Jerusalem Post readers weigh in on the latest issues engulfing the Jewish state.
By LETTERS TO THE EDITORWaste of air time Sir, – I am personally and politically outraged that the IBA News gave some of its precious time on September 20 at 12.30 p.m. to Roni Kedar, spokesperson for a left-wing, unrepresentative group called “Other Voices,” which advocates “sitting down even with Hamas” to negotiate peace.Since Kedar lives in the Gaza border community of Netiv Ha’asara, one would think she and others might realize there is no talking reasonably to a group of people who fire rockets at us, dig attack tunnels and dedicate themselves to the murder of all Jews. The violence she abhors, carried out by the IDF, is the only way to stop them from doing this.Certainly, the Israeli government might negotiate with Hamas through Egypt if it can ensure the defense of the country. But Kedar says the government should “stop playing games.” What arrogance! Kedar states that she is in touch “every day” with people in Gaza. What does she tell them? That we on our side don’t want to fight them? Maybe they are Hamas operatives! This is the worst kind of defeatist language – perhaps even traitorous. It is this kind of nonsense that got a lot of Jews killed in Europe.I call for all those at IBA News who were responsible for broadcasting this anti-Israel propaganda to resign or be fired. There are many more appropriate stories to tell of courage and bravery under fire in defense of the country instead of this dangerous, naive, defeatist propaganda.JACK COHENNetanyaFeeling the loss Sir, – I think it is sad for our country that we are losing some of our more dedicated members of Knesset. I refer to Ophir Pines-Paz of Labor and now Gideon Sa’ar of the Likud (“Sa’ar’s exit prompts efforts to limit Likud leader’s term,” September 19).It particularly hurts those of us who truly want a more representative government of the people. These forward-thinking MKs are not the only ones who advocate a new system of regional elections, but they have been at the forefront of a major public effort for change (CPAC) that includes MKs of various parties.
We as a country have had a rough couple of years, with other priorities, but I hope the idea of regional elections has not disappeared forever.It is recognized that any change in an electoral system must be done through the Knesset. We can only hope that sometime in the future our MKs will decide to join the thousands of those who signed petitions to include regional representation on our ballots so that our leaders can be selected not only by their parties, but by the public.ELAINE LEVITTKfar VradimEndless list Sir, – “Schooling freedoms” (Editorial, September 19) presents the issue of a core curriculum in haredi schools as a conflict between imposing an unacceptable curriculum or suffering financial difficulties incurred from an under-educated population.The latter argument is futile because it merely reinforces the delusional self-image of the haredi world that by studying only Torah they are truer to their faith. In fact, the study of science and mathematics is necessary for a full understanding of many issues and discussions in the Talmud and halachic literature.Perhaps textbooks could be developed that illustrate the application of science and mathematics in the Torah world. Areas covered might include the Jewish calendar, astronomic phenomena such as sunrise and sunset, the use of modern technology on Shabbat and the use of geometry to solve problems of eruvim.The list is virtually endless.SAMUEL DERSHOWITZJerusalem