To learn that such violence is a regular occurrence at Holy Sepulchre dismay among followers of Jesusthis place.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFletters good 88(photo credit: Courtesy)Unholy monks
Sir, - I am writing from New Zealand where I have just learned of the monks that are taking "Bible bashing" to a whole new level in the Church of the (un)Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem ("Monks brawl in Church of the Holy Sepulchre," November 10).
To learn that such violence is a regular occurrence at this place must cause dismay among followers of Jesus (Yeshua), like myself, worldwide.
What causes such behavior? Pride? Envy? Stupidity? Unforgiveness?
Whatever it is, God has no part in it. John 13:35 reads, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Christians, worldwide, gather together regularly to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bringing an end to this monkey business would be a great place to start.
PHILIPPA PECK
Palmerston North,
New Zealand
Rallying the Right...
Sir, - Defense Minister Ehud Barak lashed out at the settlers at this year's Rabin memorial event, comparing them to a cancer ("At Rabin memorial, Livni and Peres urge Israelis to heal the rifts," November 9).
How dare he call fellow Jews a cancer? What right does he have to use the Rabin memorial for such an outrageous comment? What is the connection to Rabin? How can he just presume to wipe away a quarter of a million of his fellow Jews who are upstanding working people who love this country? He should be ashamed of himself using that platform to espouse political statements.
URI HIRSCH
Netanya
...to respect Rabin
Sir, - The commandment "Thou shall not murder" was given by the Almighty without any exceptions. This is known and accepted by the whole Jewish people, from the extreme religious to the nonreligious.
The time has come to remove the responsibility of arranging the annual Rabin memorial rally from the hands of politicians, religious leaders, family members, etc. and place the task in the hands of a public body of completely impartial citizens who will be requested to arrange a modest ceremony without flags, signs, slogans, or demagogia. Yitzhak Rabin was a very modest man, a hero of this country, and I am sure he would not wish us to preserve his memory in the way we do.
DAVID GOSHEN
Kiryat Ono
No following...
Sir, - I was incredulous at the Kadima and Labor parties' reaction to Obama's victory regarding our own upcoming elections... that it now befalls Israelis to elect someone "like" Obama in order to get along with the United States ("Labor, Kadima: 'Republican' Bibi can't be Obama's counterpart," November 6).
I am hoping that our intelligent voting public will resemble America only in bringing about strong, proud, change by electing a Netanyahu and Begin-led government. Will we never grow up and act like the sovereign country that we are?
SHOSHANA WEINSTEIN
Kfar Adumim
...the other nation's lead
Sir, - The comments of some Israeli politicians to the effect that Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu must not be elected because he is somehow out of step with developments in America and around the world are not only risibly self-serving and provably ignorant, but beg the question whether even small countries like Israel should necessarily follow international trends.
Most absurd of all is Yuli Tamir's notion that "The world is going social-democratic and pursuing peace, so Israel cannot choose capitalism and defensive attitudes..."
Irrespective of political trends, it is the electorate of Israel that should determine who leads the country, not the electorates of other countries. The latter do not constitute a focus group to be consulted ahead of Israelis exercising their own judgement. It is therefore for Israelis to determine whether "going social democratic" and "pursuing peace" as envisaged by Tamir are actually prudent.
DANIEL MANDEL
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The forgotten gender
Sir, - In this past Friday's Jerusalem Post (November 7), Meir Porush published an insert advertising his candidacy for mayor of Jerusalem.
On the back of the pamphlet, he claimed that "Jerusalem was a Place for All," showing pictures of all types of men from various religious backgrounds living in Jerusalem.
Funny, he seemed to have forgotten about 50 percent of the population living here! I guess he doesn't envision women as part of Jerusalem's future.
TANYA MARCIANO
Jerusalem
Beyond tolerance
Sir, - I, a right-wing Zionist, agree wholeheartedly with the Arabs who oppose The Museum of Tolerance. The picture of the museum that appeared in "A center of hope and reason," (November 9) is the ugliest collection of buildings I have ever seen. It exceeds in ridiculousness the fisherman's net hanging from a pole at the entrance to Jerusalem.
I suggest that a part of the old cemetery be set aside to bury Muslims and Jerusalem politicians. The rest can be dedicated to a desperately needed extension to the underground parking facility and on the surface a bandstand for outdoor concerts. This will cost a small fraction of the quarter of a billion dollars intended for the museum.
CHAYIM SEIDEN
Jerusalem
Soaring solar prices
Sir, - The recent article, "A solar revolution dawns in the desert" (November 4) proclaiming that large-scale solar-generated electricity in Israel is practically a done deal, blandly stated that, "All that is left is for the Public Utilities Authority to approve a feed-in tariff of at least NIS 1.80 per kilowatt hour..."
This is no small issue considering the fact that when I look at my most recent electric bill, I see that I am currently paying only 57.5 agorot per kilowatt hour.
Accordingly, I am being asked to pay more than triple for electricity from renewable sources? Although the feed-in tariff is what the government will pay to subsidize solar electricity, where does the government get its money if not from my pocket?
MAYER BASSAN
Jerusalem
Tactless tact?
Sir, - The news report that Avigdor Lieberman said Egypt's president Mubarak "can go to hell" if he persists in refusing to visit Israel was a breath of fresh air ("Lieberman: Mubarak can 'go to hell,' " October 30). Lieberman is my favorite Israeli because he is not afraid to tell it like it is.
The fact that Egypt has become a center of anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist incitement is clearly contradictory to the Israeli-Egyptian treaty.
Apparently, nobody wants to say anything about it for fear of provoking Egyptian extremists, thereby giving the extremists an effective veto over the peace treaty. It's no wonder that so many Israelis are skeptical about signing even more agreements.
Lieberman may have been tactless, but perpetuating convenient lies does nothing to build the trust needed for peace.
DAVID KATCOFF
Jericho, Vermont