Great Detective Work
Harvey Rachlin’s investigative piece on the two famous Golda Meir quotes (“The Mystery of Golda’s Golden Gems,” front page essay, June 12) was fascinating and illuminating.
As I read the article, I felt I was on the trail of the elusive primary sources along with Mr. Rachlin. Great detective work by the author and a truly enjoyable read.
Ira Gordon
(Via E-Mail)
Rabbi Boteach’s Battle Cry
I used to think of Rabbi Shmuley Boteach as the “Rabbi to the Stars” because of his affiliation with Hollywood luminaries. However, after reading his “Jewish Battle Cry of Freedom” (op-ed, June 5), I am now convinced that he is the star!
Sharon Sharvit
(Via E-Mail)
The Pope And The PA
As he continues to extend the hand of Vatican support and friendship to the Palestinian Authority, the pope should be aware that the Christian population in the Palestinian territories has been rapidly decreasing, while the number of Christians in Israel has steadily increased and is now almost four times that of the Palestinian territories.
Certainly the religious tolerance of Israel as compared to the intolerance – sometimes marked by physical violence – against Christians in the Palestinian-controlled areas has been a deciding factor.
One wonders why a pope with purportedly strong ties to the Jewish community of his native Argentina would enter the political fray in support of a Palestinian Arab state.
Nelson Marans
Silver Spring, MD
FDR And The Jews (I)
Re the recent discussion in the Letters section about Franklin Roosevelt and his attitude toward Jews:
In the book Roosevelt and Churchill: Their Secret Wartime Correspondence by Manfred Jonas, Harold D. Langley, and Francis L. Loewenheim (E.P. Dutton, 1975), the following is found on page 308:
“During his visit to N. Africa the President met with the French resident general at Rabat and made some remarks that certainly seem ill-chosen considering that the Nazi death factories at Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and elsewhere were going full blast. According to a memorandum
prepared by his naval aide, Captain John McCrae, Roosevelt maintained that ‘the number of Jews engaged in the practice of the professions [law, medicine, etc.] should be definitely limited to the percentage that the Jewish population in N. Africa bears to the whole of the N. African population…. This plan would further eliminate the specific and understandable complaints which the Germans bore towards the Jews in Germany, namely, that while they represented a small part of the population, over 50% of the lawyers, doctors, college professors, etc., in Germany were Jews.’ ”
Here we see the mind of FDR at work. When I read that for the first time years ago, my blood boiled over. (Used copies of this amazing book – a gold mine of information – are available on Amazon.com.)
Rabbi Yitzchak M. Goodman
Far Rockaway NY
FDR And The Jews (II)
Franklin Roosevelt was a strong president in terms of his New Deal agenda, but he did practically nothing to save the Jews of Europe. It is true that the anti-Semitism and isolationism of the times may have greatly influenced him against publicly speaking out and trying to do something. But what bothers me even more is that there is absolutely nothing on record to show that FDR attempted to do anything behind the scenes to help rescue Jews.
It was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 and Hitler’s declaration of war on the U.S. four days later that caused the U.S. to declare war on Germany.
If not for Hitler’s having declared war on the U.S., who knows if America would have joined the fight against the Nazis?
Avigdor Bregner
Beachwood, OH