the tide of the staunch anti- Glenn Beck bias. Sans hyperbole, writers Medad, Pollak and Evans expose those who resort to fabrication and the slander of Beck, who bears the onslaught and then pushes on despite it all.
The press, once upon a time a fortress of truth, is not able to separate what Beck says from its disdain and suspicion of the man. Were the journalists who belittle and distrust him capable of this exercise in honesty, they would hardly skew his words in support of Israel.
By penning and printing these articles, the writers and the Post stand squarely on the side of honesty.
ANDREA ELLER
Beitar Illit
Sir, – Regarding Reuven Hammer’s letter (“Beck and Israel,” August 24), Beck and the Christians accompanying him were 100 percent respectful of the rally site.
The event was not even on the Temple Mount, so why the concern? Also, gentiles were able, albeit with some restrictions, to bring sacrifices to the Temple, and certainly allowed to ascend the mount itself.
If Hammer is so concerned about the violation of the sacred Temple Mount, why isn’t he daily protesting the Wakf’s recurring desecration there?
CHAIM ABRAMOWITZ Jerusalem
Sir, – Regarding your extensive coverage of Glenn Beck’s rallies, what I find remarkable in Jewish history is that aid and relief more often than not come from the most unexpected sources: kings, sultans, diplomats, industrialists and many ordinary people who may or may not have ulterior motives. Nonetheless, their efforts have always been always appreciated.
It would have been unimaginable 60 years ago to believe that today, the greatest support for Israel’s well-being would come from 40 million American Protestants.
Whether this backing is part of the Divine plan I would be reluctant to say, but the inability of so many of our citizens and alleged leaders to accept it leads me to question our ability to be grateful.
FRED CASDEN Ma’aleh Adumim
Pollard more worthy
Sir, – There was a demonstration outside Beit Hanassi on behalf of Jonathan Pollard during an August 22 visit by two busloads of US congressmen, yet I could not find any photograph or mention of this in your newspaper over subsequent days.
There were at least 50 people present.
But on August 25 I opened my Post to Page 3 and, lo and behold, there was a picture of demonstrators from Peace Now protesting Glenn Beck’s rally, as well as mention of some of their comments.
I would consider that Pollard deserved mention rather than the Peace Now agitators.
SID LEVINE London/Jerusalem
Entirely predictable
Sir, – Anav Silverman’s article (“Do UNRWA schools encourage terror against Israel?,” Comment & Features, August 22) only confirms what many have long suspected about the UN agency’s operations. And the letter of response from UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness (“UNRWA on op-ed,” August 25) was entirely predictable, quoting facts that suit the writer’s purpose and obfuscating criticism by James G. Lindsay and Andrew Whitley, two prominent insiders, that does not.
According to Britain’s Daily Telegraph, West Germany “single- handedly absorbed 17 million East Germans in 1989.” Jewish refugees from Arab lands, outnumbering the displaced Arabs, were similarly absorbed after 1948, with no help asked or received from international organizations.
The very existence of UNRWA has enabled wealthy Arab states to shrug off all moral and financial responsibility for displaced Palestinians over the past 60-odd years. As a result, the Palestinian refugee problem has been statistically inflated; their resettlement as full citizens in Arab and Muslim lands has callously been denied; UNRWA and its self-perpetuating bureaucrats have channeled Western aid that directly or indirectly fosters resentment, brain-washing and anti-Zionist hatred; and Israel has become the target of anti- Jewish propaganda throughout the world.
There will never be peace in this region until UNRWA is disbanded and replaced by an effective resettlement agency insisting that Arabs take care of Arabs and cease to blame Israel for their own mistakes and lost opportunities.
GABRIEL A. SIVAN Jerusalem
Ungrateful employers
Sir, – It appears that in many restaurants, cafe houses and other eating establishments, the server does not receive the tip you leave behind. Instead the amount you leave is deducted from the server’s salary.
In other words, you are giving the tip to the owner and paying more for your order than what is shown on the menu. Why this is allowed I am not quite sure, except for the accepted behavior of companies to their employees and patrons, which appears lately to be a lot less acceptable.
The next time you plan to leave a tip you might want to inquire who is actually receiving it, and then make an informed decision.
DORON HERSHKOVITZ Jerusalem