New side of the Mission
For an area with a reputation for fostering covens of “flaky hipsters,” the Mission District of San Francisco has shown a surprising spiritual side.
Your article on the Mission Minyan (“Grassroots Mission Minyan grows up, gets its own Torah,” May 22) was a heartening glimpse of self-driven growth in a homemade Jewish community. It served as a little reminder that, regardless of the number of aggressively sustainable clothing and coffee shops the Mission has, it also harbors people who care deeply enough about their faith to organize and to thrive without a formal institution. This was a shining example of what “spiritualism” should be: people coming together not out of obligation but out of a genuine desire to be joyous and worshipful.
The word “grassroots” gets thrown around a lot these days, to the point that the anti-tax “tea bagging” movement has earned the appellation. Somehow, though, a tiny minyan growing from a monthly meeting to a full-fledged, Torah-toting congregation seems to embody the adjective far better than a political bloc assembling to toss tea onto the White House lawn.
Brendan Bashin-Sullivan | Berkeley
Tell the whole story
In the interview with Hagai El-Ad (“Israeli civil rights leader takes on Lieberman, security fence in S.F. talk,” May 22) he criticized the location of the security fence and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and said the “occupation is a human rights violation and needs to end.” He said, “If we are not talking about Israel’s imperfections in an honest and thoughtful way, how can we move forward?”
However, the Arabs living within Israel and in the West Bank have more human rights than in most Muslim countries. He never mentioned Palestinian terrorism, which is a complete violation of the human rights of the Israelis who are the targets. He did not criticize the lack of human rights for the Palestinians by their own leaders, especially by Hamas in Gaza. He did not advocate for human rights for Jews in the West Bank by Palestinians, who don’t even want Jews to live there. He did not criticize the severe suppression of human rights by radical Muslims all over the world.
Criticism only of Israel can be a double standard, which is harmful to the image of Israel.
Norman Licht | San Carlos
A clarifying point
In his letter (May 22), Joseph Itiel refers to me as a “revisionist historian” because I described the relationship between the Jews and the European nations as “symbiotic.”
Perhaps ”symbiotic” was not the best word choice, but there is no denying the fact that during the entire 2,000-year period of the Jewish exile the dominant religion of Europe was Christianity, and that as part of that ethos the Jews and Christians had a very special relationship, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Perhaps if I had used the term “special relationship” my intent would have been much clearer.
But I believe that the intent of my original letter was clear to anyone who managed to read it objectively, i.e. that President Obama’s background, which is strongly influenced by non-European cultures (black and Muslim) presents the strong possibility that he will not have the same sympathetic perspective toward Israel as previous presidents have had.
Aaron Blumenfeld | Richmond
‘Not a competition’
We all need to listen to how and what teens are feeling. As a parent the hard decisions are up to you. You need to decide what is correct for you child, not what they want in the moment.
I am a Reform Jew, mother of a daughter and a former temple administrator. My daughter’s bat mitzvah is one of the highlights of my life. We had a dinner and DJ party that evening. My daughter and her friends had a great time.
Years later, working as a temple administrator, mothers came to me concerned about a “theme” for the party. I advised them all the same. The “theme” is your child’s bat/bar mitzvah. I wondered if they were as concerned about their child’s Hebrew, comprehension of Jewish laws or the pressure on the child.
A bat/bar mitzvah is the beginning of an adult Jewish life. It is not a competition, nor is it a day to invite business associates who have no relationship with your child.
Jill Maleson | Fremont
Unfair comparisons
Once again I was distressed to find in j. the book of Avraham Burg (“The iconoclast: Avraham Burg confronts the Holocaust,” May 22).
Burg’s argument is that we have exploited enough the Holocaust and it is time to bury it in Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av? A Jewish holiday that no non-Jew in the world has ever heard of and the majority of Jews hardly pay attention to.
I also take offense to Mr. Burg’s comparison of Israel to pre-Nazi Germany. Are we to expect a Nazi-like government in Israel’s future?
How does he dare to compare anything Nazi-like to Israel? No Jew in pre-Nazi Germany ambushed Germans, blew up buses or physically hurt a German. German Jews were true to their “fatherland.” No Israeli Arab identifies or has a feeling of allegiance to the country he lives in. Could one depend on an Arab (and I am not talking about Druze) to fight another Arab in an Israeli military uniform?
If Mr. Burg really wants his book to become (in)famous and make money, have him translate it into German and advertise it in parts of German-speaking areas in Europe. It may sell like hotcakes.
Gershon Evan | San Francisco
Stand up to ANSWER
Several letter writers in j. have commented eloquently on the recent presentation made by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish (“Horrors of war hit home for Gaza doctor,” May 1). Unfortunately, voices like his too often are drowned out by those who are the enemies of peace — those who support endless jihad against the existence of Israel. And those are the ones who will again be taking to the streets on June 6, as International ANSWER holds another anti-Israel rally in San Francisco.
Once again, StandWithUs/San Francisco Voice for Israel will be there to counter the lies, confront ANSWER’s hate speech, and to stand up for the right of the state of Israel to protect its citizens from rocket attacks and other forms of terrorism. ANSWER is holding their rally at UN Plaza (Seventh and Market Streets, San Francisco). We will gather on the south side of Market at Seventh Street at 11:30 a.m.
Please wear blue and white. As always, feel free to make your own signs but no signs or graphics offensive to any racial or ethnic group, including but not limited to Arabs, Islam or Palestinians in general. Signs in violation of our policies will not be allowed.
For more information, contact us at [email protected].
Michael Harris | San Rafael
Engaging youth
Your article about the Manovill Holocaust History Fellowship (“Teen Holocaust fellowship revamped to keep up with the times,” April 17) illustrated what surveys, studies and experience tells us: the Holocaust engages youth and serves as a paradigm for current events that profoundly affect young people and society at large.
The Holocaust Center of Northern California is proud to offer the Manovill Holocaust History fellowship and is extremely grateful to Dr. Ingrid Tauber for her vision in making the fellowship a reality by generously underwriting the program through the Lilly Manovill Tauber Endrei Education Fund.
Rhona Edelbaum Sloan | San Francisco
President, Holocaust Center of Northern California
No place for hate in jazz
Bay Area Women in Black has sunk to a new low with their sponsorship of a Berkeley fundraiser with jazz musician and political activist Gilad Atzmon at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Univers-alists on June 8.
Atzmon has attempted to make Holocaust denial palatable on the left with his promotion of an article by historical revisionist, Paul Eisen. There is nothing more revealing than his own words. He has claimed that “American Jews (in fact Zionists) do control the world,” and that “there is no such thing as anti-Semitism,” and has suggested that “perhaps we should face it once and for all: The Jews were responsible for the killing of Jesus.”
Clearly Atzmon represents a fringe of the fringe, and it is unconscionable that a church devoted to social justice would knowingly sponsor him.
If locals are tempted to put politics aside just to hear Atzmon on sax, stay home instead and remember the words of jazz drummer Jim Denham, in his open letter to Atzmon. “As a jazz-lover I have to say that I hate your racism. Jazz is the music of integration, of humanity and equality. Your anti-Semitism has no place in our music.”
Faith Meltzer | El Cerrito