Letters to the Editor: Fools rushed in to criticise
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Fools rushed in to criticise
Now the dust has settled on the clashes on the Gaza, it’s time for some quiet introspection by some members of our community regarding how they conducted themselves.
Surely they must have realised that the repeated and orchestrated attempts by thousands to breach the border fence would undoubtedly have resulted in the slaughter of Israeli families in their homes, only a few hundred meters away, if those attempts had succeeded.
Yet several hundred people saw fit to put their names on record in order to sign an online letter posted by Yachad indirectly condemning the actions of the IDF by attacking the response of the Board of Deputies.
Most extraordinary of all was the conduct of students filmed attending Parliament square to say Kaddish for the dead – 50 of whom have been confirmed to be Hamas operatives and a further three members of Islamic Jihad.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Gideon Falter in his blog refers to “mainstream Jews exhibiting symptoms of Stockholm syndrome” which may not be far off the mark.
Those who from the comfort of their London living rooms rushed to judgement to condemn the defensive actions of the IDF have embarrassed themselves and ended up, through naivety, appearing very foolish indeed.
Leonard Herman, Highgate
Pair’s misplaced empathy
Kindly share with your readers my open letter to Rabbi Leah Jordan and Nina Morris-Evans, who were part of the recent infamous Kaddish for Gaza and were allowed space in your newspaper to defend their participation:
Your naive empathy has been misplaced.
Hamas and the PLO before them have radicalised their children for decades.
Hamas and the Palestinian powers that be, have bred and nurtured innocent children throughout their childhoods, with incessant Jew hatred and the glories of martyrdom.
This has gone on for many generations, which has turned the population into a seething, brainwashed army of expendable robots.
Gaza has been ethnically cleansed of Jews.
Hamas and the PLO give huge amounts of remunerations to the families of murdering “martyrs”, which we the British tax payers have contributed to.
Stop this indoctrination of hatred and then there may be a chance for peace. Peace is not on the Palestine Arab agenda. It is the annihilation of Israel which is their goal.
Sandra Barnett, Barnet
The Gaza syndrome
Rabbi Laura Jenner-Klausner is right about the Jewish community in Britain risking self- destruction [Jewish News, 24 May], but not because of the quite natural reaction to the treacherous behaviour of those who publicly say Kaddish for modern-day Nazis.
We have seen the same disgusting behaviour here in Australia, an immoral mutation of Stockholm syndrome.
The Gaza aggression is orchestrated by Hamas, whose fighters are the majority of casualites, and which makes no secret of its desire to kill all Jews.
So enough of Jews who weep over the self-inflicted casualties of the modern version of the SS.
Any self-destruction in Diaspora Jewish communities is due to useful idiots and ignorant bigots supporting genocidal terrorists by defiling the Kaddish prayer in a public display of hubris.
Terry Davis,Australia
Weaponising kaddish
Insulting the Jewish religion by reciting the holy, ancient and deeply emotive Kaddish prayer on behalf of terrorists who were on a mission to force their way into Israel and slaughter without mercy every Jew they could get their hands on marks a new moral low.
This is a true act of treachery against your own people and borders on insanity. The Kaddish prayer is centuries old and has been recited by millions of Jews down the ages in sacred memory of their departed loved ones.
Rabbi Leah Jordan, who led the prayer, weaponised Kaddish against her own people.
Clive Kerr, By email
Deliberate antagonism
I’m in total agreement with Ruth Leveson’s comments [Jewish News, 24 May] about the holier than thou, naïve and misguided young people saying Kaddish for Gaza.
They should instead say this prayer for the Israelis who have been knifed, shot and mown down by vehicles over the past year, or thousands of men women and children who have been killed on a daily basis for years in Assad’s Syria.
We can all learn from our mistakes, but there are some people who delight in being antagonistic.
Robert Dulin, By email
Singing soulmates
During the recent bank holiday I went to Great Notley Park in Braintree, Essex, with my family. When we arrived I suggested to my three-year-old son, Eitan, that he should go to the toilet.
Once inside the cubicle, he started to sing “Adon olam, asher malach…” (not an unusual occurrence!) at which point a deep and booming voice from the cubicle next door continued, “Beterim kol yetsir nifra, adon olam” and then said: “We don’t often hear that around here!”
My son looked utterly bemused. I was in hysterics. By the time we came out the cubicle, the mystery voice had left.
I have no idea who the gentleman was, but clearly it is not just Chabad niggunim (songs) or food that bring Jews together!
Dan and Eitan Sacker, Hendon
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