[an error occurred while processing this directive]		Last Updated December 13, 2002 If you would like to send a letter, click on the Letters to Editor Form. Boycotting Rainbow While Israel's democratically elected prime minister endorses Bush's plan for a Palestinian state, San Francisco's Rainbow Grocery had decided to boycott Israeli-made goods. Despite the fact that Israeli citizens continue to push for peace amidst daily assaults on Israeli civilians in cafes, polling booths and buses, a ban on Chanukah gelt and other Israeli-made items is deemed appropriate to the "progressive" grocery. If the grocery prides itself on supporting a liberal agenda, where is its outrage for the suppression of the press, free speech and elections or the second-class treatment of women in every Arab country in the Middle East? While Prime Minister Sharon has provided proposals for peace, Yasser Arafat and Marwan Barghouti have endorsed terror and claim attacks on civilians, including women and children, are a right of the Palestinian people. Until Rainbow Grocery lifts its boycott, I will not shop there or support their blatant anti-Semitic agenda. RONIT ALCHECK San Francisco Free expression? I am writing in regard to the article in the Dec. 6 Bulletin about Rainbow Grocery's boycott of Israeli goods in San Francisco. In early September, me and my co-worker wrote a letter to the store after visiting and seeing the derogative slogan "Stop support to Israel" worn by a store clerk. We expressed our outrage and discomfort at the customer service desk. Nobody supported our view in the store, and we wrote a letter to the grocery collective. The answer written by one of the employees stated that the store had the policy of free expression for all employees and they were proud of it. We stopped shopping in this store from this time. As we understand it now, that "simple" sign on one of the employees was only the beginning of anti-Semitic campaign in this collective grocery. In addition, I just want to add that I will make sure that my co-workers will know what happened, and hopefully will decide not to go this store again. ALLA PECHENY Castro Valley ANNA SORKINA Fremont 'Shocked, insulted' Connie Wolf should take no comfort that several Magnes docents didn't sign the strike letter. I would have, but a phone glitch prevented me from learning of the strike in advance. Therefore, last Sunday I fulfilled my usual docent commitment. Contrary to Wolf's erroneous comment ("only 15 people show up on a Sunday"), about 40 visitors came -- locals, first-timers, and many out of town guests. As a 20-year Magnes docent, I am shocked and insulted by Wolf's claim that the docent strike will have "absolutely no impact on the institution." Docents absolutely have an impact in many ways. By greeting visitors, highlighting information and anecdotes beyond the exhibit captions, answering questions about the Magnes history, founders, and collection, we docents enrich the visitors' acquaintance with a great East Bay Jewish institution. And we do it in the warm, personalized manner that characterizes the Magnes as a visitor-friendly treasure of Jewish art and culture. After citing "money problems" as a flimsy excuse for brutally firing the Magnes professional staff, what excuse will Wolf offer for crudely discounting docents who offer their experience and devotion for free? JUNE BROTT Oakland Asp at our breast? With regard to Rabbi Brian Lurie's article and his vision of an institution that generates ideas along the ideas of Sabbath and God, ideas long familiar to us all and very much a part of our lives: Would not the community be better served by a university of a special order in which debates and responsa are entailed? Where Spinoza and Singer are studied? Where Kafka, Canetti and other notable writers may gain vital immediacy? Where Modigliani, Soutine, Pascin, Chagall, etc., etc. may be appreciated newly? Where writers may hone their skills? Where departments of philosophy, theology, sociology, history, and psychology flourish? Where a think tank is involved, and where a pilot program for children, youth, and adults a la the Exploratorium are integral to it? I doubt very much if funds would lag for such an enterprise. As for the Magnes? He is quite right. It must be autonomous and unencumbered by a tyrannical CEO, an unworthy asp at our breast. REBECCA FROMER, co-founder Judah L. Magnes Museum Berkeley Marketing slogan? Rabbi Brian Lurie's Dec. 6 op-ed fails to make a valid argument in favor of a second Jewish museum in the Bay Area. Admitting it is "hard(er) to explain," Lurie envisions a "Jewish Exploratorium" that will "bring ideas to life." Is this a vision or a marketing slogan for GE? The "ideas" Lurie wishes to "bring to life" include Sabbath and God. For thousands of years, those "ideas" have been successfully brought to life through home and synagogue. Is a $100 million facility needed to explore the "idea" of Shabbat? Lurie asserts that "by September 2000, more than $63 million was pledged or solidly in the pipeline" for the project. However, two weeks ago the Bulletin quoted board chair Warren Hellman as conceding that "not much" money has been raised. Lurie is swayed by statements made by Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind in support of a second Jewish museum. However, they are neither formidable Jewish thinkers nor Bay Area residents but architects who stand to make substantial fees for their services. It would be more persuasive if the Bay Area rabbinate, artists, intellectuals and philanthropists, as well as internationally recognized Jewish thinkers, expressed their enthusiasm. But they haven't and won't. HAROLD LINDENTHAL Hartford, Conn. Stewardship lauded We would like to correct the misinformation in Tony Pico's Nov. 29 letter, in which he alleges that the precious Magnes collections have been poorly cared for at the museum on Russell Street. Pico, who describes himself as a vendor to the National Archives, will be heartened to know that the evaluating committee of the American Association of Museums, which conducted an on-site evaluation of the Judah L. Magnes Museum in May 2001, wrote in their generally glowing assessment reaccrediting the museum, that they were "impressed with the careful and professional stewardship of the various collections, as well as the knowledge level of the staff entrusted with their care." BILL CHAYES SHEILA BRAUFMAN TOVA GAZIT former curators/archivists Judah L. Magnes Museum Berkeley Where next? We both have been volunteers at the Western Jewish History Center of the Magnes Museum for a long time (in Mary's case, 29 years). With all the articles as well as letters to the editor (all of which we thoroughly agree with) regarding recent events at the museum, one major item has been missing: an explanation by management of how we got into the current emergency, and why they felt they had to take such extreme measures. Obviously, mistakes have been made. Once the emergency has been brought under control, the next question arises: Where do we go from here? Can the Bay Area fund and support two new Jewish museum buildings? Perhaps an outside consultant should be brought in to develop a master plan. In any event, the total situation, past and present, and prospects for the future must be thoroughly inspected. And then let the chips fall where they may. MARY R. HOEXTER HENRY HOEXTER Berkeley Sinking Magnes The giddy unrealism that helped create the Bay Area's dot-com bust seems to have also undermined the Magnes Museum. Overly optimistic expectations that huge amounts of money would always be available appears to have led the museum's leadership to spend freely, and now the continued health of the Berkeley Magnes is in jeopardy. But there is a key difference between the dot-com bust and the impending failure of the Magnes. Few will miss the companies that had little of value to offer. Many will miss the Magnes. Its thoughtful and educational exhibitions, together with its hosting and support of community events, made it a treasured resource that many of us were happy to support. There is a rabbinical saying that a foolish person can throw a rock into a pond that 10 wise people cannot recover. The Magnes has been thrown into the pond, and it is sinking. It is time for the wise to act before it is too late. MARK COHEN Piedmont Judaism's survival The survival of Judaism and Jewish life is not insured by what lies in a glass case or a museum vault. Pompeii also has a museum. Judaism will thrive only when Jews think enough of it to practice it and teach it to their children. DR. FREDERICK KOTKIN Seattle Equal criticism The letter in the Nov. 22 Bulletin from Michael Sarid misrepresents the positions of A Jewish Voice for Peace. Our organization has consistently fought for an end to violence against Israelis, and condemned suicide attacks along with Israeli attacks on Palestinians, which clearly escalate the conflict and make a resolution much harder to achieve. A Jewish Voice for Peace has not been involved in the campaigns promoting divestment, and has taken no position on divestment. Because U.S. aid is instrumental in perpetuating the occupation, we call for the suspension of military aid to Israel until it ends its occupation of the Palestinians, and nothing more. Sarid is correct in saying that A Jewish Voice for Peace does "more than simply criticize Israel's current government." We have been equally critical of past governments, as well as Palestinian leadership. Our organization is dedicated to seeking just and reasonable solutions to this crisis, based on principles of human rights and international law. We have and will continue to work for the day when Palestinian and Israeli children have hope for the future and need not fear a suicide bomber or an occupying army. MITCHELL PLITNICK LIAT WEINGART co-directors A Jewish Voice for Peace Oakland Enjoying Chanukah On Dec. 2 I celebrated Chanukah at Union Square in San Francisco. It was very nice. There were a lot of Jews who were there enjoying the holiday. I like that Rabbi Yosef Langer of Chabad provided such a wonderful moment. It was important because he tried to bring all Jews together. PAUL SHKURATOV San Francisco Defending Irv Rubin Why haven't you raised your voice in defense of Irv Rubin of the Jewish Defense League? Don't you know he is Jewish and was murdered in prison? DMITRY ABOVSKY San Francisco Renewed purpose Several people in the community have spoken to me recently about the recent Jewish Bulletin article in which I said I was depressed about what I had seen, heard and experienced on the ARZA rabbinical study tour to Israel in late October. While I believe the article represented my responses to your writer accurately, I'm not sure that what I intended to express was as clear as I would have liked. What was intended was this: What I experienced was the pain, sadness, and anger, along with the feelings of isolation, that my Israeli sisters and brothers are experiencing on a daily basis. I also felt the powerlessness of an individual who cares and wishes to do something but hasn't known the best way to do so. What didn't come across from my comments was that, rather than remaining depressed and hopeless as a result of this experience, I found renewed purpose and inspiration to do more and better than ever before, to find tangible new ways to demonstrate unwavering support for the people of Israel, and to do whatever I can to bring others along with me on that path. RABBI ALLEN B. BENNETT Temple Israel of Alameda Defending Barghouti Marwan Barghouti was arrested by Israel, and is in an Israeli jail. He was arrested as the head of the Fatah Supreme Command in the West Bank and leader of the Al Aksa terrorist organization. He has had personal involvement in terrorist activity, and the planning and carrying out of the murder of innocent Israelis. He is a terrorist. The organization known as Adalah apparently is defending him. The New Israel Fund is one of Adalah's financial backers. In an ad in the Jewish Bulletin, the NIF affirmed equal rights for all citizens and working for democratic values. I know of no Israeli they've ever defended, but they seem to work to defend a well-known terrorist with blood on his hands. MICKI FALK Sunnyvale 'Important work' As a person of Austrian descent whose great aunts and uncles perished in the Holocaust, I appreciated your Nov. 29 article on Hannah Lessing's recent visit to San Francisco to speak to a standing-room only crowd of Austrians and Austrian survivors on the state of Austrian restitution. However, I was disappointed the article failed to mention the American Jewish Committee as the sponsoring organization. Therefore, I wanted to recognize the important work that AJCommittee has played, and continues to play, in achieving German- and Austrian-Jewish understanding and reconciliation in the aftermath of the Holocaust. For example, immediately following World War II, AJCommittee became the first Jewish organization to develop programs with Germany, and in 1997 it became the first American Jewish organization to open a permanent office there. Today, the AJCommittee works hard to develop relationships with leading German and Austrian elected officials and diplomats with the objective of strengthening support for Israel and the Jewish people at the United Nations, internationally and at home. RACHEL TEISCH AJCommittee board member San Francisco 'Nefarious plot'? The Jewish "leaders" quoted in your recent article about the New Israel Fund article apparently know little of NIF. Almost half of its international board are prominent Israelis living in Israel, university professors, NGO directors, lawyers and business leaders, struggling every day with terror yet nevertheless concerned with injustice, lack of equality for its citizens, failure to protect rights of minorities, Mizrachis, Ethiopians, Russian immigrants and Arab citizens of Israel. NIF has funded and assisted almost 700 organizations concerned with all citizens, Jewish, Muslim, Christian. It has funded 83 NGOs primarily working for Arab citizens. Our Israeli board members have risked their lives, and their children continue to do so, yet they want Jewish values to guide their governmental policies. Israel's democracy has a need for continued nourishment and protection. NIF does not criticize Israel -- it helps remind the government of the words of Israel's Declaration of Independence, "The State of Israel ...will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed, or sex." Is there some nefarious plot in this? Is the entire million-plus Arab population of Israel, damned because of the few who are disloyal to their state? SANDY GALLANTER Secretary and member of International Board New Israel Fund San Francisco

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