SHARON ALTSHUL JerusalemMake them use itSir, – I want to congratulate you and also thank you for your excellent editorial “Building bridges” (November 29). It was direct, to the point and without political bias.What is being noted here is essentially that we are dealing with a safety issue. Forget about the geo-political nature of the situation.I personally think Israel should temporarily close down the main entrance gates from the Arab market to the Temple Mount because then, when the Mughrabi ramp collapses, even the Arabs will wonder why it wasn’t fixed.HIRSCHEL (HARRY) MOSKOFFBeit ShemeshHaredim and the ShoahSir, – I was very pleasantly surprised to read Meir Wikler’s oped piece (“Yad Vashem and the Haredim,” November 29). Surprised because concern about education in the haredi world regarding the Holocaust is not the norm, and happy because a change in this policy and approach would do wonders for that community.Haredim have distanced themselves from the rest of the nation with regard to the Holocaust.Many, if not most, do not stand silently for the siren on Heroes and Martyrs Remembrance Day.Those who do do so out of respect for those around them, but not out of a real connection to the national expression of that powerful minute.The haredi focus regarding Holocaust education is on the great spiritual heroism of religious Jews in those horrific circumstances – which is certainly very worthwhile but does not come close to capturing the full realm of what Jews must learn.Perhaps Wikler’s focus should be on changing attitudes among haredim, and not pressuring Yad Vashem to change. The more the haredi community joins with the rest of the nation in mourning and education regarding the Holocaust and all national issues, the more it will have a say regarding their nature. But to isolate themselves and even mock and vilify national institutions, and then complain about the lack of appreciation for haredim in those institutions, is simply not fair or just.DOV LIPMANBeit ShemeshThe writer is a rabbi and director of Anglos for Am ShalemSir, – With all due respect to Meir Wikler, I believe he is tilting at windmills.The haredim feel they are underrepresented in testimonies of survivors. It is my understanding that during the Holocaust, those who were overtly religious were the first to disappear.What difference does it make so long as Yad Vashem is telling what happened during that period of history? Survivors, religious or not, did what they were capable of doing. Their Jewish blood was enough to jeopardize their lives.JESSICA FISCHERMichmoretFree passageSir, – I had to make sure it wasn’t Purim when I finished reading Khaled Diab’s article (“Israel needs its own freedom riders,” Comment & Features, November 29). Is he living on the same planet? Not permitting Palestinian activists to enter Jerusalem by bus is a safety measure. We do not want bombers, suicide or any other, on our buses. Our experience has taught us that we have to take steps to ensure we are not attacked.When they quit teaching their children that Jews must be killed, when they quit rattling sabers and making threats, when they quit trying to eradicate the memory of generations of Jews living in Jerusalem, that will be the time we can consider free passage for them into Jerusalem.
MARCELLA WACHTEL JerusalemSir, – The reason authorities do not allow Israelis into areas controlled by the Palestinians is the possibility of them not leaving alive. The reason authorities restrict the entry of Palestinians into Israel proper is the possibility of them leaving some of us dead.Any other suggestion is obfuscation par excellence.DANIEL ABELMANJerusalemTake the leap!Sir, – Always entertaining, Shmuley Boteach asks “Are Mormons any weirder than the rest of us?” (Comment & Features, November 29). Answering his own question, he clearly proves beyond doubt that all religions are equally based on weird and totally irrational beliefs for which there isn’t a shred of evidence.Well done! However, weirdest and most irrational of all is the belief in a non-existent, unobservable and imaginary entity Boteach calls God – and the jump of logic required to abandon this fantasy poor old Shmuley is unable to make.Instead, he tries to justify his counter-intuitive mental contortions by attacking rational scientists, of all people. No one can take him seriously when he attacks his old friend and sparring partner, Richard Dawkins.I am convinced that Boteach is too intelligent to believe his own attack on evolutionary science, backed as it is by overwhelming biological, geological and genetic evidence. He also knows very well that no one has ever made a credible scientific observation that contradicts evolutionary science, in itself a remarkable fact.It is a fact that evolution is not only probable, as Dawkins, Darwin and many others have clearly and brilliantly shown – it is the only possible explanation for speciation that is consistent with known physical and biological laws.Shmuley, we rationalists are waiting for you to make the final leap of logic, and that wouldn’t be weird in the slightest.ANTHONY LUDERRosh PinaThe writer is a physicianCORRECTION The photograph accompanying “Employing Israeli Arabs” (On My Mind, November 30) was not the photo that was intended for use, and depicts an Egyptian woman preparing to cast her ballot at a polling station in Cairo. We regret the error.