Half empty or full? Sir, – I confess to being somewhat confused regarding your September 13 headline “First indepth poll finds Spain isn’t more anti-Semitic than rest of Europe.”Is this good news or bad news? Maybe it isn’t “news” at all!ELLIE MORRIS AsseretNot their call Sir, – I agree with Caroline Glick’s statement (“A Prayer for 5771,” September 8) that “by introducing the demand that the Arabs recognize Israel as the Jewish state, our leaders are only making matters worse [and] are suggesting that the Arabs have the power to grant or deny that which is not theirs to give or take away.”Indeed, why should we ask anybody to recognize the Jewish character of our state, as it was already done in the UN Partition Plan for Palestine 63 years ago? Let our government and the Knesset simply vote and proclaim that the country’s new official name be The Jewish State of Israel!AVRAHAM ATIJAS JerusalemA reader’s wisdom Sir, – Regarding “New Year’s wisdom” (Editor’s Notes, September 8), I would like to add my own suggestions for our beleaguered prime minister.1. If the Palestinians continue to demand a complete freeze in all settlement building, including in Jerusalem, he should say “Fine, so long as it’s mutual.” If they want to keep using settlements as an excuse, then they should at least stop their own expansionism.Jews claim the land, too.2. Stop trying to get the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. They always have great excuses that sound rational to the outside observer. Rather, demand that they acknowledge the deep and long historical connection of the Jewish people to this land. This would be much harder to deny.3. Regarding the right of return of millions of Palestinian refugees, the prime minister should simply point out the larger number of Jewish refugees who fled or were forced to flee from Arab lands at the same time.End of story.LARRY BIGIO Zichron Ya’akovReaders know better Sir, – In your September 13 editorial (“A message for Hamas”), you wrote: “In a disappointing, though not unexpected, turn of events, Hamas... wrested control...[and] intensified the barrage of rockets and mortars.”I have to ask: How many editorials did you write in support of the Gaza withdrawal? I know that many of your letter writers correctly predicted what would occur, even if your editorial board did not.Hence, this is why many of your readers (and many Israelis) do not support further disengagements, despite your efforts to suggest that most do. They’ve learned twice from their mistakes.BARRY LYNN EfratTeachers first! Sir, – I would like to applaud Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar for announcing a shift in curriculum in elementary and junior high schools that will also include uniforms (“Sa’ar touts instilling ‘Zionist, Jewish’ values in school curriculum,” September 6).Toward the end of the last school year, a pre-teen boy with suspected ADHD was referred to me. During the course of testing and general conversation, he told me about a new “lottery” he and his friends were playing. They were trying to bet which of the teacher’s straps was really her underwear. He also mentioned that one can “learn” about anatomy by going up to the teacher’s desk and asking her a question, or by asking her to help you at your own desk. Of course, the warmer seasons are more revealing! So, thank you Minister Sa’ar, but I truly believe the uniforms need to begin from the “top down.”Teachers first!DR. JUDITH GUEDALIA JerusalemThe writer is director of the Neuropsychology Unit at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
September 15: You too, Charles?
As a physician, Krauthammer should know that a body cannot function with only half its heart.
Half empty or full? Sir, – I confess to being somewhat confused regarding your September 13 headline “First indepth poll finds Spain isn’t more anti-Semitic than rest of Europe.”Is this good news or bad news? Maybe it isn’t “news” at all!ELLIE MORRIS AsseretNot their call Sir, – I agree with Caroline Glick’s statement (“A Prayer for 5771,” September 8) that “by introducing the demand that the Arabs recognize Israel as the Jewish state, our leaders are only making matters worse [and] are suggesting that the Arabs have the power to grant or deny that which is not theirs to give or take away.”Indeed, why should we ask anybody to recognize the Jewish character of our state, as it was already done in the UN Partition Plan for Palestine 63 years ago? Let our government and the Knesset simply vote and proclaim that the country’s new official name be The Jewish State of Israel!AVRAHAM ATIJAS JerusalemA reader’s wisdom Sir, – Regarding “New Year’s wisdom” (Editor’s Notes, September 8), I would like to add my own suggestions for our beleaguered prime minister.1. If the Palestinians continue to demand a complete freeze in all settlement building, including in Jerusalem, he should say “Fine, so long as it’s mutual.” If they want to keep using settlements as an excuse, then they should at least stop their own expansionism.Jews claim the land, too.2. Stop trying to get the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. They always have great excuses that sound rational to the outside observer. Rather, demand that they acknowledge the deep and long historical connection of the Jewish people to this land. This would be much harder to deny.3. Regarding the right of return of millions of Palestinian refugees, the prime minister should simply point out the larger number of Jewish refugees who fled or were forced to flee from Arab lands at the same time.End of story.LARRY BIGIO Zichron Ya’akovReaders know better Sir, – In your September 13 editorial (“A message for Hamas”), you wrote: “In a disappointing, though not unexpected, turn of events, Hamas... wrested control...[and] intensified the barrage of rockets and mortars.”I have to ask: How many editorials did you write in support of the Gaza withdrawal? I know that many of your letter writers correctly predicted what would occur, even if your editorial board did not.Hence, this is why many of your readers (and many Israelis) do not support further disengagements, despite your efforts to suggest that most do. They’ve learned twice from their mistakes.BARRY LYNN EfratTeachers first! Sir, – I would like to applaud Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar for announcing a shift in curriculum in elementary and junior high schools that will also include uniforms (“Sa’ar touts instilling ‘Zionist, Jewish’ values in school curriculum,” September 6).Toward the end of the last school year, a pre-teen boy with suspected ADHD was referred to me. During the course of testing and general conversation, he told me about a new “lottery” he and his friends were playing. They were trying to bet which of the teacher’s straps was really her underwear. He also mentioned that one can “learn” about anatomy by going up to the teacher’s desk and asking her a question, or by asking her to help you at your own desk. Of course, the warmer seasons are more revealing! So, thank you Minister Sa’ar, but I truly believe the uniforms need to begin from the “top down.”Teachers first!DR. JUDITH GUEDALIA JerusalemThe writer is director of the Neuropsychology Unit at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center.