By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: PIXABAY)Sensible administrative moveThe misuse of the word “annexation” for what is simply application of sovereignty is absolutely not just a simple question of word choice. Rather, it shows a willful ignorance of the basic fact that the territories in question never belonged to any other country.It is disappointing that some of the Jerusalem Post writers are so sloppy as to use the two words interchangeably. Even Michael Freund refers to “annexation” when he decries the calls for a Palestinian state and seems to encourage the application of sovereignty. Amotz Asa-El’s history of annexations around the world is interesting but completely irrelevant to our situation here in Israel, and he seems not to realize the distinction.Application of Israeli law to the Israelis who live in the Jordan Valley and Yehuda and Shomron – to areas where the majority is Jewish, not Arab – should and would be a simple and sensible administrative move, if we would just do it, rather than endlessly talking and musing about it. We should have done it many years ago, but unfortunately our leadership is so busy looking over its shoulders at the rest of the world’s reactions that it has lost all pride and courage.If we would stop answering to the false claims of our enemies, who of course will object to any assertion of our ownership to any part of the Land of Israel, we could get on with the business of efficient and intelligent governance over all of our citizens. How pathetic it is to witness so much hesitation to do something so obvious, simple and right.DEBORAH BUCKMANTzur HadassahThe vast majority of world opinion opposes Israeli application of sovereignty.As playwright and author Irishman George Bernard Shaw wisely puts it, “The minority is sometimes wrong; the majority is always wrong.”LEONARD KAHN, ATTORNEY AT LAWZichron YaakovSeth Frantzman’s “Israel’s annexation charade” (June 26) hits the nail on the head. Declaring sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria seems like very little real gain for possibly a lot of pain. One is tempted to leave well enough alone.Except that the Obama administration failed to veto the one-sided UN Resolution 2234, which, contrary to UN Resolution 242 (i.e., as described by the author of it, Eugene Rosow), proclaims that all Israeli building (existence, actually) over the old 1949 armistice line (it never was a border) is illegal.So, the conundrum: do we push back and claim sovereignty or hope things will stay the same (not get any worse).Unfortunately, our current prime minister who must make a momentous decision has not a shred of integrity (i.e., it is not enough that he is under indictment, but now he is a rich (tax break) potential felon.Where are our leaders of the past?BARRY H. LYNN, PHDSenior Associate Scientist, LecturerUN savory UN behaviorRegarding ‘UN vehicle ‘car sex act’ in Tel Aviv just latest UN sex abuse scandal’ (June 29); I have often wondered these past 50 years of visiting and living in Israel just what all these UN personnel are doing here. Now I know.In my hometown of Los Angeles, there are no UN cars or people. I know that in New York City the UN and its many ministers are notorious for not paying their parking and other tickets that they collect like avid stamp collectors.I saw this disgusting “UN sex act vehicle” video last week when a friend forwarded it to me. I couldn’t believe what I was watching. Now that I’ve read Seth Frantzman’s article this morning, I see that the UN peacekeepers worldwide are literally getting away with murder and rape.I have always felt that the UN outlived its usefulness the day after it declared the State of Israel in 1948. President Trump should kindly ask the UN to leave New York, moving to The Hague or somewhere else in Europe. Someone could then buy their building and convert it to co-op apartments. It’s a great location on the East River. The general assembly hall would make a marvelous concert hall and the other meeting halls could be a nice cineplex.I only hope that it was not a Jewish Israeli woman performing an obvious sex act in the back seat of that UN SUV.Utterly disgusting UN.NORMAN DEROVANMa’aleh AdumimCrude EhudYour headline “Barak: Netanyahu sits on Knesset’s neck like cop on George Floyd’s” (June 29) is offensive.But then again, it’s really what former prime minister Ehud Barak said that is offensive, so I guess I can’t really blame you for it, can I?YISRAEL MEIRIRishon LezionAirborne swineRegarding “In Germany, several churches have perverse antisemitic sculptures” (June 28), the images of the Judensau are perhaps among the most egregious but not the only antisemitic sculptures still placed prominently throughout Europe. The Cathedral in Strasbourg, France, is still faced by a huge sculpture depicting the Jew as blindfolded and downcast. What is hard to fathom is the resistance to the removal of the horribly offensive pig images, which unquestionably helped pave the way to the Holocaust by dehumanizing Jews.In spite of the murder of six million Jews in Europe just decades ago, is it still is not on the European radar that “Jewish Lives Matter,” too?MARION REISSBeit ShemeshIn “California synagogue replaces name of Confederacy supporter after protests” (June 28) we learn that Reform Peninsula Temple Sholom is removing the name of “Judah Benjamin” from a list of names on a window in its religious school. Benjamin was a US senator who is reviled by many because he later served in the South during the US Civil War.Fair enough. Now when will European churches remove viscerally repulsive Judensau and other anti-Jewish artwork from their premises?When pigs have wings.RINA AUERBACHJerusalemRegarding the “California synagogue replaces name of Confederacy supporter after protests” article, we find your headline misleading as protests on this particular matter never occurred and were not in the original article.We suggest alternatives, such as, “Bay Area synagogue replaces concerning names originally etched in glass window.” Or, “Bay Area synagogue puts words into action, replaces name of Confederacy supporter etched in glass windows.”AYELET SHAPIRODirector of Community EngagementPeninsula Temple SholomBurlingame, CaliforniaEditor’s note: The words “after protests” have been removed from the online version of the article.Chin breathers“Closures will not stop COVID-19” (June 25) contains an excellent example of why closures will not work. The three women pictured should be fined, as they are not wearing their masks as they should be. Covering the mouth but not the nose is the same as not wearing a mask. The common phrase yiyeh b’seder (everything will be ok) does not apply to COVID-19.Not only does the country need to perform 15,000 tests per day, but in the present climate, the country needs to issue 15,000 fines per day, especially to the thousands of Israelis who seem to breathe through their chins.The wearing of masks is no joke.On the same page you also show another photograph which I hope is a file photo from last year as not one of the youngsters in the photo is wearing a mask and they are not practicing social distancing.MICHAEL H. DAVISRishon LezionRegarding “New restrictions as virus cases spike” (June 30), probably the top preventative measure against COVID-19 is wearing a mask and wearing it properly. In many of the pictures you run, people are not wearing their masks properly – noses are uncovered and often only the neck or chin are covered. What kind of a message are you sending?Wearing masks properly (which means covering mouth and nose) and social distancing are the two top ways to keep the infection numbers low. As a newspaper you have a responsibility to hammer this point home and to point out when people are not properly protecting themselves and the greater community.LAWRENCE LOEWENTHAL, MDRa’ananaA shekel savedMuch has been written about the terrible distress brought about on the many unemployed due to the corona crisis. Israel’s number of unemployed is currently about a million. Many are in real trouble.Yuval Cherlow discusses the ethics and morals of firing on the part of employers (“The ethics of firing,” June 30). Should one fire a few employees or cut the salaries of some or all the employees? He poses and answers other difficult quandaries.Little is written, however, about the morality and ethics on the part of the employee. Sure, many people live from paycheck to paycheck and cannot save a substantial part of their salary, but many have fairly comfortable salaries for long periods of time. Is it moral or ethical for them to not save part of these salaries for a rainy day?Reduce impulse buying, build a nest egg, especially if a family depends on you, relegate the credit cards to limbo for a while. Saving 20% of your salary (sure, it may be difficult with kids clamoring for the latest version of their smartphone or computer game) for two years will provide financial security for five to six months in a time of need.SHALOM GUREVICHBeershebaStand back – Let’s try scienceRegarding “Pandemic has US women re-thinking plans for motherhood” (June 28), readers may be interested in the following portions of my research publication “COVID-19 and autism” in Medical Hypotheses.One of the dominant theories about the etiology of autism relates to a postulated newborn deficiency of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).Several studies have reported the reduction of autism in children who were breastfed exclusively, especially for the entire first postpartum year. This is apparently due to the enhanced supply of IGF-1 found in breast milk, in contradistinction to the lower level in bovine milk. What remains to be determined is the umbilical cord serum IGF-1 limit below which aggressive postpartum growth factor replacement is indicated, as well as the minimum breast milk IGF-1 concentration that can be remedial in this regard.Maternal infection with fever during pregnancy doubles the postpartum risk of autism in the infant. The elevated production of cytokine IL6 in particular has been identified in the symptomatic pathogenesis of the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, the SARS-CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak of 2003, the H5N1 avian influenza of 1987, and the MERS-CoV (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic of 2012. In severe cases, “cytokine storm,” with elevated IL6 being produced, is essentially pathognomonic. (Increased IL6 reduces the level of IGF1.)In a recent report from China, elevated IL6 was determined to be related to the severity of COVID-19. Thus, IL6 could be used as an acute-phase biomarker in corona-induced disease monitoring. Its decrease appears to correlate with recovery progress as well. Lung parenchyma in such cases produces the excess IL6. The monoclonal antibodies against IL6, siltuximab and tocilizumab, have been used to reduce cytokine release.GARY STEINMAN, MD, PHDJerusalem Not enough attention has been paid in the media to the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on international science projects. Many of these are dependent on frequent travel both in and between the countries involved.Although Australia has been relatively unscathed by the corona crisis, a recent rise in cases has again renewed lockdowns there (Australia sees biggest rise in COVID-19 cases in two months,” June 30). The “Needle in the Haystack” science group with members from the Soreq Research Center, the Ben Gurion University of the Negev and the Sami Shamoon School of Engineering are involved with scientists from the University of Adelaide and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne on a project to improve the accuracy of radiation dose delivered to cancer patients.The project is funded by the Israeli Ministry of Science but has been on hold since March due to the Australian lockdown, which has closed the universities and which is not allowing travel between Adelaide and Melbourne – an essential part of the research plan because irradiated samples in Adelaide must be read out and analyzed in a facility in Melbourne.The samples were transported personally from Israel to Adelaide immediately before the March lockdown, which forced the Israeli member to hurriedly return to Israel just before the Ben-Gurion airport closed down.Corona consequences can be colossal.YIGAL HOROWITZProfessor Emeritus of Radiation PhysicsBeersheva
