Letters Daily Edition

• Published in: The Jerusalem post
• Main Author: Rabbi Barry Schlesinger, David Lloyd Klepper, Leonard Zurakov, Gerald Aranoff, Chayim Seiden, David Bedein, Andee Goldman, Margery Feinstein, Yonatan Silver
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Jerusalem The Jerusalem Post Ltd 14.02.2007

Sir, - According to Prof. Doron Mendels of Tel Aviv University there was a language barrier among the Jews that divided them ("Lack of rabbinic control may have led to assimilation after destruction of 2nd Temple," February 13). Interestingly, the prophet Nehemia decried inter- marriage of Jews with non-Jews, claiming that it led to forgetting the Hebrew language. Ilan Pappe of Haifa University has just published a book accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing - a war crime ("Far Left historian says he is good friends with Haniyeh," February 13). Earlier, he organized a European boycott of Israeli universities "for crimes against Arabs." He should be indicted for racism and dismissed from his position; as should Ariel Toaff of Bar-Ilan University, whose new book accuses Jews of the blood libel still used against us by the Arabs ("Author admits blood-libel claim as provocation," same date). Sir, - If we Jews are so smart, how come we keep voting for the simplistic, ego-ridden people who are leading this country into chaos and even disaster? Where are the likes of Moshe Arens, Benny Begin and Natan Sharansky, the men and women with integrity, intelligence and sincere concern for Israel's future? Why don't they come charging out and take over from the novices and the naive, who really have no clue about what to do in the face of all the problems that face us - other than smile a lot, posture a lot, speak a lot and make all the wrong decisions? When will our true leaders wake up?