Letters (October 16, 2009)
A selection of letters published in the AJN print edition of October 16, 2009
Endorsing The Age
THE Melbourne Jewish community can only do itself damage by disengaging with The Age. I was impressed that Paul Ramadge had the courage to front-up unaccompanied to what was a disenchanted, if not openly hostile, audience righteously gathered to accuse him at the Jewish community meeting at Beth Weizmann on October 5.
Naomi Levin’s account of his address (AJN 09/10) was a well-written summary of what Ramadge said. I was the only member of the audience that night to publicly endorse his efforts, and those of The Age, to report on issues of importance to the Jewish community, despite their occasional mistakes.
I tried to make the point that Melbourne’s Jewish community would not benefit from closing its ears (cancelling its Age subscriptions or switching to The Australian) in an effort to hear only what flattered it within the comfort zone of its own unchallenged convictions.
Not only would it lose out on getting diversity of reporting on the Middle East, such as Israeli citizens have with multiple sources (think Ha’aretz and The Jerusalem Post), but it would also lose out on valuable information about Victorian and Melburnian issues. Cancelling subscriptions would seem to be a case of cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face.
LES ROSENBLATT
Elwood, Vic
No moral high ground
“WILL Israel-bashing ever come to an end?” asked Dr Dvir Abramovich in his Counterpunch column (AJN 02/10). On the same day, I discovered a report by Ed O’Loughlin that had found its way under the fridge, “Israel warns of Palestinian ‘holocaust’ as violence in Gaza worsens” (The Age 01/03/08).
Israel, which defines itself as a Jewish state, will be “bashed” as long as some fundamental issues are unresolved. In my opinion, what Israel’s self-determination means in practice is the following:
The people who lived in what is now Israel in 1948, who were not Jewish and who were thrown out, are not allowed to return to what was their country.
Palestinian people who live in Israel do not have the same rights to build on their land or to own it. Often Palestinian homes are demolished and illegal Jewish colonies are built on the West Bank.
Resistance of the Palestinians to what they understand to be occupation is called “terrorism”. But Israel’s violent attacks on Palestinian civilians, such as those Justice Richard Goldstone has accepted as evidence, is not.
People who believe Israel occupies some sort of moral high ground are deceiving themselves.
STEPHEN LANGFORD
Paddington, NSW
Practice what you preach
IT’D be nice if The AJN backed up its call for a nationwide kashrut authority with a commitment to only publishing ads for products that are kosher.
Yes, a national authority could further kashrut, but the Jewish media could also do its bit in promoting a kosher lifestyle.
YAAKOV
ajn.com.au
Choice is necessary
THE idea to have a nationwide kashrut authority is historic in that it shows a desire for a unity unprecedented in Australian Jewry. Even those who merely suggested the option should be highly commended.
However, each person is entitled to decide how stringent they want to be when it comes to what enters their mouth (provided they are as strict when it comes to what comes out from the same mouth). Therefore, different kashrut authorities, or at least different active bodies in one authority, are required to adhere to the various personal requirements.
YISRAEL
ajn.com.au
We deserve a better system
THE Australian Jewish community deserves the very best kashrut authority and one authority for our country.
It is not acceptable for there to be a personal fiefdom of any rabbi or group who “controls” kashrut supervision and the financial arrangements relating to it.
The financial arrangements of the authority should be on the public record and totally transparent. If we are paying a premium for kashrut, we need to know where the money is going. It is unacceptable for it to be secret and unaccountable.
We deserve a better kashrut system —¬† after all we are paying dearly for it.
ALLEN BOLAFFI
ajn.com.au
Iranian nukes
JUST when I was mentally castigating The Age for publishing Amin Saikal’s advertorial for Iran and its Islamo-fascist regime, I came upon a statement that made the anti-western diatribe well worth publishing and reading —- “A regional arms control pact is the only way to rein in Iran”, (The Age 30/09).
Saikal, the director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University, and therefore presumably a man of some knowledge and expertise on the subject, noted that the regime in Iran “is most unlikely to forgo its uranium enrichment program with the intention of achieving an ability to produce nuclear weapons”.
What makes Saikal’s words important is that the Iranian regime claims its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and it has no intention of using the program to build nuclear weapons. Israel, and most other western democratic nations, have treated these protestations with well-deserved suspicion.
If Israel finally takes steps to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, I hope people remember that even such a pro-Iranian commentator as Saikal recognises — indeed appears to welcome and celebrate — that the Iranian regime is developing nuclear weapons.
The result of this fanatical regime that has repeatedly stated its desire to totally destroy Israel obtaining nuclear weapons is too terrible to contemplate.
DR BILL ANDERSON
Surrey Hills, Vic
Appeasement leads to war
THE world today is facing a similar crisis to the one that occurred before World War II in confronting the megalomaniacal Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran.
He is a very popular president among the poor and disadvantaged. But instead of offering jobs and prosperity, he invokes nationalism and espouses hatred towards Israel, along the way developing nuclear weapons with which he has threatened to wipe Israel of the face of the earth.
It is 70 years since the start of World War II and the Holocaust. In 1938, European leaders met with Hitler and set the stage for the hell that was about to be inflicted on Europe.
Among them was Neville Chamberlain, prime minister of Great Britain, who tried to read the mood of his country, which was not ready for another world war. With the Munich agreement, Chamberlain signed Czechoslovakia’s death warrant.
Today we are facing a similar crisis. The West must face down Ahmadinejad. President Barack Obama should play hardball — the only language tyrants understand.
URI BUTNARU
North Bondi, NSW
Goldstone’s travesty
JUSTICE Richard Goldstone, we have never met, but being an ex-South African Jew, I have admired your career and reputation for many years — especially your criticism of the Nationalist government and your stance against apartheid.
It is therefore extremely sad and painful for me to see you being used and manipulated by countries that are allied against Israel.
I cannot understand how you could side with a group of people who have a pre-determined agenda of bias and hatred towards Israel, to produce a report that mainly condemns Israel.
The report fails to fully acknowledge the fact that Israel made a careful and surgical response to extreme and prolonged provocation by Hamas, which fired thousands of rockets at civilian targets in Israel, from behind the protection of women and children in homes, schools and hospitals.
For a judge to prejudge a case without being fully informed of all the facts and without hearing both sides of the case is a travesty of justice. Your conclusions and recommendations are one-sided.
WOLFE RAKUSIN
Caulfield North, Vic
Racism as humour
THE normalisation of racism through “humour”, described in Peter Kohn’s blog (ajn.com.au 08/10), has a long history in Australia. I, for one, would like to see it confined to history once and for all.
I accept that those who did the Hey Hey It’s Saturday blackface skit did it without malice, but these old racial stereotypes simply are not funny.
I have found some of the discussion on this topic interesting. Several of those trying to defend the skit have found it necessary to drag up other stereotypes about “Yanks”, or make comments to the effect that the lowest of the low -— the politically correct -— would only allow non-funny jokes in the future.
Equally disheartening are comments by some who claim to support Harry Connick Jr’s criticisms by claiming that only “bogans from the suburbs” watch that sort of show. This type of blanket insult is simply another form of prejudice, and does nothing to enlighten us on the subject of discrimination.
The more important question, however, is how can a television network allow this sort of nonsense in the first place? And what actions are being implemented so that it does not happen again?
ROBIN STEVENS
ajn.com.au
Page two too raunchy
IT distresses me to note that The AJN seems to have made a regular page-two feature of barely dressed, prominently cleavaged young starlets.
There was also a totally raunchy photo of Madonna at her recent concert in Israel.
I realise you are not catering to the religious market, yet surely basic Jewish values (such as not voyeuristically cheapening the image of women) should be respected.
After all, this is a newspaper for the Jewish community, not some tawdry celebrity magazine.
DEBBY GARFUNKEL
Elsternwick, Vic
Musical feast in shul
I HAD the pleasure of attending Caulfield Hebrew Congregation for the special Friday night service on Shabbat Shuvah.
The Carlebach music, the cantor and the choir from Israel were a delight to hear and an inspiration to all. Yasher Koach!
And now that the choir has returned, I’ll have the pleasure of Carlebach, a magnificent cantor and a beautiful choir, every Friday night at St Kilda Hebrew Congregation.
If I want more of a great choir, then I’ll attend every Shabbat morning at St Kilda and enjoy another excellent musical service from the choir and cantor.
LEONARD LEVY
North Caulfield, Vic
New premises won’t help Hakoah
WITH the current management policies, no wonder the Hakoah Club went bust.
Even if new premises are found, this won’t do the club any good unless it changes direction.
Twenty or so years ago, the club was always packed, and young and old went there.
HARRY LOEB
Waverley, NSW
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