Country Yossi Had It Right
What a marvelous tribute to the late Arnold Fine from that multi-talented singer and showman County Yossi (“Thanks to Arnold Fine, I Finally Got My Picture
on the Cover of The Jewish Press,” op-ed, Oct. 3).
The article was the perfect blend of humor and heartfelt appreciation. Like Country Yossi, I grew up with The Jewish Press, and I’ve watched it expand and improve over the years to the point where it has become the best Jewish newspaper available to those of us who value intelligent writing; a wide spectrum of Torah views ranging from Modern Orthodox to chassidish and haredi; an unapologetic pro-Israel stance; and a forward-looking outlook on women’s issues in Judaism.
I’ve been reading The Jewish Press for the past forty years and hope to be doing so for at least another forty.
Esther Lubin
(Via E-Mail)
Beyond Moral Equivalence
Your Oct. 3 editorial “The President’s Blanket Lament” noted that President Obama seemed to be employing moral equivalency when, in his UN speech, he referred to the fact that “rockets are fired at innocent Israelis, or the lives of so many Palestinian children are taken from us in Gaza.”
Yes, the president was indulging in deplorable moral equivalency. But there was something else of significance in that phrase, which has gone largely unnoticed. Keep in mind that Obama was not making off-the-cuff remarks; what he said at the UN was scripted. So every word was carefully considered by his speechwriters and policy advisers, and the president read and approved them before he delivered the speech.
Hence we can conclude that the phrase “so many Palestinian children are taken from us” was deliberate. It seems as if Mr. Obama was trying to establish an emotional and personal connection between the American public and the residents of Gaza. They were “taken from us” – meaning, they are ours, that we Americans look at those Gazans almost as if they are our own children. In this context, recall the hash tag slogan that Michelle Obama publicized during the administration’s brief and feeble campaign regarding the hundreds of Nigerian school girls kidnapped by Islamic Boko Harum terrorists: “Bring back our girls.” Notice the wording, which again was chosen by White House policy advisers: “Our girls.”
Notice, too, that when it comes to Israeli children huddled in bunkers as Hamas rockets rain overhead, Obama never calls them “ours.” When four-year-old Daniel Tregeran was murdered in one of those rocket attacks on August 22, the Obama administration did not say he was “taken from us.” Apparently those words are reserved for Palestinians.
Moshe Phillips
Benyamin Korn
Members of the Board
Religious Zionists of America
Swedish Recognition Of ‘Palestine’
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven stated last week that Sweden will recognize the state of Palestine. He also said “the conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law.”
Is Lofven aware of the fact that the PLO and its charter to destroy Israel were created in 1964, when Israel was within her 1967 borders? The charter was slightly amended in 1968 after the 1967 war but with the destruction of Israel clauses unchanged.
Does any interpretation of international law suggest that an entity should be rewarded with recognition as a state when it has a charter that clearly states it will engage in armed resistance until it destroys its neighbor?
Furthermore, Hamas has joined the Palestinian Authority in a unity government. Hamas has a 1988 charter that is worse than the PA charter. It not only unequivocally states that it would attack until Israel is destroyed; it also calls for the killing of Jews.