Strike the hateful language

Let us reconcile our differences with our Jewish brothers by erasing the hostile and pejorative language written of them in our sacred literature.

By JERUSALEM POST READERS
letters to the editor (photo credit: )
letters to the editor
(photo credit: )
Fairness not always right
Sir, – Regarding “Accused child-killer ruled fit for prison” (July 29), we do not need any more boards of inquiry into how to avoid tragedies that befall, with utmost regularity, the weak in our society, especially women and children. All we need is for those in authority, be they judges, the police, social service personnel or medical personnel, to exercise extreme caution and err on the side of maximum conservatism when there is even the slightest possible doubt that the weak will be in danger.
The constant concern in our society to lean over backwards to protect the rights of the strong and be ever so fair to all sides has resulted in too many tragedies. Those in authority have to harden their “Jewish hearts” when making decisions that may be very unpopular.
When lives are at stake there is no alternative.
DAVID GOSHEN Kiryat Ono
Muddling continues
Sir, – I wish to respond to the opinion piece by Ehud Ya’ari (“The US revamps its ‘Muddle East’ policy,” July 28).
At a time when Great Britain still had an empire, its Foreign Office liked to say it had been achieved, not by a clearly constructed and thoughtout foreign policy, but by muddling through – for example, by amassing armies far away from home, conquering peoples that did not know where Britain was, and setting up puppet governments under the slogan “Might is right.”
It seems to me that the United States has, since the first Iraq war in 1991, gone down that same British road, no matter how much it might claim it is renewing democracy.
Indeed, where is the proof? Winning an election means nothing when the government is too weak to protect the people from constant corruption and unending terrorism.
While I agree with Ya’ari that it is imperative for the US to prevent Iraq’s neighbor, Iran, from acquiring a nuclear weapon, the question remains: What can it do when sanctions cannot be imposed hermetically due to Russian and Chinese opposition? Hence, it seems to me that if the US has decided, as Ya’ari claims, to “reclench her fist,” it should reinstate a policy of massive retaliation should Iran continue its nuclear program. That is a policy with a real chance of deterring the Iranians.
DR. LILY POLLIACK Jerusalem
Strike the hateful language
Sir, – Back in December, my cousin Mario was invested at the Vatican as a Catholic priest. I have put together a letter for him to give to the pope, calling for the abolishment of ungodly language directed toward Jews in our sacred literature.
At the very least, my cousin will have something to ponder.
The letter, in part, is as follows: Humanity, at the dawn of the 21th century, is in need of a Christian demonstration of the Royal Law, as applied to James, the Lord’s brother, in Galatians 1:19, and the Law-orientated Jews who follow him (Acts15:13 and Acts 21:18-20).
The Book of James (2:8) reminds us what the scripture commands: Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.
In this spirit, let us reconcile our differences with our Jewish brothers by erasing the hostile and pejorative language written of them in our sacred literature so as not to justify or condone such behavior. The modern incarnation of Israel would benefit in its public relations with the world from the removal of contemptuous imagery written in the New Testament toward Law-abiding Jews.
In the interest of the responsible use of literature in molding public perceptions, let us read these mean-spirited words no more so as not to give credence to the less critically minded who may mistake these verses and passages as divine demonstrations of acceptable behavior toward the Jewish people.
May the fruit of our labors in brotherly love be a “fragrance of righteousness pleasing to God.”
RALPH D. PRESTON III San Diego, California