Letters (April 2, 2010)
A selection of letters published in the AJN print edition of April 2, 2010
Breaking bread isn’t always the answer
THE article covering the Students for Palestine rally and the Australasian Union of Jewish Students’ Shabbat dinner (AJN 26/03) reminded me of my political activism in college.
It’s nice to see that some Palestinian activists are still out of touch with the world outside of their turbulent heads. But I care more about the emotional and spiritual malaise that endangers Jewish students when they don’t know how to respond to the tendency of some pro-Palestinians to rely on myth as history.
So while Jewish students sometimes favour multiculturalism and run charming events such as “Hummous and Judaism” — promoting the fact that both Israelis and Arabs eat Middle Eastern food — some Arab students believe that this dodges the main issue and deliberately say the crudest things they can think of. And while they’re at it, they bring up the apartheid claim and Jews are left staring at them open-mouthed. A Jew sometimes has to make a decision: “What can I do when they hatefully smear that which is at the core of my existence?”
Multiculturalism can take a back seat when someone berates your identity. Stand up for your people.
Pesach sameach.
Yaniv Gerowitz
Katamon, Jerusalem
Israeli government should know better
I was disappointed with the clumsy diplomacy of the present government in Israel. With peace talks at a critical starting stage, it is a shame that Binyamin Netanyahu could not put a temporary freeze on settlements outside the 1967 borders.
This contrasts poorly to the previous Barak Labour government, which acquitted itself credibly in the peace talks under US President Bill Clinton.
What is pathetic about the present government in Israel is it is headed by a prime minister with international diplomatic experience.
John Bear
Maroubra, NSW
Dubai should get its own house in order
WHATEVER the merits of the arguments about Australian passports, I want to challenge the absurd announcement by the Dubai police chief that Australian and other citizens will have their voice and physiology checked when entering Dubai to determine whether they are Israeli or not. Israelis were not allowed to travel into Dubai on their Israeli passports even before claims that Israel was behind the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Now the Dubai police chief has announced he will be introducing “checks” to foreign visitors who arrive in Dubai, to determine whether they are Israelis.
The Dubai police chief’s announcement has echoes of the lunatic racial profiling of the SS. Australian or other western citizens who fly on Emirates Airlines may now think that some officious low-grade Dubai policeman might mistreat them in transit. Emirates Airlines will suffer from this ridiculous racial profiling, if indeed it is being proceeded with by the Dubai authorites.
I agree with Sydney Institute chair Dr Gerard Henderson, who stated on ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, March 7, that he doubted the pro-Iranian United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) information on the passport affair was accurate.
Dubai has been helping Iran dodge sanctions and is today Iran’s top trading partner. In 2006, the UAE imported more US goods than any other country, and in the same year, 60 per cent of the trade between Iran and Dubai was in the form of re-exports. This year, American-made computer circuits turned up in the detonators used for roadside bombs targeting American troops in Iraq. The circuits had been exported to the UAE, re-exported to Iran, and ended up in Iraq.
Al-Mabhouh was reportedly a key link in smuggling operations, ferrying Iranian weapons to Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. It seems the Dubai police are more concerned with the racial profiling of Israelis than cracking down on the exporting  of weaponry and goods to Iran from its soil.
Michael Danby MP
Melbourne Ports, Vic
You have to start your own shuls
With reference to the letter claiming we need more shuls in cheaper areas (AJN 26/03).
Heath Baum may be correct in his letter, however, that is up to him. Many new shuls start up in a person’s home. They invite some of their neighbours to join them for a Sabbath and slowly they build on the circle.
Don’t expect that the community will just buy a block of land and build a shul.
We, who came to this country either before or after the war, weren’t given anything on a platter, but that’s what the younger generation seems to expect. We worked hard to build the exciting infrastructure that they have the pleasure of using.
We built youth movements, welfare organisations, social halls, schools, hospitals etc. without looking for help, as there was none.
Go for it, start your minyan. I am sure that any existing shul will help you by lending you a Torah and moral support etc.
Good luck.
George Freund
Dover Heights, NSW
The unifying power of sporting events
I HAD the privilege last week of attending the Australian Football Harmony Cup grand final at Whitten Oval with Victorian Liberal leader Ted Baillieu.
The day brought together footballers from different cultural backgrounds and promoted respect, goodwill and understanding to put all Australians on a level playing field.
As a former Essendon player, I was impressed with the commitment and skill of the players.
The games were tough and physical but, most importantly, those participating demonstrated a remarkable spirit of friendly competition and respect for their opponents.
Footballers with Albanian, Greek, Indian, Indonesian, Israeli, Italian and Lebanese backgrounds travelled from around the state to celebrate Victoria’s multicultural heritage and show their passion for the game.
I congratulate Aussie Rules International general manager Brian Clarke and team for arranging the event and thank the many sponsors who supported the various teams.
As Nelson Mandela famously said: “Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way little else can.”
Hugh Delahunty MP
Shadow minister for sport, Vic
Speaking out to promote our cause
ISRAEL and the Jewish people are experiencing the worst form of anti-Semitic hatred since World War II, precipitated by Palestinian and Islamic fundamentalist terrorism, the media, world nations and the United Nations. This hatred extends into the fields of academia and relief agencies,
I suggest this prejudice is increasing by the day and will not go away, even after the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours has been resolved. This problem has been ongoing for two millennia and will not go away, unless the Jewish people can educate and convince the purveyors of hatred, the doubters, the ill-informed and those sitting on the sidelines.
While we have our leaders, eminent speakers and politicians, we cannot succeed without the support of ordinary Jews and non-Jews favourably disposed towards us, and to what I consider to be our plight.
More people should speak out to counter the lies that are being spread and adding to our dilemma. The threat of a nuclear Iran is not a joke, considering its aim — and that of the terrorist groups — is to wipe Israel off the map.
The recent Goldstone report, the passport scandal arising from the alleged Mossad assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh — who, I might add, used a fake passport to achieve his ends — and the intransigence of the Palestinian leadership also come to mind.
Meanwhile, the world has largely ignored the contribution made by the Israel Defence Forces and Magen David Adom following the recent Haiti earthquake, which should have given Israel better press, but unfortunately did not.
Tony Aufgang
South Yarra, Vic
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