October 7: Giving

Has Ehud Olmert never heard the expression "Charity begins at home?" Why doesn't he give away some of his private property?

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
letters pink 88 (photo credit: )
letters pink 88
(photo credit: )
Giving... Sir, - Has Ehud Olmert never heard the expression "Charity begins at home?" If he is in such a generous mood, why doesn't he give away some of his private property and leave our land alone! ("Cabinet gives a gift to Russia: Sergei's Courtyard," October 6). REBECCA RAAB Ma'aleh Adumim Sir, - Can there be any justification for a lame-duck prime minister journeying to Moscow with this irrevocable gift? The stated rationale, that this "generosity" will sway Vladimir Putin away from furthering Iran's nuclear aspirations or providing Syria with advanced anti-aircraft batteries, is spurious - or pathetically naive ("Sergei's Courtyard," Editorial, October 6). FAY DICKER Lakewood ...generously Sir, - I've heard of land for peace, but land for a photo-op is something new. JOE FRANKL Savyon How Israelis help to demonize Israel Sir, - In his defense of Yesh Din, David Kimche evades NGO Monitor's substantive analyses by claiming that we reject all criticism of Israelis in the West Bank ("Breaking the law," October 3). In contrast, the members of Yesh Din, he asserts, have Israel's best interests at heart. Similar claims are made by B'Tselem officials regarding the Shooting Back project ("Image makers," UpFront, same date). As our publications demonstrate, NGO Monitor views critical discourse on human rights as both necessary and as a hallmark of Israel's vigorous democracy. The problem with the powerful network of Israeli NGOs, led by groups such as Yesh Din and B'Tselem, is their selective use of human rights rhetoric to promote partisan political objectives. For both groups, the steady condemnation of Israeli policies is merely a means to the main political goal: ending the occupation and returning to the 1949 armistice lines. In this context, the selective coopting of human rights values which erases the context of Palestinian terror damages the universality of these fundamental principles. These NGOs, moreover, increasingly use funds provided by European governments and the New Israel Fund to campaign in international forums such as the UN. B'Tselem recently opened a lobbying office in Washington DC; and Yesh Din's highly misleading "statistics" are headlined by the media as evidence of "war crimes." In this process, Israeli NGOs contribute to the Durban strategy of demonization and the efforts by anti-Semitic groups to isolate Israel. NAFTALI BALANSON NGO Monitor Jerusalem Where are you, 'Imam Forman'? Sir, - Rabbi David Forman raises doubts about Israel's decision to bomb terrorist leader Salah Shehadeh because civilians were also killed in the attack ("Moral ambiguity versus moral clarity," UpFront, September 26). I believe that attacking terrorists whenever possible shows moral clarity, because not attacking them endangers our lives and is equivalent to placing a higher value on the lives of Palestinian civilians than on those of Israeli civilians. Terrorists enjoy the backing of the civilian population. They are idolized; streets and schools are named in their honor. Whereas Israelis are truly sorry when Palestinian civilians are killed, Palestinians do not even try to hide their delight when Israeli civilians die. Where is the Palestinian "Rabbi Forman" condemning the killing of Israelis? NATHAN AVIEZER Petah Tikva Third Temple blues Sir, - Re "Making a sacrifice" (Ask the Rabbi, Shlomo Brody, UpFront, August 29): The building of a third Temple would be, in my view, the most divisive, most destructive act ever committed by contemporary Jewry. Its rebuilding would entail the magical disappearance of the Mosques of Omar and al-Aksa, with all the attendant repercussions. There are four major streams (and a few smaller ones) in world Jewry. One would never agree with another as to what should take place were the Temple to be rebuilt. Aside from the absurd suggestion that animal sacrifices be restored, other issues remain: who would finance and maintain the structure; who would be the Kohen Hagadol (High Priest) and his assistants; who would determine the rites and prayers; whether grain and fruit offerings would be brought for the tithes and atonement of sins - and, above all, what would be the relationship of the Temple to Israel and to world Jewry. Would it affect the image of God as being "without shape or form," who is non-corporeal, or would we worship an anthropomorphic deity who demands animal sacrifices, brings down natural disasters as punishment for sinners, issues orders for mass slaughter, threatens and carries out his threats, becomes jealous and angry, and listens and speaks to human beings? Someone once asked if God was a farmer, a dietician, a cook, a carpenter or a tailor, because he issues directions on how to raise crops, proper foods to eat, minute details on how to construct the holy Ark, and how to sew the vestments of the High Priest. ELIEZER WHARTMAN Jerusalem Not only, but also Sir, - In his review of Zev Golan's English translation of Israel Eldad's book The First Tithe ("In the underground," UpFront, August 29), Alexander Zvielli wrote: "Eldad... also edited Chronicles, the newspaper of Jewish history." To set the record straight, Chronicles was co-edited by Dr. Eldad, of blessed memory, and the undersigned. As a matter of fact, the English-language paper, launched (in 1949) and published by the late Polly Van Leer, was already a going concern under my editorship, beginning in 1950, when Dr. Eldad came on board in 1952 as chief editor of the Hebrew edition, Divrei Hayamim. MOSHE AUMANN Jerusalem Halachic infertility: A medical problem Sir, - Re "On halachic infertility" (Ask the Rabbi, Shlomo Brody, UpFront, September 19): Mid-cycle or ovulation bleeding is a medical problem and should be investigated as such. It could be caused by either a hormonal problem or an intrauterine pathology. It is true that a rabbi should be consulted first, in case the woman might not be a nidda halachically. But if she is, then a proper medical solution has to be found for her medical problem, namely infertility and abnormal bleeding. DR. HAVA-YAEL SCHREIBER Ob/Gyn Specialist Jerusalem Well-deserved win for our Paralympians Sir, - The fact that the Paralympic duo who won the silver medal for the tennis doubles were unseeded made their win even more impressive ("Boaz Kramer and Shraga Weinberg ready to racket-and-roll," October 3). Maybe Inbal Pezarro - who won not one, not two but three silver medals - should have been acknowledged as one of the "People of the Year" instead of Shahar Zubari, who won only a bronze and brought shame on Israel with his uncalled-for remarks about the Chinese people. I feel that the lack of media attention to our Paralympians reflects the attitude of the Israeli government. It gave a grant of NIS 9 million for 42 participants at the Olympic Games, while only NIS 900,000 was allocated for the 43 Paralympic sportsmen, who because of their disabilities require much more assistance. Does that fact make them or their achievements less commendable? BEREL KOSEFF Jerusalem