By LETTERS TO THE EDITORLetters(photo credit: REUTERS)Cars and bike dangersRegarding “Parents and their 6 children killed in head-on collision” (October 31), I have never written to The Jerusalem Post, but the pain I feel when reading about the Atari family’s death has made me feel compelled to write.It is totally heartbreaking, but the accident should come as no surprise to anyone who uses the roads here in Israel. The lack of consideration and aggressive nature of some drivers is beyond belief. On my daily trips, I repeatedly witness how some drivers put others at great risk. Again and again I have to take evasive action not to be hit. The statistics of near misses would probably make any rational person think twice before getting into their car.I blame these selfish and irresponsible drivers first of all, but I also blame the people at the top whose responsibility it is to keep our roads safe. This has been going on for so many years.Making drivers take a minimum of 28 lessons is not the answer and simply lines the pocket of some individuals. People still drive with no respect for anyone else.What is needed, besides better education in high schools, is a well-funded, motivated and dedicated traffic police force, with more manpower (more cars, bikes and cameras) backed up by an efficient legal system that will permit tough sentences to be handed out Dangerous drives should know they will not “get away with it.”We all know about the problem, yet the powers-to-be still do not put an end to this senseless killing spree. Surely this cannot be permitted to go on.AVI ROSENFELDRa’anana
The subject of electric bikes has been well aired in recent months with several comprehensive and incisive articles published in your paper and magazine.Despite the growth in the number of cycles on the roads and pavements; the reckless behavior of the cyclists; the rising accident rate; the increasing number of fatalities and the frustration of the general public, to date the authorities have failed to take adequate action in addressing the problemCyclists continue to ride without helmets; ride in the dark without yellow vests, lights or reflectors; two or three on one bike; talking on mobile phones!The short-term solution is simple:• Recognize that e-bikes are motorbikes and that they are subject to the same laws.• Educate all schoolchildren about the “rules of the road,” the importance of safety attire and courtesy to other road and pavement users.• Enforce the law. Offenders should be fined; multiple offenders should be fined heavily and have their bikes confiscated.Since 2016, the Ra’anana Concerned Residents group has campaigned to get the local authorities to take an interest in solving the problem. We have had some lip service, but mostly we have been ignored or shunted aside. After many months, there is no real visible evidence of education or law enforcement and the situation continues to deteriorate.We appeal to the new municipal officials throughout the country currently being elected, to prioritize this important issue and initiate appropriate action before there are more senseless injuries and deaths.MELVYN COHENOn behalf of Ra’anana Concerned Residents Pittsburgh blame gameAs would be expected, you published several articles after the horrifying attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of those articles (“An awful day in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” November 25) was written by a man who had grown up in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood.His feelings definitely ran deep, but there was no reason for him to blame US President Donald Trump for what had happened. The vicious, hate-filled murderer was not fed the poisonous hatred by the present resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC.Where were the cries of blame the president when president Barack Obama forbade the use of the term “Islamic terrorism” by federal officials, no matter that it accurately described the many hate-filled murders that were committed? Where were the complaints when Obama referred to the people murdered in the French kosher market as just some guys in a deli? They were not random people but Jews buying food for Shabbat! And why blame Trump for the poison spewed by Farrakhan? Trump wasn’t a member of his church; Obama was. Are we at an age where white is black and black is white? Let us by all means mourn the dead, pray for the injured, and accept all Jews. But let us not lay the blame where it does not belong.RHEA ISRAELRehovot Kudos for publishing Lela Gilbert’s excellent article (American politics and the deadliest attack on Jews in US history,” October 31).It’s sickening to see how the left-wing media in the US is blaming right-wing politics for this atrocity. My criticism includes the biased Israeli reporter who interviewed Naftali Bennett in Pittsburgh, trying to turn American reaction to the tragedy into an American Jew vs. Israeli government crisis. Of course, Mr. Bennett defended himself very well in light of such ludicrous accusations.I would like to see more of Lela Gilbert’s well-written articles in the future.JANICE WEINREBRa’anana Bending the Arc’s publicity stuntRegarding “President Trump to visit Pittsburgh today” (October 30), Bend the Arc’s Alexander Soros and Peter Beinart might do well to consider what Daniel Pipes tweeted: “When the president of the United States comes to a synagogue to honor the 11 persons killed in the worst instance of antisemitic violence in US history, you respect his office and keep your mouth firmly shut about political differences.”What does Bend the Arc’s act of politicization of an ugly and tragic event tell us about that organization and its agenda?JULIA LUTCHDavis, CABlind to realityRegarding “Farewell to the General Assembly participants (October 30), the writer outlines his plans for Israel/Palestine: Jerusalem is to be an international city, “God’s city;” east Jerusalem the capital of the Palestinian state; a mutually agreed-upon solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The writer says that the framework for solution exists in the Arab Peace initiative (circa 2002) – backed by all 22 Arab states and also the 57-member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Tehran. Tehran, no less. The capital of the theocratic regime that swears to destroy Israel by nuclear annihilation or by proxies in Lebanon and Gaza.It’s enough to make your blood boil when leftist-leaning activists like that op-ed writer are so blind to reality.YIGAL HOROWITZBeersheba
