Letters to the editor
Readers respond
Israel still has a free press
Ely Karmon (“Why I just subscribed to Haaretz,” Dec. 6) says he is subscribing to Israel’s extreme-left newspaper, Haaretz, as a protest against the Israeli government’s recent action regarding that publication.
What did the government do that was so outrageous? Well, Haaretz’s publisher called the murderers and rapists of Hamas “freedom fighters,” and the government responded by announcing it will no longer advertise in Haaretz.
Karmon compares the new Israeli government policy to recent restrictions on the press by the government of Turkey. That comparison is absurd. The Israeli government is not restricting Haaretz in any way. It is simply refraining from giving it paid advertising. How many Israelis do you suppose would want their taxes used to advertise in a newspaper that called Hamas “freedom fighters”? Not very many, I would wager.
Moshe Phillips
National Chairman
Americans For A Safe Israel
New York, NY
Gratitude for the Jewish Community
I very much enjoyed Rabbi Mordechai Soskil’s recent Thanksgiving piece in the Chronicle (“Oddly specific gratitude,” Nov. 29) about being meaningfully grateful for more than just the standard platitudes. It prompted me to consider what I am grateful for, along with the usual (but no less important) “thankfulnesses” of family, health, etc.
One that plays prominently in my mind these days is thankfulness for the Jewish community, both locally and globally. On the whole, the world little appreciates (to put it mildly) the role the Jewish people have played both historically and currently in the betterment of humanity.
As a non-Jew, I have learned much from this community about resilience, ethics, being a positive force in the world and thoughtful consideration of what it means to be human.
So, to my Jewish neighbors and friends, I am grateful for you.
Jack Bailey
Pittsburgh
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