4 | MAY 4 • 2023 

essay
Weather Notes
O

ne of the most talked 
about subjects seems 
to be the weather.
It is usually too hot, too cold, 
too wet, too dry … rarely is 
it just right. Are you aware, 
however, that 
some people are 
not happy to 
just talk about 
the climatic 
conditions; they 
have put their 
observations to 
music. As a result, 
there are many songs with 
weather conditions in the title.
“Stormy Weather” is one that 
many will recall. “Raindrops 
Keep Fallin’ On My Head” is 
another that will garner smiles 
of recognition. Let us consider 
some of the lesser-known ones 
(and their artists) to illustrate 

the obsession with climate.
In addition to at least 
the 12 songs I found called 
“Hurricane,
” there are “
After the 
Hurricane” by Jazmine Sullivan, 
“Hurricane Song” (Allen 
Watty) and “Hurricane Drunk” 
(Florence + the Machine). I 
also found “Cyclone” (Bruce 
Hornsby).
The attractions of nice 
weather seem to be lost on 
lyricists, but we should give a 
nod to at least seven songs called 
“Sunshine” and there is “Blue 
Sky” (Allman Brothers Band).
The “Chill in the Air” (Amos 
Lee) might be a heads up for 
“Pink Snow” (The Crabs), 
“Snow in California” (Ariana 
Grande) and “Snow in Vegas” 
(David Grey). You will notice 
that the areas that took note 
of snow are ones in which it is 

unusual. It 
is not a favorite 
or hummable subject for 
Michiganders.
“The Fog” (Kate Bush) 
and “The Wind” (Feist) may 
eventually give way to “Rainbow 
Man” (Jeff Bates) or “Rainbow 
Connection” by the Muppets 
(one of my personal favorites).
The most popular weather 
condition for songwriters seems 
to be rain. Going way back, 
there are “
April Showers” (Al 
Jolson) and a bit more recently 
“
After the Rain” (Shirley Bassey). 
There are at least six just called 
“Rain,
” including ones from 
Madonna and the Beatles. 
There is the request from Cyndi 

Lauper to 
“Rain On Me” 
and the observation that “Rain 
Is a Good Thing” by Luke 
Bryan. “Rainy Day Women” 
by Bob Dylan and “Rainy Day, 
Dream Away” by Jimi Hendrix 
may awaken memories for 
some. There were at least three 
songs called “Save it for a Rainy 
Day” (The Jayhawks, Stephen 
Bishop, Kenny Chesney).
All of these led me to 
conclude that whether it’s cold 
or whether it’s hot, we’ll have 
weather, whether or not. So put 
that on your parade of hits. And 
remember: Let a smile be your 
umbrella if you want a mouthful 
of rain. 

PURELY COMMENTARY

continued on page 6

The Problem in Israel
I am writing this on the eve 
of Yom HaZikaron, Israel 
Memorial Day, having in mind 
the 28,468 Israelis who have 
fallen in battle and in terrorist 
attacks, and the Israel they fell 
for, as well as the thousands who 
survive but remain disabled as 
the result of war and terrorist 
attacks, the families who have 
lost so much, all of us who think 
about them regularly. 
I found Yiftah Leket’s essay, 
“The Problem in Israel” (April 
20, page 8) informative. There 
is a good amount of history and 
overview of some of the issues 
faced by Israelis, a good number 
of which they have been strug-
gling with for years. But I wish 
he had included far more infor-
mation about the problem of 
judicial overhaul and the other 
issues which are the cause of so 

much consternation. 
American Jews should be 
reminded, as much as possible, 
about the issue in detail, as it is 
likely to return to the Knesset 
plenum for a vote, in one form 
or another. This should be 
discussed in every publication 
within the American Jewish 
community. There has long 
been well-warranted debate over 
the role of Jews living outside of 
Israel. But the issues of judicial 
overhaul, the proposed changes 
in the law of return, proposed 
changes to the Basic Law, will 
affect all of us. We need to learn 
and discuss all of these. If we 
are going to advocate for Israel, 
we need to learn about these 
issues as much as possible. All of 
us. Again, my appreciation for 
Yiftah’s piece. 

— Larry Winer

submitted online

Arabs Won’t Accept 
Long-Term Solution

Yiftah Leket’s “The Problem 
in Israel,
” (April 20, page 8) 
claims that “part of the problem 
[Israel has] with our Palestinian 
neighbors” is that “We don’t like 
long-term solutions. We put on 
a short-term bandage … it does 
not solve the issues.
” 
The historical record proves 
that it’s erroneous to think 
Israel has the power to “solve” 
its conflict with the Palestinian 
Arabs; it is the Arabs who are 
the aggressors, and it is they 
who have the power to halt 
their wars and their relentless 
terrorism. 
Of course, Israel would like 
a “long-term solution” to the 
problem. After all, Israel agreed 
to the absurdly narrow bor-
ders offered in the 1947 U.N. 
Partition Plan; it was the Arabs 

who rejected them. In the 1950s 
and 1960s, when there were 
no “occupied territories” or 
“settlements,
” Israel repeatedly 
pleaded with the Arabs for 
peace; the answer was always 
“no.
” In 1995, Israel withdrew 
its forces from the areas in 
Judea-Samaria where 98% of the 
Palestinian Arabs reside, and 
later it withdrew from 100% of 
Gaza; the Arabs still refused to 
make peace. Two prime min-
isters, Ehud Barak and Ehud 
Olmert, offered to create a 
Palestinian state in almost all of 
Judea-Samaria; once again, the 
Palestinian leadership refused. 
Let’s face it, the obstacle to 
peace is not Israel’s disinterest in 
“long-term solutions.
” The obsta-
cle is that the Palestinian Arabs 
regard all of Israel as “occupied 
Palestine” and therefore will not 
accept any long-term solution 

letters

Sy Manello
Editorial 
Assistant

