Living Legacy
I loved Naomi Klass Mauer’s article about her mother (op-ed, Nov 27).
I knew Irene Klass personally and have many fond memories of her, such as hearing her read her poetry at a shul event.
I particularly recall her love of dancing at simchas. It was hard to keep up with her and all the younger women looked on in amazement as she danced before the bride.
Her articles in The Jewish Press were always interesting and I especially cherish the article she wrote about my mother, Rebbetzin Singer, a”h. She and Rabbi Klass, z”l, are surely proud of their children and grandchildren and of The Jewish Press, which continues to be right on target in its coverage of what’s happening around the world and in Israel.
Their legacy lives on.
Vivian Singer
Brooklyn, NY
It’s About Time
The Arab-Israeli conflict is theological, not political. Rabbi Meir Kahane brilliantly shared with the world “the most fundamental law of political physics: Two nations, each claiming ownership, can never occupy the same space at the same time.”
What our leaders fail to recognize is that the Arabs seek war, not peace. The more we give away, the more terror we get; the more sympathetic we are toward people who don’t value human life, the more barbaric their behavior grows.
How much more Jewish blood must stain the streets of Jerusalem for Israel to understand that it’s us or them?
In the words of Rabbi Kahane: “Faith in the God of Israel and a powerful Jewish army are the only guarantors of Jewish survival. Let us not fear the world. Far better a strong Jewish state that survives and is despised by the world than a continuance of the horrors that have really only just begun.”
Israel is a Jewish state, not a state of Jews. Only when we stop succumbing to public opinion and truly believe in our claim to the land of Israel in its entirety will we have the clarity, conviction, and courage to defend our homeland.
Shalva Gozland
Riverdale, NY
HaRav Shabtai Sabato
Since the publication of my article on HaRav Shabtai Sabato’s insights into rational rather than superstitious Judaism (“It’s Your Life,” op-ed, Nov. 27), I have learned that there is a moving video about a remarkable student at Rav Sabato’s school, Yeshivat Netivot Yosef in Mitzpeh Yericho: “The Rabbi and His Student – Kibert and Rav Shabtai Sabato.”
If you wish to know the values of religious Zionism, you can see the video on YouTube.
I have also learned that Rav Sabato has taped a Hebrew Daf Yomi, HaTalmud Hamuklat, available from Torah Educational Software.
Dr. Rivkah Teitz Blau
(Via E-Mail)
Differing Beliefs
Reader Dr. Yaakov Stern feels those who feel science raises some legitimate questions are “academic atheists” (Letters, Dec. 4).
I am a Reform Jew but have close friends who are Orthodox and we get along fine, respecting each other and our differing beliefs. I recall one friend once asking me if I believed in God. I answered “yes.” He then asked if I believed that God gave Moses the Torah and I said “no.” We remain good friends.
So though I don’t believe what Dr. Stern believes, I am not an atheist. And as Jews – and human beings – we should learn to respect others even when they may not believe as we do.
Gerald Deutsch
Glen Head, NY
Ezra Could Have Been My Son
I can’t stop thinking about Ezra Schwartz, a”h. How could this have happened?
When I look at all the pictures of Ezra online, he looks so gentle. He has that priceless look of innocence all children have before they become adults, before they have traveled through the miles of life.
Smiling with his sister, playing in the lake at summer camp, gathered in the arms of his family, he looks so familiar. He could easily have been one of my children.
The wind has been knocked right out of me.
He graduated from an American Jewish high school in the Northeast. He went to a popular summer camp and was a counselor just a few months ago. He goofed around with his brothers and sisters. He played sports. Like many boys I know, he decided to learn in Israel for the year before going to college. To be inspired. To get closer to Hashem. To become a better person.
So last August he packed his suitcase and went to the airport with his family. I’m sure his mom cried and told him to be careful, not to talk to strangers, and to call when he landed in Israel.
Ezra had to put on a brave face because he had friends around and didn’t want to look like a baby. As he said goodbye to his mom and dad he tried to hold in the tears, but a few escaped and slid down his cheeks anyway as he walked away from his parents for the last time.
He could have been my son. Or yours. A couple of weeks ago, as he was stuck in traffic while in the middle of doing an act of kindness, he was brutally taken from us in an act of terror.
The light dims.
My son Akiva is learning in Yeshiva Imrei Binah, which is in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem. He is just 19. This is his second year. My daughter Noa, who is newly married, just moved to Jerusalem with her husband so that he can learn for the first year of marriage.
Why do our children go to Israel? Because they have a dream. They want to become kinder, more compassionate people. They want to become wiser and stronger so that they can bring light into this world. They want to grow in goodness. They desire
closeness to Hashem.
Our children pack up their suitcases, get on the plane, and go to Israel.
Ezra, our child, you are deeply rooted in our hearts and prayers. Even though I never met you, I feel like I knew you.
May all the tears shed for you and all the prayers recited on your behalf be saved in a special place next to Hashem and have a special merit. May your devastating sacrifice bring us all closer to Hashem.
Dana Mase
(Via E-Mail)