Never Give Up Hope
Education in the Palestinian Authority
I read with interest the superb article by David Beden on the subject of the Palestinian educational bias against Israel and the lack of media coverage of this vitally important matter (“Words and Deeds in Arafat’s PA,” June).
I believe that a related issue is the manner in which the recent Israeli elections were covered by the press here in Israel. I found this coverage extremely biased towards the left. I will cite just two examples of many that I noticed.
The first instance of bias occurred a day before the elections were to take place. An argument had broken out between a supporter of Ehud Barak and a supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu. The Barak supporter pushed the Netanyahu supporter, who fell to the ground, severely injuring his head. He was pronounced brain dead at the hospital and died the following day. At first the party affiliations of the two men were unclear, and the media covered the tragedy. Once it became clear that the Barak supporter was at fault, the story faded from the headlines. The attacker was released from jail after an autopsy did not show proof of any physical blows. (This is because the only blow was the push, and a push does not leave a mark.)
The second case of bias took place two nights before the elections, when two media crewmen were attacked. At first it was believed that the attackers were from the right wing. Once the media discovered that the left was at fault, the subject stopped receiving press coverage.
In general, during the election campaign, the media was continually critical of Benjamin Netanyahu at the same time that it praised Ehud Barak. I am not referring to the editorial column, where of course a newspaper is entitled to express its opinions. I am talking about the news section, where coverage should be evenhanded. This was not the case during the last elections.
Mendel Levitan
Jerusalem, Israel
David Beden’s article about the Palestinian educational system was disturbing. Yet at the same time I am encouraged by some of the changes we have witnessed in the Middle East over the course of the past decade.
Who could have imagined, ten years ago, the heads of Arab countries traveling to Israel to attend the funeral of an Israeli leader, as happened with Yitzchak Rabin? Who could have contemplated a major Israeli politician, from the right wing no less, visiting an ailing Arab head of state in the hospital, as Ariel Sharon did when King Hussein was at the Mayo Clinic?
There is a lot more work to do in the Arab world. Syrian President Hafez Assad chose not to attend the funeral of Morocco’s King Hassan II rather than risk having to shake hands with Prime Minister Ehud Barak. The Syrian leader’s continuing disdain for Israel should send a caution flag to the Jewish State when it comes to the consideration of retreat from the Golan Heights. But we have also witnessed progress in the attitude of parts of the Arab world toward Israel, progress we should not dismiss.
Mordechai Even-Zahav
Brooklyn, NY
Likes Cover
I want to commend you for your great cover for the September Jewish Homemaker. It is absolutely beautiful! I will save it and I will treasure it always.
Diane Swanson
Walnut Creek, CA
Your article about the kashrus questions surrounding whey and butter led to some heated discussion in my home concerning the ongoing changes in food production and technology (“Butter Spreads the Wrong ‘Whey,’ ” April). I also went back and reread your article about kosher cheese production (“The Art of Making Cheese,” June 1998). The lesson I have learned is that we cannot take things for granted when it comes to kashrus. As more and more products become kosher, we must exercise special care to buy products that have a reliable hechsher.
Leonard Kramer
Baltimore, MD
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