From the article we don’t know whether Ms. Benveniste’s friend filed a complaint with the Fair Housing Office. A landlord who chooses to discriminate usually says things like “I’m sorry, we currently have no vacancies.” Telling a prospective tenant that “Jews” have caused him problems is an inexcusable outrage. This incident needs to be reported to and researched by government representatives.
Ms. Benveniste ends her column with the words “Never Again.” In order for incidents like this one to never happen again, decisive action must be taken.
Pesach-Yonah Malevitz
Miami Beach, FL
Educational Encounter
I was on my way to visit the new Good Samaritan Museum, located halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho, to see the assortment of ancient mosaic floors uncovered in recent years when my transmission went out.
Luckily, it was not very hot as we waited for a tow truck to arrive. We sat on a bench under a well-positioned tree and began to take in our surroundings. I was able to bring the car just off the road that leads to the industrial area aside the Jewish West Bank city of Ma’ale Adumim. Hundreds of Palestinian workers were making their way home to the territories under Palestinian Authority rule.
One young woman, fully wrapped in Islamic garb, sheepishly sidled up to us and with her body language seemed to ask our permission to sit with us. We made room for her on the bench and she proceeded to question us in Arabic. My Arabic is not adequate for a flowing conversation, so I answered her in Hebrew, of which she did not understand a word.
I thought that was strange because Arabs in Israel and the PA-controlled areas usually know at least some Hebrew. She told us she was born in Jordan and had come here just four year agofor the good life, as have many others. When she learned I was from the U.S. she got all excited and gushed, “I want to be in America.”
Limping along with my limited Arabic and Semitic hand gestures, I asked her why. She made a face whose meaning was clear in any language and said, “It is no good here, not good in any Arab country.”
She then asked me with wide-eyed wonder why I left America. I explained that Israel is the home of all Jews and Jerusalem is our holy, beloved city.
What I heard next reaffirms what I have known for a very long time. This young, friendly woman suddenly turned into a mouthpiece for those who brainwashed her and her generation. She said, “No, Jerusalem is Muslim, not Jewish, and this land is Muslim.”
I asked, “What about Haifa and Tel Aviv; are they Jewish?” She answered in no uncertain terms, “No, all of it is Muslim.”
Then I asked, “If this is a Muslim area and you are a Muslim, why do you want to leave it for non-Muslim America?”
She said there are Muslims in America and she would get by. So I asked her, “If you go to America, why would you care that Jews live in Israel?”
She answered, “You may not live here if you are not Muslim. You should return to America.”
Hmmm. I wonder if the Israeli “peace camp” bumped into this young lady or some of her friends.
Shalom Pollack
Jerusalem
Editor’s Note: The writer, an occasional contributor to The Jewish Press’s weekly Magazine, is a popular tour guide in Israel (www.shalompollacktours.co.il).