November 29: Blue is on top

The front page photo of the world's largest flags (November 26) certainly gave the Philippines the opportunity to communicate with the Israeli public.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
letters to the editor 88 (photo credit: )
letters to the editor 88
(photo credit: )
Blue is on top Sir, - Thank you very much for the front page, above the fold photo of the world's largest flags (November 26). This photo certainly gave the Philippines the opportunity to communicate with the Israeli public, especially during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the State of Israel. Your readers may wish to know that viewing the Philippine flag with the blue field on top has a very important meaning in the context of the Philippines' peaceful relations with the international community, including Israel. The position of the blue and red fields is unique for the Philippine flag. It is for this reason that, in coordination with the organizers of the unfurling event at the Masada airfield, including Mrs. Grace Galindez-Gupana, the Filipina entrepreneur who made the flags, the dedication ceremony was held beside the blue field of the Philippine flag with the Masada mountain as the background to emphasize the proper position of our flag. Thus, if viewed from the Dead Sea with the Masada mountain behind the two flags and if the photos were taken and shown in this viewpoint, the Philippine flag is laid or flown correctly. I understand and truly appreciate the technical and editorial prerogatives of The Jerusalem Post in taking the photo of the two flags as published. It is the sole purpose of this letter to give additional information to the readers that the Philippine flag should have the blue field on top when viewed horizontally. GILBERTO G.B. ASUQUE Charge d'Affaires Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines Tel Aviv What a mess Sir, - I'm laughing on the outside, crying on the inside. Your front page ad for the Ir Amim organization (November 28) notes that 9,000 Palestinian children from east Jerusalem do not attend school. But how many Israeli children have not attended school for nearly two months now? What a mess we are in. MARILYN MAGEN Tel Aviv Honoring Dr. Evatt Sir, - Further to Shlomo Manns' urging that Dr. Evatt be honored here (Letters, November 28), it might interest readers to know that Dr. Evatt was presented with a silver tea service by the American organization, Brith Shalom, in recognition of his efforts on our behalf. That tea service was later presented by his widow to the Australian Capital Territory Jewish Community and it remains today on display in the National Jewish War Memorial Center in Canberra. MERVYN DOOBOV Jerusalem Way to go, Lauren... Sir, - I subscribe to a Google Alert for "animals and trapping." As a trapper, I read Lauren Walker's "I, trapper" (November 27) with much delight. I took up the much deplored activity of trapping 10 years ago. I can't recall what it was that motivated me to trap but looking back, I know that nothing I had done in the previous 40 years, including parenting, has been so rewarding. And Miss Walker expressed it as I wish I could (writing is not a talent I possess). Trapping is a lifestyle, not just an activity. For me trapping is something that I think about every day of the year. The preparation for the season is constant... fishing to make my own lure, collecting eggs that are too old to sell from farms as an ingredient for lure making, gathering hay chaff from a farmer's barn, gathering kitty litter containers from the curb side trash for trap sets, taking inner city high school students on field trips to city wetlands... and on and on every day. Do you want to get attention at a party or any gathering of humans? Talk trapping and watch the response; most, I have found, has been of high interest. So, way to go Lauren. Should you ever get back to Massachusetts, look me up and/or visit the Massachusetts Trappers Association for support. DON HEENAN East Longmeadow, Massachusetts ...No it isn't Sir, - I read in horror and disgust Lauren Walker's "I, trapper." Fur is not a necessity. Neither is meat. In this turbulent world, in which people are killing each other, their fellow creatures and the environment, one would think it should dawn on us that we are doing something wrong. Ms. Walker refers to herself as Jewish. Yet, as Jews we are supposed to be compassionate and prevent suffering to animals. I can only hope that upon watching the new documentary entitled A Sacred Duty, by Lionel Friedberg and Jewish Vegetarians of North America (available for free at JewishVeg.com), that people begin to reexamine their relationship with their fellow creatures and the earth. RINA DEYCH Brooklyn, N.Y. Sir, - Lauren Walker's stirring journey of self-discovery and Jewish affirmation leads her to... kill rabbits and other wildlife. It's comforting to know, however, that if her shooting skills are on par with her logic, the animals have nothing to worry about. RICHARD KLIN Stone Ridge, N.Y. Faulty logic Sir, - Why does Physicians for Human Rights attorney Yohanna Lerman think that Israel has any obligation to provide medical treatment to Palestinians from the Gaza Strip when the latter is in effect in a state of war with it (Rights group petitions court over Gazans seeking treatment," November 27)? By her logic the United Kingdom should have been doing the same for Germany during World War II so as not to be guilty of the "war crime" of collective punishment of its civilian population. MARTIN D. STERN Salford, England He's too kind Sir, - JJ Gross ("Personal Kosher Playground," Letters, November 25) puts it too kindly to those wealthy Diaspora non-resident Jews. Their behavior and treatment of our beloved Jerusalem is akin to a married man mistreating his mistress. He is so much in love with her that he buys her a fine apartment so he has a comfortable place for their rendevouz. He professes his love for her but continues to stay in his marriage for reasons of convenience/ lifestyle/ money. The mistreatment of the mistress, who sits waiting for the annual visit, should be a source of shame for them. Worst of all is their brazenness and oblivion to their shame and the damage they cause to Jerusalem's faithful. DAVID HARRIS Jerusalem Sir, - May I in turn compliment Hillel Hurwitz on his letter "Playground, grayground" (November 27) commenting on "Personal kosher playground." The imposition of a tax on non-resident purchases would also go some way in addressing the problem and curbing prices. A limited pool of property available for non-natives (following the Guernsey/Channel Islands model) may be a solution. Such property could trade at a substantial premium without distorting the local remainder of the market. I. ISRAELSOHN London Share the wealth Sir, - A suggestion for Tel Aviv after reading that they cannot afford to hire people to give out smoking fines ("No-smoking law enforcement can be cash bonanza for cities," November 27): Give them a percentage of the fines collected and see how fast Tel Aviv becomes a smoke-free city. M. SCHAEFFER Jerusalem