Letters to the Editor: ‘Irving Carter was the best of us’
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Irving was the best of us
The ALEH family deeply mourns the passing of our beloved supporter and dear friend, Irving Carter.
Irving was a kind and gentle soul who cared deeply for ALEH’s children in Israel with severe disabilities and complex medical conditions, and his giving heart was matched by an unparalleled generosity of spirit. Together with his dear wife, Gillian, he was constantly giving of himself to offer our residents a better quality of life, and did so with tremendous humility.
Over the years, the Carter family has sponsored and co-sponsored important ALEH projects, including the recent dedication of a new medical clinic at Gedera’s ALEH’s residential and rehabilitative centre, which provides a fully-accessible treatment centre that benefits ALEH’s children daily. It is quite symbolic that this clinic has allowed ALEH to keep the residents – all of whom have compromised immune systems and weak respiratory functioning – healthy, happy and out of harm’s way throughout this crisis. As the pandemic intensified, ALEH staff utilised the clinic to work wonders, and they cannot imagine what might have befallen the children without it.
Although the novel coronavirus tragically took Mr Carter’s life, his family’s generous gift allowed us to save the lives of so many others. As we continue to shield our residents from Covid-19, we are indebted to Mr Carter and his wonderful family. We extend our deepest condolences to Gillian and their family.
Liron Rosiner-Reshef, Director, British Friends of ALEH
Board of Deputies should never try to dictate Israeli government policy
The majority of Jews in the UK support Israel. There is a wide body of opinion among the Jewish community in this country as to Israel’s policies and that is reasonable as we are living in a democracy with freedom of speech.
However, an organisation such as the Board of Deputies should never comment on, interfere with, criticise or try to dictate the policy of the Israeli government, especially on matters concerning any possible future agreement with the Palestinians and policy towards Judea and Samaria. These are entirely matters for the democratically-elected government of the State of Israel.
Can one imagine a scenario, albeit highly unlikely, where the Israeli government followed a diktat from the Board and it proved to be a disaster, costing lives?
What a terrible responsibility that would place on the Board. I know I speak on behalf of the vast majority of members of the community I represent.
Eric Harris, deputy for Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation
Which signatories were impersonated like i was?
My name recently appeared on an open letter to the Board of Deputies against annexation. I did not sign it and it’s clear I was impersonated. I was notified two weeks after it had been published.
The organisation Yachad, which was involved with the letter, assured me the organisers of the petition removed my name and provided me with an email that had been used to submit my name. I am thankful that they did this.
I note how the organisers of the petition and those supporting it (such as Yachad and Jewish Labour Movement) claim support from a wide spectrum for this petition. This leads me to wonder if my identity as a religious Zionist was deliberately chosen. Or could it have beeen another Adam Shasha?
Since there may have been no vetting to prevent the identity fraud I may have been subjected to, how do we know that there are indeed 500 people who willingly signed this petition?
I have been informed of others who have had their names added to this letter without their permission. Unless the organisers verify the signatures the validity of this letter cannot be taken seriously.
Adam Shasha, Jerusalem
Blaming israel for failure to make peace
Why do columnists such as David Harel and Tal Ofer persist in blaming Israel for trying to end that strife? Israel has tried to do it the Arab way for decades but they just can’t see that is has not succeded.
We have few enough friends in the world and a lot of enemies. Jews like some of the Board fo Deputies, Harel and Ofer play politics with people’s lives, much like is currently happening with Covid. Rather than fixing things, the opposition seeks to convince the public of what a terrible job the government has done, engendering fear instead of giving them some positive hope.
I for one won’t criticise Israel because the Palestinian Authority and Hamas choose to bite the hand that feeds them. It should be ‘peace for land’ not ‘land for peace’.
Adrian Korsner, N20
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