letters

‘Jews in China’ a great success

The curtain has come down on the “Jews in Modern China” photographic exhibition. From Feb. 24 until May 16, more than 7,200 people visited the Presidio Officers’ Club Exhibition Hall. The program ranks as one of the most successful ever organized by our AJC Northern California office and the best-attended historical exhibit at the Presidio.

We are most grateful to the Presidio Trust for its superb gallery and support services, as well as to supporters (including the Consulates of Israel and China) who generously volunteered their time, contributed financially or lent their priceless memorabilia.

In addition to the photographs and items in the main gallery, events held at the Presidio in conjunction with the exhibition attracted gratifyingly large numbers and favorable response.

Our only disappointment was the nonattendance of Jewish day schools and synagogue schools at the exhibit and at the fabulous program created by students at Congregation B’nai Emunah. With docent tours readily available, Jewish schools missed an opportunity to expose their students to a fascinating, important and less-known aspect period of Jewish history. A real pity.

Linda Frank   |   San Francisco

Chair JIC Exhibition

Board member American Jewish Committee

News from Israel

I was thrilled to read the stories about the young people making aliyah (“New address: Israel,” June 18).

My cousin Burt Edelstein and his family moved to Israel in 1976 and he has been writing letters to me for many years. To accommodate the large number of readers we now have a website, http://www.burtedelstein.com. Some of our j. readers might be interested.

Vivian Solomon   |   San Francisco

Good wishes for olim

I was born and raised in San Francisco and came on aliyah by myself in 1969. It has been difficult to find people born in San Francisco who did come during those years. I know of just a few, in fact last week I met a doctor from S.F. who came in 1971.

It felt good reading the article that many more are making aliyah from the Bay Area , and I wish them all the best. I also extend my help to all those who need it, 40 years of living here, accounts for that.

Aleh v’Hazlach.

Moish Pomeranc   |   ofra, north of jerusalem

A different view of Zionism

I spoke as a member of Jewish Voice for Peace at the S.F. Board of Supervisors (“S.F. supervisors put resolution condemning Israel on hold,” June 18). JVP does not care how many states there may be. We do care that the Occupation ends and that Arabs and Jews live in Israel and Palestine as equals.

Surviving the Holocaust, my parents supported Israel but wondered about the treatment of the Palestinians. I became attracted to the Zionism of Rabbi Dr. Judah Magnes, born in San Francisco and the first president of Hebrew University. He believed in working with the local Arab population in developing the Jewish presence in Israel/Palestine.

Much of the support for Israel is based on the writings of Vladimir Jabotinsky, who believed in violent confrontation with the Arabs. He believed in Jewish moral superiority. Both Israeli and American Jewish leaders assume without reflection that this is what Zionism must be. Perhaps this does not create an environment for negotiating with the Palestinian people.

To understand Hamas, I suggest reading “The Gaza Bombshell” by David Rose in the April 2008 Vanity Fair and “This Time We Went Too Far” by Norman Finkelstein.

Bruce Ballin   |   San Francisco