September 17: A song for Rose

I arrived in Israel last week, and am mourning, with the whole country, the death of little Rose.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
letters 88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
letters 88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
A song for Rose Sir, - I arrived in Israel last week, and am mourning, with the whole country, the death of little Rose Pizem ("Rose's remains finally found in Yarkon," September 14). I wrote a poem this summer while reading a book about children who perished in the Holocaust. Perhaps the Lord knew then that it was meant for Rose too: "Precious little one, nowhere safe to hide / Were I near, I'd give my life and with God we'd abide / I'd sing to you tenderly, wrap you warm and tight / Where none could harm you, I'd watch you day and night. / Now you must to God belong. You're safe with Him / To Him you'll sing your song." CARRIE BURNS Jerusalem Betrayal of the people Sir, - Caroline Glick's "Mrs. Clean is a fraud" (September 16) was an understatement. The gang that set up Kadima under Ariel Sharon did it with the intention of overturning the principles of the Likud Party, which had won the previous election on a platform of "No disengagement from Gush Katif." All the current candidates for the Kadima leadership are equally guilty of gross fraud on the electorate, and today's party primaries have the objective of perpetuating that fraud for as long as possible. ARIEL BROCH Shadmot Mehola Where's the balance? Sir, - Re "Olmert reportedly offers Palestinians 98.1% of West Bank" (September 15): After the creation of a Palestinian state, it is very likely there will be Arabs living here who consider themselves Palestinians living in Israel. Some will have Israeli citizenship, and some will have Palestinian citizenship and live here as permanent residents. Similarly, there should be Jews living in Palestine, some with Palestinian citizenship and some as permanent residents with Israeli citizenship. But if I understand correctly, Olmert is negotiating the creation of a Palestine state where no Jew will be permitted to live. In other words, the future Palestine will be Judenrein. How could a Jewish government agree to participate in negotiations based on this ugly, racist concept created by the Nazis? JOSEPH M. SCHWARCZ Omer Indecisively yours Sir, - "Sarah Palin may be hurting McCain among Jewish voters" (Hilary Leila Krieger, September 12) said exactly what I have been turning over in my mind. We made aliya from West Palm Beach, Florida, two years ago, and although I was a Democrat, I am leery of Obama. Now I am leery of Palin, the first woman ever on the Republican ticket. I wanted so badly to see a woman in the Oval office, but would I want her? My goodness, I had made up my mind to vote for McCain - but now I feel as if I am between a rock and a hard place. NORMA KURAS Petah Tikva McCain: Very much alive... Sir, - Re "Obama accuses McCain camp of phony outrage over lipstick remark" (September 12): More offensive was Barak Obama's comment that "You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still going to stink after eight years." This seems to refer to George W. Bush's policies, but the analogy is false: After so many years, a fish will be down to its bones and will not stink any more, and the paper will be long disintegrated. The analogy, therefore, seems rather to hint at McCain's age, 72, almost predicting that he would not last out a term as president. In fact, four vice presidents have attained the highest office as a result of assassination, and four as a result of the incumbent's death from natural causes. All the swipes against Sarah Palin, including the "Miss Piggy" and "hunter" images, are scare tactics aimed at burying, sooner rather than later, the very much alive and vigorous John McCain. MIRIAM L. GAVARIN Jerusalem ...but Obama's my man Sir, - This is not a choice of who is a bigger supporter of Israel, but of who will be a more effective one. Iran is closer than ever to acquiring nuclear weapons, Syria is breaking out of its international isolation, Hizbullah is stronger and Islamic fundamentalism is on the rise. Could the US have done better over the past eight years on these issues? After 9/11, someone in the White House's brain trust decided to go after Saddam Hussein, who presented no imminent threat, instead of the real Mideast terrorist threats like Iran or Syria. This has kept other countries from committing themselves to the cause the US and Israel share. John McCain wants to continue Bush's policies that have hurt America's standing and, by extension, Israel's security, policies that have made the US weaker both nationally, with an overstretched military, and worldwide. Even the strongest military on earth does not have the manpower to go after Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, all at the same time! Right now we need someone who can raise the US's standing. McCain is simply not that person. If Obama wins the presidency, the world will be more likely to renew its allegiance with the US. If the US decides to take out Iran's nuclear facilities, claiming it is a "clear and present danger," the world will not say, "There go the neocons again." They will fight with the US, side by side. When we look back at Nixon going to China, we understand that, at the time, only a Republican could have done that. Today only a Democrat can actually take on Islamic fundamentalism and hope to unite the rest of the world behind him. I'm voting for Obama not in spite of my support for Israel, but because of my support for Israel. JONATHAN ZUCKER New York Why bother to repent? Sir - We are all guilty of some breach of the law, be it crossing the road on a red light, tasting fruit in the supermarket and not paying for it, or falsely parking a car in a spot reserved for the disabled. The signal difference between us and Aryeh Deri was that he was caught, charged and convicted. He served time and paid his debt to society - not by using a mop, as Jeff Barak suggested, but by teaching illiterates in prison how to read and encouraging them to further their education ("A run on city hall?" September 15). There is no doubt about Deri's leadership qualities - which may be the reason so many people are working so hard to ensure that he is denied the chance to prove them yet again as mayor of Jerusalem. What is painful is that during the month of Elul, when we should be examining our own faults and asking forgiveness from the Creator, we are busy showing Aryeh Deri a most unforgiving face. What does this convey to future generations? Basically, that a crime of moral turpitude can never be forgiven, no matter what one does. If so, why should anyone bother to repent? TOVA LANDAU Jerusalem Overturn the three Rs Sir, - The apathy generated by the news that "Road death toll since 1948 hits 30,000" (September 14) is alarming. As long as RRR - "Rudeness Rules the Roads" - continues here, accidents will cause much injury and death. Drivers should be taught to drive defensively, to use the brake pedal, to slow down and give right of way. Monopolizing the road in total disregard of other drivers is an invitation to disaster. Do we really need to breed a new category of Israelis - the suicide driver? Let's be courteous and share the roads. We could all live with that! BLOSSOM RUBIN Beit Shemesh