Letters

Women in Judaism: Too little, too late

The sexual revolution began 40 years ago, and we are now for the first time celebrating a woman being appointed to the top post of a medium-sized Conservative synagogue (March 18 j.) Yes, this is great news, but way too late.

I find this to be a disappointing statement about the progress of women in Judaism.

Judaism historically is one of the most patriarchal religions. We need to proactively pursue equal treatment of women in Judaism. The co-chair of Beth El's search committee was very honest and probably unaware of his own discriminatory views towards women. He said, "Our feeling was, all things being equal, we would probably have hired a male rabbi." Why?

If all things were equal, why not hire a female rabbi, or at least flip a coin?

Maybe this co-chair simply put in words what most search committees believe but are afraid to say.

Women have a long ways to go in Judaism, and men need to be better allies to ensure they succeed.

David Matz | Lafayette




Giving up life

In your excellent March 25 editorial on the Schiavo affair, there is one sentence that troubles me. You state that "Jewish tradition values life above all else."

Though life is sacred and of supreme value in Judaism, it is not the highest value. In Judaism, you must give up your life if you indulge in any of the following three acts: murder, idolatry in public, or certain secular perversions.

Historically, many Jews gave up their lives rather than violate basic Jewish law. In Judaism, it's not whether you live, but how you live.

Edward Talmer | San Mateo




'Not natural death'

Terri Schiavo has been reduced to the status of a worthless chattel by her "family oriented" husband, the judicial system and mainstream media; it appears the societal abhorrence of cruel and unusual punishment seems not to apply to her.

I was under the impression various civil rights movements had succeeded in preventing any human being from being considered property, that had ensured dignity to every human life. Why not for Terri Schiavo?

She received no therapy for years that might have improved her condition, yet she was breathing without the help of a respirator. Her parents are willing to care for her the rest of her natural life and provide therapy. Why not err on the side of life?

Condemning her to die of deliberate dehydration is not a natural death, it is murder.

Lisa Cohen | Menlo Park




Rose-tinted glasses?

Mike Gaynes (March 25 letter) is the perfect example of well-meaning leftists who refuse to take off their rose-tinted glasses and see the world as it is. He states, "Saddam Hussein, despot as he was, never paid terrorists to attack Israelis."

Clearly, that statement is horrendously false. As you can find at any reputed source, "[Hussein's] offer of $25,000 to the family of every suicide bomber ... has won wide admiration at home and in the larger Arab world."

It's unfortunate that people like Gaynes choose not to see who the real enemy is, and instead attack people who wish to defend the free world against Islamo-fascism.

Roman Zhuk | San Francisco




Lipstadt vs. Irving

Great March 25 opinion article defending the decision of Deborah Lipstadt not to appear on C-SPAN so long as they wanted to broadcast a David Irving talk to "balance" her appearance.

The article stated: "A British court dismissed Irving's suit against Lipstadt in 2000, concluding that he deliberately misrepresented historical evidence." But the British court did more than "dismiss" Irving's suit against Lipstadt — they affirmatively found that Irving was a Holocaust denier and awarded a judgment against Irving for substantial court costs.

Yale M. Harlow | Los Angeles




Fair and balanced?

The current media fad of giving us "fair and balanced" news by making sure each side has equal time in the spotlight is in the dangerous position of giving us "wrong" news as opposed to "factual" news. This is highlighted in Laurel Leff's March 25 opinion about the argument that's erupted over C-SPAN's decision to broadcast a speech by Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt and give equal time to the Holocaust denier she squashed in court, David Irving.

There happened to be a good illustration in that issue's letters column. Mike Gaynes asserted that Saddam Hussein never paid terrorists to attack Israel. Gaynes left out important information that keeps his readers from drawing informed conclusions.

There is sufficient evidence that Saddam paid $10,000-$25,000 to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. By leaving this out, Gaynes alters the story.

Free speech works best if the press is diligent and honest, and an informed public bothers to speak out. In my opinion, fair and balanced free speech is very important, but what ever happened to truth?

Sheree Roth | Palo Alto




Real history

Recently it was reported in the press that the showing of Gibson's "Passion of Christ" caused anti-Semitic attacks in Canada. If blood and mayhem is what Gibson wants to portray together with religious fervor, I suggest he use real history instead of religious myths.

In the late 700s, Charlemagne, king of the Franks, was determined to bring Christianity to the reluctant Saxons of North Germany. The Saxons and their leader, Widukind, refused. So Charlemagne finally, in 785, made them an offer they could not refuse. He chopped off 5,000 Saxon heads at a place called Verden on Aller, about 30 miles from Hanover.

It is reported that the river Aller was flowing red with blood, and Widukin's Saxons were converted. Afterward, Charlemagne was locally to be called "Karl, the Saxon butcher." There is a memorial in place to mark the spot.

For these and other service he was declared "Holy Roman Emperor German Nation" in 800.

Eugene Katz | Napa




Learning from blacks

We Jews have a lot to learn from black Americans during the civil rights movement and the march on Selma, Ala.

The universities have become a cesspool of anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli and anti-American ideology.

Arabs, Black Muslims and the American left in academia, and many leftist students, spew their bigotry and hatred toward Jewish students to the point where it becomes a daily hazard for our Jewish pupils to go to classes.

We need to sue everybody in the faculty — from the dean down to the classroom professor — for failing to provide our Jewish students their civil rights to attend school without fearing for their safety and lives.

We Jews need to organize beyond just raising money and hope we can buy our way out of problems or hope someone else will take care of the problems for us. We need to act. We can mobilize and march onto these universities and protest.

We also have to require the government to guarantee the civil rights afforded students by the Constitution — to the point of bringing in the National Guard.

Zevika Salles | San Francisco




Distasteful cartoon?

Distasteful and very wrong of you to print that March 4 cartoon about Ariel Sharon. It's slander against the religious Jews who, after all, have carried Judaism and Jews through the centuries while the Epicureans and modernizers have assimilated to the current fashions and lost the Jewish wisdom to guide the young, the perplexed, and the grieving.

Patricia Kimball | San Francisco




A difference

I would like to correct the heading on a March 11 article that stated, "Mediator will determine ownership of Nazi stolen art." I wish to point out that a mediator acts as an impartial third party who works closely with the people involved in a dispute to help them create a mutually agreeable settlement of their own.

On the other hand, arbitrators do act as judges and do make decisions to settle disputes.

It has been my experience that far too many people are confused about the difference between the two procedures, and hope you can help those of us in the field of alternative dispute resolution get the word out about how the two differ.

Dennis Kay | Foster City




Double standard?

In Jay Schwartz's March 4 column on the significance of brisket, he mentions kielbasa and eggs as not being kosher. Fine. However, why in the world would he care when in the first paragraph he extols the virtues of Saul's Deli brisket, latke, a pickle and sour cream, for goodness sakes?

He also describes the feast in which mourners partook after Grandma Izzy's passing. Let's see, there were platters of salads, bagels, lox, cheese and meat (cold cuts) plus brisket.

Kielbasa no, but brisket and sour cream, cold cuts and cheeses yes? Interesting double standard.

Judith M. Shmueli | Foster City




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