Letters to the editor, May 30

Our readers share their thoughts about the latest stories from the Post.

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters (photo credit: REUTERS)
Letters
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Kushner: No wrong
I’m concerned by the frontpage headline “‘Kushner held secret talks with Russians’” (May 28).
Most US press outlets seem to have changed their mission from reporting the news to destroying the Trump presidency, even if they have to damage their country in the process. Why are Israel’s news providers joining the witch hunt? After Trump has begun to reverse the poisonous anti-Israel policies of former president Barack Obama, the least our media can do is be fair and unbiased.
The facts are that Kushner spoke to Russian officials after the election as one of the people tasked with developing the policies of the Trump White House.
Following the US news in detail, one learns that this is expected, normal and not suspicious in any way. But of course, a steady barrage of headlines implying criminal wrongdoing might help the American lunatic mainstream get rid of Trump sooner.
Congratulations, Jerusalem Post, for piling onto the band wagon!
NAOMI SANDLER
Jerusalem German antics
With regard to “German FM hosts Iran official who called to eliminate Israel” (May 28), perhaps in light of this and other antics by German officials, we should call in Chancellor Angela Merkel, place her on a low chair and tell her that only when she and her government realize what they are saying and with whom they are chortling will we then let them build an embassy in Jerusalem.
I have enough understanding to know that they are suppliers of arms and submarines. This is only to support their own industry, not to show any remorse.
YISRAEL (IAN) LAST Kiryat Ata
Deaf ears
I fully agree with all the points raised by David M. Weinberg on ways to transform any future peace negotiations with the Palestinians (“On hope, love, faith and redlines,” Comment & Features, May 28). However, by their very nature in going that extra mile to ensure Israel’s security, they are in part or in whole likely to fall on deaf ears with any interlocutors we find ourselves dealing with.
I will, of course, be pleased to be proved wrong should by some modern-day miracle, the negotiations move in a positive direction that might finally make it possible to think that the Palestinian leaders will for once think seriously of the lives of their people. This, in turn, might lead us to consider offering our expertise in creating various job opportunities via their internal start-ups, and guide further in what is required in a new, fully functioning, independent state.
Unfortunately, even while writing these points, I am overcome with the usual negative thoughts – which, of course, is no way to approach negotiations, even if history, regretfully, relates otherwise.
STEPHEN VISHNICK Tel Aviv
Abridged Torah
In “Denial of access to Torah scrolls for egalitarian worship in Israel” (Comment & Features, May 28), Benjamin Mann complains that groups of Conservative students were denied the use of Torah scrolls by the Orthodox establishment.
Since the groups in question do not accept many of the commandments in these scrolls, I suggest that they issue an abridged version containing the parts acceptable to them, and carry this version with them.
They have already issued prayer books that conform to their beliefs, so an abridged Torah scroll would be suitable.
ZVI FINK Modi’in
In response to the op-ed penned by Benjamin Mann, head of the Solomon Schechter school in Manhattan, I would like to share with your readers the definition of the word “perversion,” as it appears in the online dictionary I found when I googled the word: “the alteration of something from its original course, meaning or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended.”
Egalitarian prayer as proffered by non-Orthodox streams of Judaism is a perversion of the way Jews have been praying from time immemorial. Just because the non-Orthodox decided to pray in this fashion over the past 150 years does not grant the practice authenticity.
If those streams want to instill in their students Jewish identity, they should try instilling in them authentic Judaism, not some watered-down version cooked up to make us look more Christian than Jewish.
Have respect for your great-grandparents. If they prayed at all, they prayed in a gender-segregated environment because they were loyal to Jewish tradition.
If Israel is to survive as a Jewish state, it must adhere to some level of Jewish tradition.
Freedom of religion means you have the choice to practice any religion you want to; it does not give you the freedom to steal the name Judaism from authentic Torah Judaism, which has weathered many storms and will weather this one, too.
NACHUM CHERNOFSKY Bnei Brak The writer describes himself as “non-haredi” despite his place of residence.
Not much difference
With regard to reader Leon Charney’s May 28 letter (“Trump visit”) about the reason US President Donald Trump chose not to address the Knesset, during “parliament question time” in the British House of Commons, I have seen some volatile interchanges between the two opposing parties.
Insults are indeed thrown while the back-benchers shout and cheer. It gets very heated and noisy. The speaker of the house calls “Order, order!” Sometimes, he can hardly be heard above the din.
Maybe the Knesset is crazier during its sittings and our lawmakers do not refer to each other as “the honorable” this or that, but the outcomes are similar and achieve about as much – or as little.
SALLY SHAW Kfar Saba
Who’ll go first?
With regard to the recent visit to the area by US President Donald Trump, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas promised that he wanted to make peace, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that he wanted to make peace. So what’s the problem? It reminds me of a story they say of a yekke woman who became pregnant with twins. The time came to give birth and nothing happened. Weeks, then months, then years passed by, and she remained pregnant.
After 70 years she died, so the doctors opened her up to see what was going on inside. They found two old yekkes with goatees.
One was saying to the other, “I insist, you go out first.” The other was saying, “No, no, no, you go out first.” And on and on.
YOSEF TUCKER Jerusalem
CLARIFICATION
Betty Herschman, director of international relations and advocacy at Ir Amim, wishes to clarify regarding her May 29 letter “Problematic plan”: I was responding to an online report in which Likud MK Anat Berko’s unilateral separation plan was mistakenly said to include the revocation of east Jerusalem Palestinians’ “citizenship” status. My point was to distinguish between citizenship rights – which the Palestinians of east Jerusalem were never collectively granted – and permanent residency status, the secondary status assigned to Palestinians that affords them no citizenship rights. The larger problem with Berko’s plan is that it is unilateral. Jerusalem cannot be divided unilaterally, and any attempt to do so without addressing the importance of the historic basin for Palestinians is doomed to failure. Such plans play into the hands of those who oppose an agreed-upon solution by creating significant facts on the ground that radically change the opening conditions for future negotiations.