Jon Stewart is no hero
Your story “Plenty of sanity-seeking Jews attend Jon Stewart rally” (Nov. 5) depressed me: Way too many Jews (and not just young Jews) think Stewart (born Jonathan Leibowitz) is a role model/hero.
The opposite is true: Stewart accepted an award from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim Brotherhood affiliate, for his Israel bashing. Also, he made Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), an Israel-hating, Hamas financial benefactor who advocated for the murder of Salman Rushdie, his rally’s musical guest of honor.
Some role model/hero.
Tod I. Zuckerman | San Francisco
Real estate above peace?
Apparently de-legitimizing Israel is no longer in the sole jurisdiction of the anti-Semites and the Israel-bashers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps elevating himself into being a higher practitioner of this craft as his latest announcement on constructing some 1,000 units for Israelis in a contested area of east Jerusalem proclaims to the world that the current Israeli government values real estate above peace.
Now this is a shanda.
Rabbi David J. Cooper | Berkeley
Kehilla Community Synagogue
The real threat to Israel’s soul
Rabbi Menachem Creditor claims that Israel’s soul is threatened by what he disparagingly labels as “Jewish fundamentalism,” those Jews who insist on obeying the laws given at Mount Sinai. (“Zionism also needs to come from the left — right?”, Nov. 5). In fact, the real threat to Israel’s soul comes from those Jews who have abandoned the laws of Sinai because they think they’ve found something better.
The modern-day “enlightenment” that Rabbi Creditor seems so enamored of has turned into little more than a variant of the idol worship that caused the nation’s destruction in ancient times, being used to excuse and justify almost any type of human behavior.
The fact is, Israel cannot defeat its enemies by physical force alone, but neither can it achieve peace by surrendering portions of its territory to its foes. Israel can only prevail if it has the protection of the Almighty, and it can only win that protection by acknowledging His authority and following His commands, both in letter and in spirit.
The history of the modern State of Israel shows that the more Israel tries to run away from God and escape from its own heritage, the more numerous and powerful its enemies become.
Martin Wasserman | Sunnyvale
Applause for PJ Library
I attended the first regional gathering of the PJ Library in the Bay Area on Oct. 19. Thank you to Harold Grinspoon for having the vision and for founding this wonderful organization.
Thank you to the wonderful presenters for the very warm, educational and engaging day that reminded me of the value and importance of being a lifelong learner and educator! This organization is not only a fabulous resource for families with young children; it is also a forward-thinking group of people who are encouraging and supporting individuals to embrace the best practices to reach out, engage and attract families to Judaism.
The special guest presenter of this event was Rabbi Noa Kushner, founder of Nita. Rabbi Noa guided and encouraged each individual to find their unique special gifts and to build the confidence necessary to share these qualities. Thank you, PJ library and Rabbi Noa, for reminding us all that we have the power to change ourselves and the world for the better by sharing what we each already inwardly possess.
Gittel Rice | San Rafael