July 13: Sound of Money

The situation in Sudan differs from Libya in that innocent civilians are being killed right now, and not at some hypothetical future date.

By JERUSALEM POST READERS
Sound of money
Sir, – Aymenn Jawad has done an enormous service by explaining and exposing the horrific abuse and slaughter of the black, mainly Christian population of Sudan’s Nuba region (“North Sudan: What next?, Comment & Features, July 11).
The situation in Sudan differs from Libya in that innocent civilians are being killed right now, and not at some hypothetical future date. Also, the Nubians have no record of collaboration with anti-Western terror groups such as al-Qaida, as do many of the Libyan rebels.
Further, the Nubians are associated with South Sudan, a new country that democratically chose to be independent of Sudan by a 97-percent super-majority.
Plus, there are moral imperatives for Western military intervention in Sudan to prevent genocide, stand up for freedom and defeat terrorism.
The Arab League, on the other hand, does not endorse intervention in Sudan as it did in Libya, and its OPEC allies are slated to clear one trillion dollars in revenue this year.
As they say, money talks.
DAVID KATCOFF Jericho, Vermont
Driving us nuts
Sir, – Israel’s enemies have a new goal: Drive the country nuts. As the ancient saying goes: “Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.”
The Gaza flotilla, the “flightilla” and other foolishness (“Activists plan week of protests for Palestinian statehood in West Bank,” July 10) divert Israel’s politicians and security forces from serious issues confronting the country.
The guerrilla theater of these anti-Zionist “humanitarians” captivates the world’s attention as the twin disasters of famine in eastern Africa and North Korea quietly unfold.
Similarly, in the past year, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid, masterminded by a handful of Jewish radical lesbians, created controversy at the annual Gay Pride parade in Toronto – the most absurd issue ever to hit the Jewish community. The local media inundated us with this story although they are silent about the overriding discriminatory issue: government funding of Catholic schools and the nonfunding of Jewish ones.
JACOB MENDLOVIC Toronto
No chances this time
Sir, – In “Big snowmelt feeds big falls at Yosemite Valley” (Travel Trends, July 10), I was struck by reading “visitors are advised to line up lodging in advance.”
Our only trip as a family to the American West occurred in 1979, two years after making aliya. A few memories are quite striking.
First, the summer of ’79 was the season of the gasoline crisis and we were told we would not be able to get any gas. But this deterred others from traveling, and only once or twice did we wait in line at the pump.
Second, we had the central lodges in Yosemite, Yellowstone and all the parks we visited. All the lodging, no matter where, was available. We made no advance reservations whatsoever.
Third, that summer there were three-and-a-half groups of people touring: Japanese, Germans, Chinese – and Israelis. We heard Hebrew everywhere we went. At Bryce Canyon in Arizona, seven or eight Israelis moved into the room next to ours. When we met them the next morning we greeted them with “Leshana haba’a b'yerushalayim” (Next year in Jerusalem).
At Yosemite, the big falls were not as large as they are this year, but they were still most dramatic.
The giant trees in the Mariposa Grove were incredible, especially for a Georgia hick like me who only knew pine trees from my youth as a boy scout.
We saw almost everything your article describes.
This summer another generation of our family is off to Yosemite. All reservations were made to be sure there is a place to stay.
DAVID GEFFEN Jerusalem
Peace by piece?
Sir, – In “BICOM makes Israel’s case with integrity” (Comment & Features, July 10), we learn that the British organization does not hold “center-right views which exclude liberal, pro-peace, leftof- center supporters.”
It’s time to end the charade that the Left is “pro-peace” while the right is not. The Left simply believes that giving bigger and bigger pieces of Israeli territory to the Palestinians (and Syrians) will bring more “peace” while the Right believes territorial giveaways lead only to more rockets and terror, if not war.
History suggests that the best way to preserve peace is to stop giving away so many pieces of land for mere pieces of paper.
BARRY LYNN
Efrat
One-sided argument
Sir, – Jonah Mandel (“Choosing between the law and the Torah,” Religious Affairs, July 8) bases his whole article solely on one person (Yedidia Stern) and not on statistical facts, as he should.
Stern is an extremely odd bird and a left-wing fanatic, to say the least. To conclude from interviewing him alone that the whole national religious camp has to choose between Torah or the rule of law is just absurd.
Look, for instance, at what was printed in Makor Rishon this past weekend and you’ll see what I mean.
Shai Nitzan, who works for the State Attorney’s office, is the one who decided to summon Rabbi Ya’acov Yosef and Rabbi Dov Lior for questioning. He still maintains a whole staff of lawyers whose only job is to indict settlers and anyone with a strong right-wing leaning. This department was disbanded by government decision in 1999, yet it continues to operate under other guises. Now if that isn’t breaking the law, what is? A rabbi who endorses a theological discussion of when Jews are allowed, under the circumstances of war, to kill gentiles should never be considered to be inciting others to violence.
Also according to Makor Rishon, Stern, who in 2009 was appointed head of citizenship studies in public schools for two years, is now opposed to giving up his position. So much for his own respect for the law.
Stern’s absurd claim that Nitzan is not afraid of the Left’s incitement because it won’t involve crowds that are as large as those attracted by national religious leaders has been proven wrong. Makor Rishon showed that there is a whole movement by leftists calling for – you guessed it – a civil war with settlers and right-wingers.
What the leftists are writing about on the Internet is a very real war that will involve killings.
If that is not dangerous, what is? Yet Shai Nitzan is not worried since these expressions come from his side of the political camp. He only worries about erudite rabbis who are simply doing their job.
This one-sided reporting and religion-bashing by the Post must end. You could start by doing your homework.
YOSSI BLASBALG Kiryat Bialik
Spurious import
Sir, – I worked for years as an attorney for several New York law firms before coming on aliya in 1998 and I am appalled at the number of Anglos clamoring to have Sundays off (“The Sunday imperative,” Editorial, July 8).
What can they be thinking? Have they forgotten what it was like cramming a week’s work into four-and-a-half days? Working four nights a week until at least 10 p.m. to make up for short Fridays? Preparing for Shabbat until 2 a.m. on Thursday night? The mad scramble to get out of the office on Friday in time for Shabbat, especially in the winter? Yes, we need a two-day weekend – Friday and Saturday – which gives us five full days for work and means we can come home every night at a reasonable hour and actually have a life during the week, prepare for Shabbat in advance, etc. And yes, there should be a longer school day, Sunday to Thursday, and no school on Fridays so that families can go hiking, to the beach or on other activities.
I thought we left the Diaspora behind when we left New York.
Let’s not bring it in as another spurious US import!
DIANA REINHARD
Jerusalem