Letters
Thanks, Dorothy Greene
In your story about the Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey (“Preserving history, thanking volunteers”) you didn’t mention that it was a former president of the Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey, Dorothy Greene, who not only created Photo Friday but nurtured it and grew it into an extremely successful and profitable venture, which was enjoyed and eagerly awaited by Jews and non-Jews alike, who now live in all corners of the world, including Israel.
Allan Snider
Woodland Park
CORRECTIONS:
There were a few errors in that story. The woman in the photo was not Joy Kurland but board member Mireille Shuck. Ms. Kurland is not a volunteer but a professional on the society’s staff.
Don’t decimate mental health
I urge the preservation of New Jersey’s mental health care system. We must commit to continue funding community based mental health services at current levels. This will provide long term, uninterrupted care to all mentally ill individuals who urgently depend on it. These afflicted people are prone to drug addiction, homelessness, incarceration, self inflicted violence, and aggression towards others.
We must not abandon them. A moral society calls for their protection and support.
Jerrold Terdiman, MD
Woodcliff Lake
Don’t trust Abbas
Certainly President Trump should not be naive enough to believe that he can establish a permanent peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. First, Israel has learned through previous contacts with the leaders of the PA, including Arafat and Abbas, that lying is part of their agenda. This was shown most strikingly by the failure of the PA to live up to any part of the Oslo accords while Israel diligently in search of peace did.
First, then, is that representatives of the PA are not to be trusted and that agreements with them are meaningless. Second, and almost as important, Abbas is in no position to speak for the Palestinian Arabs, with a recent poll showing 40 percent in favor of Marwan Bourghati, a murderer currently in Israeli prison, 33 percent for Hamas leader Haniyeh, and only 25 percent for Abbas. The former two are noted as hardliners and consist of an overwhelming 73 percent, while Abbas, certainly not a moderate, receives only one quarter of the vote.
A divided PA is in no position to make peace with Israel, with the added caution that none of its leaders can be trusted.
Nelson Marans
New York, N.Y.
To Nina and all those who shared in her thoughts and emotions:
Nina, I went away for the Passover holiday to spend it with my son’s family and my six grandchildren who live in Israel. When I get back, I always glance over the many Jewish Standard issues that have gone unread during our absence.
Having tried to quickly absorb everything that happened over the last three weeks, I came upon your heartfelt piece, “Passing Over a Son’s Passing” (April 21).
Your sincere words about your coping skills were written so eloquently as you intertwined your thoughts with Passover. It was such a moving article as you attest to your son’s physical absence as being transformed into your own body (as you say, carried in the belly) as an intrinsic part of who you are forever.
As an empty-nester mother of three grown children and now 12 grandchildren, with another on the way, I can relate to how precious each and every child is from their heads to their toes. You have endured the pain heroically — you have been left with no choice — determination, logic and stamina must supersede the crumbling emotions to make it that much more bearable.
May Hashem give you strength to continue to hold on to the memories and for striving to be whole and strong as a mom in a difficult situation.
Ruby Kaplan
Teaneck
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