frontlines >> letters }low to Send Letters We prefer letters relating to JN articles. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Letters of 225 words or less are considered first. Longer ones will be subject to trimming. Letter writers are limited in frequency of publication. Letters must be original and contain the name, address and title of the writer and a day phone number. Non-electronic copies must be hand signed. Send letters to the JN: 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax (248) 304-8885; e-mail, letters©the jewishnews.com . We prefer email. J Street Is A Legitimate Player In The Community The Jewish News editorial board makes the right call in recognizing J Street's role as a legitimate player in the Jewish com- munity ("Right Or Wrong, J Street Carves A Political Niche," June 5, page 37). One needs only to examine the turnout of J Street's 2013 Conference, attended by thousands of Jewish activists, rabbis, Israeli lawmakers from the left and the right — even Vice President Joe Biden — to realize that this question was put to rest long ago. Yet, while the editorial board is correct to acknowledge that our community des- perately needs a debate on Israel, it goes out of its way to indulge in old smears about J Street. These comments have no grounding in reality and, in fact, prevent American Jewry from engaging and argu- ing about Israel's political situation in the same lively way that Israeli Jews do every single day. While there is no room for a worthy rebuttal in this letter, it's important to acknowledge the reason why J Street has risen to such prominence, especially amongst those who make up the next generation of American Jewish leaders. It's because J Street is one of the only Jewish organizations truly committed to achiev- ing a two-state solution, the only way to secure Israel's long-term future as both a democratic and Jewish state. Even Israel's own military establish- ment has argued that indefinite control over the West Bank significantly under- mines Israel's security position. What Israel needs is a peace treaty with its Palestinian neighbors, one that establishes security through internationally recog- nized borders, as past agreements with Egypt and Jordan accomplished. That was the goal of Secretary of State John Kerry in his latest attempt to resume talks, the goal of Presidents Clinton, Bush Sr. and Jr. during their administrations and is the mission of J Street. It's also the goal shared by a large majority of American Jews who love Israel and don't want to see it in an eternal war with its neighbors. We all know that the Palestinians are cer- tainly not the perfect partners for an ideal peace. But, we don't make peace with our best friends; we make peace with our ene- mies, and if we continue to wait, we will be subjecting the next generation to war and suffering. These are the partners that we have, and it's important to continue to work each and every day for the vision of peace. For those of us that care about Israel, we must continue the hard work necessary to bring about a two-state solution. For those that write editorials for Jewish newspapers, it's important to recognize that many of us in the mainstream of our community are J Street supporters who will not be silenced. J Street Is In Denial On Peace Prospects After her nephew's tragic death from flu, my great-aunt Carolyn tried to convince others that disease exists only in our mind. If we deny the existence of evil, evil will not exist. My aunt died probably 10 years before her time, having never seen a doctor for an undiagnosed medical condi- tion. By her example, I learned that "deni- al" is a dysfunctional coping mechanism. Enter J Street. The major premise is that "if I'm nice to you, you will be nice to me," based on pop-psychology. "Change yourself, and you change the world:' That only works if the world agrees with your point of view. Whatever happened to the 12-Step saying, "The only person I can change is myself' J Street wants us to believe that if Israel withdraws from the West Bank, the Palestinians will make peace. Quite simple, right? Simple like "denial." In the political world, it is a recipe for national suicide. But sadly, J Street's grandiose fan- tasy feels so good! J Street's seductive message is that "if I change myself, I have the power to change others:' Sorry, reality doesn't work that way, and we call it "moral narcissism:' In addition, it's easy to be an "arm-chair quar- terback" when you have never experienced danger first-hand, as Israelis do daily. Reality consists of the Hamas Charter: "The Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic waqf [endowment] conse- crated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up ..." (Article 11). Don't fool yourself. They mean what they say, and they say what they will do. So, let's say that J Street is a bit off, and just needs to be brought into the fold to get straightened out. Enter George Soros, the financial force behind the organization. George Soros has publicly stated that Israel is at fault for all the problems in the Middle East. So, should George Soros be a player in the major American-Jewish scene? It's like inviting cancer into a healthy body. Through J Street, Soros will try to destroy us from within. Thus, I am in total agreement that J Street is "beyond the pale" and should not ever be included in the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. No one can change J Street, but J Street. And J Street cannot change the waqf. The Waqf generates the refusal to accept the sovereignty of Jews anywhere, and we have to face that grim reality. Period. In conclusion: J Street is a delusional organization that intends to destroy the American-Jewish support for Israel from within. Gerald H. Acker Ruth Katsnelson Southfield West Bloomfield Ask Attorney Ken Gross about... Your Legal Issues Check Out The JN's Daily Blog From Israel Next week, the JN's Keri Guten Cohen and Don Cohen will be participating in a summit for diaspora media spon- sored by the Israeli government. Starting June 22, they will blog news from the summit, views from Israelis, news of Detroiters in Israel and inter- esting tidbits and photos in daily posts at www.thejewishnews.com and on the JN Facebook page. Read it every day! Yiddish Limerick Reuven Rivlin Israel's New President Dos vartn* is over, dos entfer'' is here. It's Rivlin the prez, zahy freilakh un*** cheer. To Peres so sadly mir zogn**** goodbye. Un hofn"*** that Rubi is truly our guy. Now borkh habo****** Rubi, from oondz un tzu dir.******* * Dos vartn — the wait ** dos entfer — the answer *** zahy freilakh un — be happy and **** mir zogn — we say ***** Un hofn — and hoping ****** borkh habo — welcome ******* oondz un tzu dir — us and to you — Rachel Kapen See a related story on page 32. Letters on page 6 How Much Can You Afford to Lose? My guess is "Nothing!" Let's talk Wealth Accumulation and Preservation. To me, "Accumulation" is saving future income so that it grows over time via investment. 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