The University of Chicago's decision to stay put directly affects Barack Obama today and his ability to live in this now upscale, exciting, integrated and beautiful neighborhood.
By JPOSTLEO GIOSUÈCOMletters good 88(photo credit: Courtesy)Obama's 'hoodSir, - Re "Mr. Obama's neighborhood" (UpFront, October 24): Hyde Park in Chicago was also my neighborhood from the early 1950s to the mid-'60s. I studied and began to raise my family there. This was the turbulent period when the University of Chicago considered relocating because of increasing crime due to population changes, but then decided to stay put. There is a bittersweet irony in that decision - one which directly affects Barack Obama today and his ability to live in this now upscale, exciting, integrated and beautiful neighborhood.Back then, many victims of the rampant violent crime in Hyde Park were university students. Students and faculty left, and replacements were hard to recruit. When the university decided to stay and stabilize the community, it invested heavily in development, including new housing and shopping areas. It also purchased older apartment buildings and implemented a very selective rental policy.The counter-force in the community was Saul Alinsky, Obama's mentor and the godfather of all radical community organizers. He and his Woodlawn Organization considered the university Public Enemy Number One. Their goal was to expand the area of low-cost housing directly into Hyde Park, regardless of the consequent crime and its effects. Not until the mid-'60s was a compromise reached between Alinsky's group and the university.I shudder to think what Hyde Park would look like had Alinsky and the Woodlawn Organization won, and had the university left. The Obamas would surely not be living there. JAN SOKOLOVKSY JerusalemStand up and voteSir, - American citizens living in Israel should be aware that although they may have gone out in large numbers to cast their ballots for the US presidential election, many of these ballots will most likely never be opened. In most states, absentee ballots are opened only if the outcome is close enough for them to make a difference. This is extremely rare, even though in Florida in 2000, the entire election was decided by less than 600 votes.While this means that my vote for John McCain will probably never be opened - nor any absentee votes for either candidate - I am convinced it is important for me to exercise my precious democratic right to vote, which so many worldwide are denied.Jews everywhere need to stand up and speak out for what they believe in ("Americans living in Israel cast their ballots," October 29).JEREMY WEISS Tel AvivFor balanceSir, - Sarah Honig's "Spit isn't rain - holiday frolic" (UpFront, October 24) purported to offer a balanced view of the recent riots in Acre. However, it focused solely on Arab antagonism toward Jews (much of it with no connection to Acre), with the end result more resembling a long list of anti-Jewish persecution. It is important to remember that conflicts involve more than one side, and a balanced view is needed to understand a given situation.Thus, while Ms. Honig referred to an incident of anti-Jewish graffiti from 2006, she failed to realize that in the Alkalay neighborhood, where the events of this past Yom Kippur took place, the main wall of the local shopping center has been calling for "Death to the Arabs" - in large graffiti letters - for so long (the authorities have tolerated it for years) that it can rightly be called a permanent feature.Unbalanced reporting only fuels a sense of persecution - which may be precisely what underlies this recent conflict.HARRY FREYManot, Western GalileeGifts of lifeSir, - "Wanted: Gifts of life" (October 26) Judy-Siegel-Itzkovich's interview with Israel Transplant head Tamar Ashkenazi was thoughtful and informative and should spur on every concerned Post reader. The number of registered ADI organ donors, 462,000, is totally inadequate for a country such as ours.The bearer of an ADI card treasures it with pride as he would a medal of honor, knowing full well that someday it could bestow the blessing of life on someone who would otherwise die. Apart from the enormous daily demands for organs, Israel has to be prepared at all times for major emergencies.Aggressive attempts must be made to educate ignorant and fearful religious families about the Israeli donor program, which many rabbis endorse, so those in need do not have to run overseas for transplant surgery, with the tremendous costs and risks. It is simply not necessary as we have our own highly experienced medical teams. All we need are the donors!URI MILUNSKY NetanyaThose knishes!Sir, - "An old-world flavor" (Upfront, October 24) evoked in this native of New York's Lower East Side scenes and sights of the once densely populated Jewish neighborhood. It also reminded me that Yonah Schimmel's bakery also featured a large photo of its founder, a bearded Jew wearing a large black skullcap. The accompanying photo reminded me that when my late grandfather, Oser Perlof, arrived in America on the eve of WWI as a penniless immigrant, he started working in the bakery as a busboy. He once explained that the job provided survival security because he was allowed to help himself to all the knishes he desired.Although I spent the first 22 years of my life on the Lower East Side, I never entered the bakery premises because they operated on Shabbat. The only authentic Jewish vestige was the picture of Yonah Schimmel prominent in the front window. When my grandfather began working there some 95 years ago, the knishes were a true Jewish food.MORDECHAI SPIEGELMAN Jerusalem
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