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Jews in Catholic schools: missing the point?

While Joe Eskenazi's Dec. 17 article on Jewish kids in Catholic schools was interesting, it completely misses the point. The issue is to discuss what happens to these kids "Jewishly."

The fact that they get a good education is meaningless if their Jewishness disappears. Do any of them have Jewish friends? Are these kids involved with Jewish teen groups — BBYO/AZA & BBG, USY, NFTY, or Jewish community center activities? Do any attend Hebrew high classes at a synagogue?

Nothing is mentioned of 1994 graduate Adam Koss, now in his late 20s, and his Jewish life. Does he have one? Does Brandeis Hillel graduate Mira Stern still hang with her eighth-grade friends, or is her Brandeis past just a memory?

I would like to know what happens to Jewish kids who attend Catholic schools. Do they leave their Jewish past, intermarry and raise their children non-Jewish at higher rates than the "norm"?

If so, then sending our kids to Catholic schools is a disaster and the message to our teens must be loud and clear that staying Jewish is a more important value than going to a Catholic school because it's cheap.

Paul Abramovitz | Greenbrae




Are we too smart for our own good?

I think we Jews are a little much obsessed by our intelligence, and we think that the world is ours and that it has to go the way we want.

Yes, we have to know that about 250 million Christians live in our country and have the right to enjoy their holidays as special occasions, at home, in the streets, in stores, and at year's end, to see Christmas trees and lights all over.

If this brings them happiness, why not?

Let stop being pitty mitty about these small things and, as Bill O'Reilly said (Dec. 17 j.), not take things seriously.

We Jews enjoy having our Chanukah menorahs lit in the best squares of San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and the best squares of the best capitals around the world. Nobody complains.

Let's let Christians have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and enjoy their philosopher, Jesus, from the house of Israel.

Max Levy | Dublin




'Deeply offensive'

A letter on the Defense of Marriage Act published in the Dec. 17 j., "Assault replied," included several phrases that were deeply offensive to many readers.

The writer has a right to express his strong support for the act, and the recently approved referenda in 11 states, and to state his views on Jewish law and homosexuality.

But, writing that sodomizers should not be honored in synagogues or "their disgusting man-boy love magazine" displayed in synagogue libraries conjures up images that are grossly stereotypical and offensive.

The Jewish Community Relations Council constantly applies the replacement test when analyzing articles that are replete with hate-filled images of Jews and Israel. Would j. have published a letter that depicted an ethnic, religious or racial group with similar vitriolic and loaded language? We would hope the answer would be "no," and that greater care will be taken in the future to ensure that discussion of the merits of the issue is conducted in a civil and informed manner.

Natalie Berg | San Francisco
president, JCRC
Rabbi Doug Kahn | San Francisco
executive director, JCRC

'Significant tribute'

Your Nov. 26 editorial, "It came upon a midnight clear: It's your party," is a significant tribute to America for its range of opportunities, among which is expression of opinion by minorities.

Regrettably, nothing similar can be found in Melbourne's media, where a local press guru, previously found guilty in race-related defamation, strongly criticized some schools with a high number of non-Christians for their intention to arrange parties celebrating fall rather than the Christian holiday.

Michael Kerjman | Melbourne, Australia




'Let my Pollard go'

Over the past 19 years, Israeli prime ministers, Knesset members and rabbinical leaders have called for Jonathan Pollard's release. In the United States, some public officials have also called for commuting his sentence, calling it disproportionate to his crimes.

Pollard is far from forgotten. He relayed information to Israel to which Israel was entitled as agreed by the two nations. His intentions were to protect an American ally.

Did Jonathan make mistakes? Should he have attempted every possible legal avenue before espionage? Perhaps, but one should not be too quick to judge.

He saw a serious threat to Israel in the information he discovered about Iraq (while others at the time considered Iraq an ally).

Just months before the first Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein boasted of his capabilities to "incinerate half of Israel," Israel was prepared for the threat — thanks to the information supplied by Pollard.

His contributions to Israel's security were significant.

Certainly, he broke the law. However, in the context of the circumstances, he has served his time. It is now time for Jonathan to be allowed to go home.

Larry Domnitch | Denver




Damaging words

Regarding the Nov. 26 opinion piece about "Jewing down," I wonder about what the gentleman from Antioch would have done in 1933.

The luxury to debate denigrating phrases like "Jewing down" and "gypping" was not exactly a choice when I was the only Jewish student in my native northern German high school where all the classmates were Lutheran-Evangelical.

All had been OK until that year, then the "Fuhrer picture" appeared on the wall and the roll call added "religion."

Having seen Gypsies only when they passed through town with their bear, I was shocked to hear our teacher, a Dr. Meier, answer the roll call question with "All are Lutheran-Evangelical but one Jew or Gypsy [meaning me]." I left the school the following semester.

That this is still deep in my memory shows the damage these words did, then and now.

Eugene Katz | Napa




Common ground?

Jewish voting patterns in the recent election — 75 percent of all Jews supported Sen. John Kerry while 70 percent of Orthodox Jews supported President Bush — evince sharp disagreements among American Jews.

Disagreement is normal and healthy, but so is unity. I propose an arena for forging common ground: the environment. All Jews are affected by pollution and environmental destruction, and Judaism mandates that we actively strive to protect the environment.

Republicans for Environmental Progress (REP America) spearheads a nonpartisan effort to promote conservation and reduce pollution. The group supports Republican candidates who uphold high environmental standards. This year, REP America did not endorse President Bush because "... over the last four years, the Bush administration has compiled a deliberately anti-environmental, anti-conservation record that will result in lasting damage to public health and to America's natural heritage."

I urge everyone to check out the very strong environmental statements at REP America's Web site (http://www.rep.org), and to join them and other environmental groups in working cooperatively to move our precious, but imperiled, planet to a more sustainable path. This would show that Judaism's eternal values can be applied to the solution of current societal problems.

Richard H. Schwartz | Staten Island, N.Y.




'Unwarranted reaction'

Regarding Ariel Sharon's "now infamous" visit to the Temple Mount (Dec. 3 j.), many Jews in Israel and the diaspora condemned it as needlessly inflammatory at a time when Ehud Barak was trying to resume negotiations after the failure in Camp David.

However, let's be clear about the sequel. A few days later, a couple off-duty Israeli soldiers took a wrong turn and found themselves in a Palestinian village. They were lynched, and in fact many people bathed their arms in the blood and brazenly displayed it on TV.

This was a completely unwarranted reaction to Sharon's provocation.

At the time I expected Palestinian leadership, especially Yasser Arafat, to calm the situation. This never materialized, and it became apparent that Arafat had abandoned the peace process.

Fred Zemke | Foster City




A new opportunity?

Staff writer Alexandra Wall took the very interesting personal story of Nidia Poller ("American in Paris," Dec. 3 j.) and turned it into her own outlet for propaganda.

Twice, Wall felt it necessary to write that Poller's words appeared in "right-wing" publications. Is that pertinent to this story? Wall's agenda becomes obvious when she writes about "the beginning of the second intifada — or more specifically Ariel Sharon's now infamous visit to Jerusalem's Temple Mount." The intifada was in the planning months prior to that visit.

Perhaps Wall should be given an opinion column, and a more professional reporter the opportunity to write.

Judith Rose | San Francisco




letters policy

j. the Jewish news weekly welcomes letters to the editor, preferably typewritten. Letters must not exceed 200 words and must be dated and signed with current address and daytime telephone number. j. also reserves the right to edit letters. The deadline is noon Monday for any given week's publication. Letters should be sent by e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or by mail to j., 225 Bush St., Suite 1480, San Francisco, CA 94104.

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