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Chanukah
A tradition of peace,
a time of renewed faith and hope.
Have a joyous celebration.
Courageous Dialogue
There are two things we need to under-
stand in order to have truly courageous
and honest conversations. First, we have
to understand that it is not Jews who are
prone to hate and anger; those would be
the Islamic terrorists and their enablers
throughout the world.
When they can't murder Jews outright,
they defame Jews and Israel. We, as Jews,
have to understand that these people
hate us and want to slaughter us simply
because we are Jews, as demonstrated by
the Mumbai terrorists who specifically
targeted the miniscule Jewish communi-
ty in a city of almost 13 million people.
Second, we have to understand that
when somebody claims they have
nothing against Jews, just Zionism and
Zionists, they are lying. Since biblical
times, somebody has always offered
"reasons" why Jews should be humili-
ated and killed. Today's popular "reason"
is anti-Zionism. It allows Jew-haters and
their enablers to believe that they really
don't have a problem with Jews, only
with Zionists.
They want us to accept the delusion
that if only we Jews would separate
ourselves from our roots and discard
those nasty Zionist thoughts, we would
be welcomed into the world community
to live happily ever after, never again
having to worry about pogroms, perse-
cution, inquisitions, random violence or
terrorist attacks.
Today, the loudest anti-Jewish anger,
hatred and lies come from the Islamist
world, propagators of the current Big
Lie, the one about Zionists stealing Arab
land. Unfortunately, that Big Lie has its
enablers among the intellectual elite of
Europe and the United Nations, as Robert
Sklar's Editor's Letter ("Impugning
Israel's Character; Dec. 11, page A5) on
the poisonous statements from U.N.
General Assembly President Miguel
d'Escoto Brockmann spotlights.
After reading Sklar's piece on
Broclunann's mendacious screed, can
anyone believe that interfaith dialogue
or "understanding the other" will stop
Islamic terrorists from wanting to kill us?
Harry Onickel
Ferndale
Heal, Not Hate
I read with great interest Rabbi Joseph
Krakoff's article that deals with hatred
("Overcoming Hatred:' Dec. 4, page A35).
Jacob's message is certainly one that can
help us deal with feelings of hurt, anger
and hatred.
However, for some it is much easier
and more convenient to express unguided
and unwarranted hatred toward a person
or group. Peer pressure has a lot to do
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December 18 • 2008
with this also. Like Rabbi Krakoff, I do
not allow hate speech in our house. But
it goes beyond not just saying the word
"hate" or having a strong dislike of some-
one or some group.
Unfortunately, hate and hatred are
something that cross all boundaries of
race, religion, gender, etc. I remember
two blistering sermons recently delivered
at two different churches I attended, one
my own church and one as a guest in
another, that dealt with hate of others,
forgiveness and healing. I swear the mes-
sage was directed right at me — it was
like a bolt of lightening through my heart.
I had to do some soul searching because
I was harboring some deep resentment of
a few church members.
It took some courage, but I made a
point of speaking directly to two mem-
bers and writing letters to two other
acquaintances. I am not saying that all
relationships are now blissful. But the
power and freedom in forgiveness and
making the effort to be kind is something
everyone should experience. Life's far too
short.
Release the resentment; release the
hate and let healing begin, and let it
begin with me.
Franklin Dohanyos
Royal Oak
Yiddish
Limerick
Happy Chanukah
On Chanukah hot gevein a
groyser ness*
So shpil di dreidel** and lots of
latkes ess.***
We light the big menorah
yeder**** night
Mir zingen***** "Maoz
Tzur" with great delight.
And dos, mein kind******, is
Chanukah, I guess.
Hot gevein a groyser ness
— a great miracle
happened
**
Shpil di dreidel
play the dreidel
***
Ess — eat
**** Yeder — every
**** * Mir zingen — we sing
****** Dos, mein kind — this,
my child.
—
Rachel Kapen of West Bloomfield
prepared this limerick in memory of
the late Mary Jo Fleischmann, long-
time JN Yiddish limerick writer.