Letters (July 31, 2009)
Letters published in the AJN print edition of July 31, 2009
Disputed, not occupied
AS a supporter of the settlements, I think Judy Bamberger is wrong to condemn settlers (which includes most of my Israeli family) as rogues who “bring shame to Jews everywhere” (AJN 24/07). What shame do they bring to our people by living in disputed territories? Only when certain groups of them commit acts of violence towards innocent Palestinians is there an issue.
But with regard to the settlers as a whole, what’s Bamberger’s issue with them? It’s not as if Israel stole the land aggressively from a sovereign state of Palestine where there was no prior Jewish connection. In fact, there was a Jewish presence there until they were thrown out by the Jordanians in 1948!
Settlers do not bring shame upon us. The real shame that comes to the Jewish people happens when we don’t stand up for our rights and call for a balanced and fair go for Israel when it comes to US demands. The “Occupied Palestinian Territory” myth must end. The land is disputed, not occupied.
Josh Bartak
St Kilda East, Vic
Arrogance and hubris
JUDY Bamberger may have voted for Barack Obama to be the US President, but by what authority does she think he has the right to tell Israel what and where it can build in its capital city (AJN 24/07)? Should I now check with Obama next time I want to extend my house here in Sydney?
The idea that Obama should dictate to a sovereign democratic state what and where it can build in its capital city, whoever may be funding such activity, is quite bizarre. As a Jewish-Australian, I’m appalled and disgusted by Bamberger’s actions and hubris in suggesting that the US or its president has the right to such arrogance.
Bamberger’s disgraceful labelling of Jews living in Judea and Samaria as “rogue settlers” who “shame Jews everywhere” and “spit in the face of American policy” and its presidency probably tells us all we need to know about the quality of her contribution to the debate, and the occasional arrogance of the American mindset. Such unsubstantiated finger-waving, however, shames Bamberger, not her fellow Jews.
Terry Davis
Lindfield, NSW
New Matilda and anti-Semitism
FIRST, the Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) complained to the website newmatilda (NM) privately. It had printed various articles critical of the Israeli government. Underneath these articles, some people had written racist comments.
The ADC complained that there had been an increase in anti-Semitism, and sought to link this to the “prejudiced” journalism of NM. The ADC urged newmatilda to abstain from what it called “disproportionate” focus on Israel, and “partisan” coverage that only argued for the “Palestinian narrative”.
This was basically the ADC urging the NM to stop printing criticisms of Israel. In Deborah Stone’s report on NM (AJN 24/07), she singles out two serial offenders in particular, who happen to be Jewish (Antony Loewenstein and myself).
NM recognised that many comments that were being submitted were offensive, and responded at first by deleting some, and then banning comments altogether. Yet the ADC is not happy, and is now happy to reveal the real issue: criticising the Israeli government “feeds” anti-Semitism.
Why would that be the case? Someone who isn’t anti-Semitic would obviously accept that Jews and Israel are not the same thing, and holding Jews responsible for Israel’s actions is anti-Semitic.
By collapsing the distinction between Jews and Israel, the ADC legitimises anti-Semites.
Furthermore, charging two Jews who disagree with Deborah Stone on Israel with anti-Semitism is frivolous. Doing so trivialises anti-Semitism, which deserves to be taken more seriously.
Michael Brull
Bellevue Hill, NSW
Poor reporting
I WAS totally disgusted with “Meah She’arim Burning” article (AJN 24/07), particularly Matthew Wagner’s “Toldot Aharon at centre of storm”.
Eda Haredit is the highly respected combined rabbinical authority in Israel, whose kosher hechsher consumers seek. It is totally incongruous to depict the Eda Haredit as being involved in the recent disorderly conduct around the Jerusalem neighbourhoods of Meah She’arim and Geulah.
Other media accounts have stated that the troubles were started by fringe elements who do not belong to the Eda Haredit.
Reportedly, footage showed that all damage to traffic lights was caused by secular rioters.
The strong criticism for foreign students and young males who are disobeying their parents, rabbis and community leaders is justified. However, it cannot be simply said, as you quote Dr Yehuda Goodman as saying, that “the tendency to riot is a part of the Charedi identity”.
The fact is that in every community of any type, wherever there is a large number of young males without sufficient adult supervision, the young males have a tendency to violent misbehaviour.
The young Charedim of Jerusalem -— particularly those who are in Israel away from family and without the finances to travel home for the summer holidays -— are no different from large groups of any other young males anywhere else in the world in this regard. Their rabbis tell them to behave themselves and not to be involved in any unruly behaviour.
Some disobey. Some are even arrested to the horror of their parents overseas, who thought their son was an angel studying day and night. Boys will be boys.
To identify disobedient youths with the rabbinical leaders of the Eda Haredit is totally inappropriate.
Sarah Vorchheimer
Bellevue Hill, NSW
Irrational lottery
APROPOS your article on who is a Jew (AJN 24/07), whatever the historic rationale underpinning the halachic rule, its modern application is an affront to every intelligent person.
Under the matrilineal rule, Boris Becker is halachically Jewish (Jewish mother), whereas Pete Sampras is not (Jewish father). Jeff Kennett is considered Jewish (mother’s mother was Jewish), whereas Malcolm Fraser is not (mother’s father was Jewish). All this despite the fact that none of the above would describe themselves as Jewish.
The 300,000 Australian gentiles with a Jewish grandparent are similarly subject to an irrational lottery if they wish to marry in a synagogue. How absurd is all this?
Gavin Silbert
Melbourne, Vic
Who is a Jew
THE sad and sorry situation that has come about in the UK as a result of the British Court of Appeal attempting to define who is a Jew will not just affect Britain’s Orthodox community.
With the court ruling that “religious practice” and not halachic status must govern Jewish school enrolment, a Jewish school of any hue may be forced to accept practising members of Jews for Jesus who attend “messianic” congregations.
Wisely, the head of Reform in Britain is supporting the Chief Rabbi in his bid to get the ruling overturned, as he sees the issue -— rightly —- as being principally one of outside interference in Jewish policy decisions.
Regretfully, the Masorti and Liberal/Progressive heads have not been so wise and are respectively equivocal and supportive on the court ruling.
It is to be hoped that if, God forbid, such a situation were to happen in Australia, whatever our religious differences may be, all rabbis and Jewish clergy would unite in opposing any legislation that would undermine our community’s right to self-determination on religious issues.
We shall happily avoid such a communal crisis so long as no individual will decide to place his/her selfish interests above those of the Jewish community to which s/he professes to belong.
Rabbi Chaim Ingram
Honorary secretary, Rabbinical Council of NSW
Attacking asthma
IT is encouraging to see asthma in the newspaper (AJN 24/07). As a sufferer of asthma for 44 years, any developments are exciting. “A non-invasive monitoring system for severe asthma sufferers” does not define what a severe asthma sufferer is.
There is “severe asthma” and then there is “life-threatening asthma” requiring immediate emergency treatment and hospitalisation.
As also a primary school teacher, I have found that asthma is taken too lightly by schools, teachers, parents and the community; and, thus, the student sufferer. I argue that any asthma attack is severe, particularly for a child. I have noticed (and I was the same in primary school) that students almost seem embarrassed to tell someone they are having an asthma attack. What can be more embarrassing than telling someone you can’t do the most fundamental thing the human body requires to keep you alive?
Attack is the right word for any level of asthma severity. It is a direct assault on a the most basic need of the body -— breathing. Even at a lower level (requiring reliever medication), asthma does not feel “uncomfortable”, as so many books aimed at parents in the library describe it.
For the primary school student/child, it feels quite distressing. For a really severe attack it feels like someone is trying to physically hold you down and drown you in a bucket of water, with a bag around your head and a rope tied around your wind pipe (trachea).
Let’s hope more collaborative research with Israel into asthma comes from the VISTECH program.
Alan Ironside
Malvern, Vic
Puzzling review
JOFF Lelliott’s review of The Making of Modern Israel (AJN 24/07) by Leslie Stein missed an important point. Here is a book by an author who, while “unashamedly pro-Israel”, has the courage and objectivity to give detailed descriptions of the plight of the Arabs and at times unfair treatment by the Israelis.
He unflinchingly describes the massacre in Kfar Kassem by Israeli soldiers. Here is an author who is anything but “too one-sided” as Lelliott claims. Stein’s new look at the dilemmas Israel has had to and is continuing to face in its fight for survival is refreshing.
I would have expected criticism by the one-sided pro-Israel readers rather than vice versa. Did Joff Lelliott actually read the book which he set out to review? I wonder.
Dr Dasia Black-Gutman
Bellevue Hill, NSW
Truth about the Yarkon
I REFER to the article “Let the Games begin” (AJN 17/07). The Yarkon Rehabilitation project, which is a continuing process, has to date been a stunning success. The river is visited by tens of thousands of people weekly. Bird-life and fish now abound.
The remarkable effort of David Pargament, director of the Yarkon River Authority, and his small band of dedicated staff, should be applauded. Perhaps David Weiner is not aware that all urban rivers, everywhere in the world, are to some degree “polluted”, but to describe the waters of the Yarkon River as “still poisoned” shows ignorance of the complexity of river rehabilitation.
It is appropriate to remember, with deep sorrow, the tragic loss of life and injuries that occurred in the 1997 Maccabiah Bridge disaster. The inspiration and extraordinary vision that led to the coming together of people directly affected by this tragedy, and those involved in the labour of remedying the deplorable state that the Yarkon River had deteriorated to in the 1990s, should also be recognised.
Joe Krycer
Executive director, JNF Victoria
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