Podhoretz editorial

I believe that Norman Podhoretz was right 30 years ago and is right today as regards Israel. The entire Western world’s attacks on Israel and its very right to exist as an independent nation are led by and consist of the left and liberal politicians and populations of these countries. The greatest non-Jewish support in the United States comes from the Evangelical Christians.

To quote an editorial in the Sept. 4 Jerusalem Post: “The pro-Israel liberalism of Kennedy, Humphrey, Henry Jackson, and Javits, seems almost archaic.” We know that the Arab rejection of Israel’s existence is at the root of the conflict. Not settlements. When there were no settlements, Israel had to fight wars for its very existence.

The liberal position today is that as Israel is the stronger party it must make concession after concession until the Arab dream of throwing the Jews into the sea is realized.

Fortunately the great bulk of Jewish Israelis don’t agree. [According to a Jerusalem Post poll] Only 4 percent of Jewish Israelis in Israel Jewish Israelis view the policies of U.S. President Barack Obama as being pro-Israeli.

Even those who may be liberal for the reasons stated in your editorial must realize those reasons don’t apply to safeguarding a Jewish Israel.

Herschel Asner

Creve Coeur

Schnucks crucifix

The letter to the editor in this publication addressing the surprise of a reader to the display of the crucifix at a city grocery open to the public was a signpost in a strange land for me.

The essence of this discussion is not the need for a naked public square, as that terminology pertains to the intersection of religion and government, but rather for a naked out-of-doors. As a community we have progressed to a point where one’s religious expression ought to be a matter of such personal dimension that it should never be uttered under the light of the sun.

This entire public discussion, from this journal and into the Post-Dispatch, reminds one of the short story “Eli, the Fanatic” penned some 40 years ago by Philip Roth. There, however, the trade-off of public expression of religion for the safety of children is posed as satire. Surely, Schnuck’s Markets will see that this crucifix comes down for the comfort of all. And it will be no satire.

Brian McCarthy

St. Louis

The St.Louis JewishLight welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions from readers regarding issues of interest to the local Jewish community.

Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please include your name, city of residence and a daytime phone number. Commentaries (generally between 400 and 800 words) on a variety of topics are also welcomed. For further information, contact Editor Ellen Futterman at 314-743-3669 or [email protected] or Managing Editor Mike Sherwin at 314-743-3665 or [email protected].