‘Pointless votes’
As a Cal alum, this is par for the course for what is expected from the ASUC. With the exception of occasional true student leaders, the ASUC Senate is largely made up of “activists” majoring in political science, “random” studies and other soft majors they spend little time studying for.
These kids are more focused on “activism” than on schoolwork, and don’t represent the majority of hard-working students at Cal. With too much time on their hands, pointless votes by a biased ASUC Senate are an all-too-common result.
Anatoly Smolkin | Chicago
Israel divestment makes sense
I would like to thank j. for its accurate reporting of the divestment resolution passed by the U.C. Berkeley student senate (“Divest-from-Israel vote at U.C. Berkeley draws swift reaction” and an online update, March 26).
Contrary to a letter to the editor last week, no one voted to “divest from Israel.” The resolution recognizes the attacks on civilians that occurred in Gaza and Lebanon, as documented by organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Israeli Breaking the Silence and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.
It then attempts to prevent the misuse of American weapons for future attacks on civilians by applying limited economic pressure to two American arms manufacturers, General Electric and United Technologies. This precise strategy produced a wide coalition in support of the bill, including many Jewish students and community members. We are confident that its aims will be accomplished despite the recent veto.
Tom Pessah | Berkeley
Co-author of divestment resolution
What about Saudi abuses?
I was on the U.C. Berkeley campus the day after they voted to divest from Israel for “human rights abuses.” I said to people working at an anti-Israel booth: “Why not also boycott Saudi Arabian oil? In Saudi Arabia, people are routinely publicly flogged (sometimes to death) and beheaded for heresy, witchcraft or insulting the
royal family.”
A man with five children was scheduled to be executed in Saudi Arabia this week for “sorcery.” Sorcery!? See story here: www.tinyurl.com/yhpys2y.
They got angry at me and called me a “Zionist fanatic.” Gee, I usually get criticized by my relatives for not being more “pro-Israel.”
The man who was facing execution for sorcery in Saudi Arabia is not an isolated case. Saudi officials have arrested Saudis and non-Saudis, Muslims and non-Muslims on sorcery charges.
In recent months, a Saudi man was arrested for smuggling a book about witchcraft into the country. An Asian man was accused of using supernatural powers to solve marital disputes. Another man was given a death sentence for trying to learn magic tricks, and Saudi authorities executed an Egyptian pharmacist for sorcery.
Mark Tarses | Berkeley
‘Serious’ viewpoint much appreciated
This is a belated thank you to Andy Altman-Ohr for writing such a great column about a film that has not gotten the accolades it deserves (“Torah takes a back seat to my love of ‘A Serious Man,’” March 19).
I’ve wanted to have a deep conversation with someone like Andy who really “got” how intricate, deep and stimulating — particularly from a Jewish perspective — the movie is. Thank you for providing it!
Barbara Tobin | Sebastopol
Setting the NIF record straight
Letters published recently continue to repeat misinformation about the New Israel Fund and ignore the work of NIF.
NIF fights inequality, injustice and extremism because we believe that justice is fundamental to democracy and because we believe that justice is the foundation for a lasting peace. The New Israel Fund has a 30-year record of accomplishment building civil society in Israel — in human and civil rights, social justice and religious pluralism.
Our funding standards are rigorous. NIF grantees must respect and support the democratic nature of the state of Israel. They cannot advocate violence or the destruction of the state, or use racist or derogatory language about any group.
These criteria set the stage for NIF’s social justice victories including the Israeli Supreme Court decision that prohibits the Bet Yaakov girls’ school in the West Bank from segregating Ashkenazi and Mizrachi Jewish students; and the recent Be’er Sheva District Court ruling that the recognized Bedouin village of Keseifa near Arad must be connected to sewage lines.
Both of these cases, and many others that fight for social justice and equality, were brought by New Israel Fund grantees. We are proud of NIF’s record.
Michael Bien, Leslie Kane, George Krevsky | San Francisco
For the executive committee,
NIF regional board
Hatred for Israel runs wide and deep
Douglas Bloomfield’s op-ed (“Where’s the U.S. outrage over Palestinian incitement?” March 26) was a real eye-opener.
In particular to how it casts a light on recent events. That being the dedication of a memorial near Ramallah by Abbas and Fayyad to a female terrorist and of course the “Day of Rage” called upon by Hamas in response to the restored Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem.
But this incitement issue has broader implications.
Here in the Bay Area, “From the River to the Sea …” has become the unofficial national anthem for the pro-Palestinian groups at various anti-Israel events. If the Palestinians got their state with east Jerusalem as their capital today, would that mean the end of that mantra? Would groups like the International Solidarity Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace or Bay Area Women in Black pack up and walk hand in hand off into the sunset, feeling like their reason for being has finally been fulfilled?
Not likely.
The irrational and pathological hatred for the Jewish state is not predicated on how much territory it has. So in this case, size truly does not matter. As long as Israel exists, so will the incitement.
David Holsey | Castro Valley
School daze
I read an article in the March 26 issue titled “Hebrew charter school approved in Southern California.”
With the Bay Area having the third highest population of Jews in the United States, why is there no similar effort in San Francisco? Most people cannot afford private school tuition.
Mordechai Pelta | San Franciscco