Letters to the Editor: ‘Such attack a badge of honour’
Send us your comments - PO Box 34296, London NW5 1YW | letters@thejngroup.com
Such attack a badge of honour
Glyn Secker from Jews for Justice for Palestinians launched a basless attack on Richard Millett and I in last week’s edition (Jewish News, 16 October). We sat silently through 50 minutes of speeches at the recent Mend even in Parliament.
In the Q&A Richard asked the first question: why no mention of Hamas? I asked the second, pointing out that it’s the PA – not Israel – restricting the supply of medicines to Gaza.
Israel-hating organisations hold meetings in committee rooms in Parliament where known anti-Semites are present. Inevitably the chair is biased. At this meeting speakers criticised Israel for granting insufficient permits for patients to leave Gaza for treatment, without mentioning that Hamas exploits cancer patients to smuggle money and information to terrorists.
Dr Phillipa Whitford said, of breast cancer sufferers in Gaza, “only 45 percent of patients are allowed to travel to Jerusalem” for radiotherapy. I asked for a source for this figure and followed up on Twitter. I still have had no satisfactory response.
Secker has said Israel has become “a pariah country internationally… Israel doesn’t know how to make peace, it only knows how to make wars.”
Attacked by him? It’s a badge of honour.
Jonathan Hoffman, Barnet
Shock repeat of blood libel
My jaw dropped when I saw you had seen fit to publish in your newspaper a letter from Glyn Secker from Jews for Justice for Palestinians [Jewish News, 16 November].
It was not just the personalisation of his attack on two individuals without the benefit of context or comment having been sought from them, or the headlining of such ad hominem attacks by you.
It was the repetition of a modern day “blood libel” that will now be quoted with authority.
The lack of any context to the letter gives oxygen to those who use their hate meetings to spread vitriol and lies.
Those lies need challenging whenever the opportunity, not endorsement by Jewish News.
Freedom of the press does not mean that you are free to carry irresponsible journalism.
If provocative allegations are to be made, then the people at whom they are aimed must be allowed to comment before publication.
That is the difference between journalism and propaganda.
What you have done is to print false propaganda that cannot be undone just by printing subsequent responses.
Mandy Blumenthal, N6
Headlines that say it all
Regarding Nasreen Khan’s reprehensible post “What have the Jews done good in this world?” (Jewish News, 16 November), it would take volumes to catalogue our contributions to science, art, technology and other fields of human endeavour. Or, pluck two examples from headlines in last week’s Jewish News: “Iran and Iraq reject Israeli earthquake aid” and “Veteran to stand at Cenotaph thanks to Israeli robotic suit.” In a word, “humanity”.
Barry Borman, By email
A misquote on Balfour
Alex Brummer’s article (Jewish News, 9 November) was mainly supportive of Israel’s achievements since Balfour. I take issue with him on what appears to be his misquotation of the declaration.
Mr Brummer comments on the “second half”, with its emphasis on protecting the rights of the indigenous Arab population”. Having studied the declaration, I cannot see a “second half”. There is clearly only one intention, to “view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”.
This one objective was conditional upon “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine” – no mention of “the indigenous Arab population” and the “rights” are limited to civil and religious rights.
Brummer’s reference to “rights” as a general term is too wide and open to many interpretations, particularly if applied to “human rights”.
Much has changed politically and otherwise, but surely accuracy should be maintained when referring to the contents of another document.
Alan Cooper, By email
GG hippodrome is meant to benefit entire community
Golders Green Hippodrome was listed as a Grade II building with criteria for its use clearly defined for arts events of benefit to the entire community. Clearly a mosque cannot offer this very important requirement.
I understand an informal approach by a Jewish organisation with a view to using the site as a synagogue was quite rightly rejected.
The same criteria still stand and planning permission should be rejected on the same grounds. It’s the responsibility of the council to continue to make available arts and performance for the entire community.
There is no objection for a more modest mosque more appropriate to its local community to be built elsewhere in the area.
Vicki York, N20
Remembering kitchener camp
Francine Wolfisz’s piece “A Very Filling Sandwich” (Jewish News, 9 November) was fine but I was disappointed she gave a mere six lines to Richborough and the Kitchener Camp. This sheltered 4,000 Jewish men fleeing the Nazis; without it, these men, one of them my 19-year-old father and another his 16-year-old brother, would have been yet further victims of the Holocaust.
This was a major rescue, an adult parallel of the Kindertransport. To glide over it so cursorily is to relegate a highly-significant event in Jewish history almost to the level of a footnote, an insult to the memory of those who lived at Kitchener and those far-sighted members of the Anglo-Jewish community who created it.
A Kitchener Camp descendants group has been formed – you may find a visit to its website (www.kitchenercamp.co.uk) enlightening.
Vivien Harris, By email
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
