Better together

I want to thank the Jewish Light for its front-page story last week highlighting SB 849, the bipartisan “anti-discrimination against Israel” bill that was introduced last week by Mo. Sens. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, and Jill Schupp D-Creve Coeur. We expect to have a companion House Bill filed soon with Speaker of the House Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluf,  as our lead sponsor. 

We are thrilled with the bipartisan nature of support thus far, as well as the interest from House and Senate leaders to carry the bill.  If passed, Missouri would be the 25th state to stand up and say that companies who seek to isolate Israel and to de-legitimize her in the international economic arena — will not benefit from doing business in our state.  It will be an historic moment in Jefferson City, as it will be the first time that there has been a legislative vote in favor of Israel in the Missouri capitol. 

In this effort, we represent a coalition of like-minded people and organizations like the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Bergson Group, the Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of St. Louis, St. Louis Friends of Israel, along with support from Christians United for Israel, who are all working together. We also have had the support of Congregation B’nai Amoona, Nusach Hari B’nai Zion, U. City Shul and United Hebrew Congregation, all of which have given free space to host speakers and meetings to help raise awareness of the BDS efforts against Israel. 

We are most effective when we stand together as one community, as evidenced by the success we are currently seeing around this effort. 

Jenny Wolkowitz, Creve Coeur

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Giving up on two-state solution

Now that it’s the beginning of a new year, it’s time, once and for all, to come clean about the current state of affairs between Israel and the Palestinians.

First and foremost, in regard to a possible peace agreement between the two parties, forget it. Peace prospects are dead in the water. Nothing of consequence has materialized in the past 70 years, so why would anyone think otherwise now? 

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, not unlike his late predecessor, Yasser Arafat, is nothing more than a cutthroat gangster whose true desire and intent is predicated upon a one-state solution only—a Palestinian state—at the expense and the annihilation of Israel.  The Palestinians’ gross intransigence and deep, bitter, hate for the Jewish State, a hate that has been further exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, have killed off all chances for a peace settlement. 

The Palestinians have never recognized Israel as the Jewish State, and they never will. Therefore, I say, enough is enough. Israel should cut off all ties to the Palestinians, including its altruistic endeavors to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in times of severe crises.

Let their friends and allies in the United Nations, whose members overwhelmingly support the Palestinian cause, take over the task of providing and caring for their needs.

That said, while the Palestinians are content to wallow in their own self-pity, Israel will continue to thrive and flourish, and remain a beacon of hope for all peace-loving people everywhere, who desire to achieve and attain the highest standard of democratic ideals.

Gene Carton, Olivette