LEYDEN, MASS.-The anti-Israel March 4 Brattleboro ballot question calls Israel an "apartheid regime."
It defines the million Israeli Holocaust survivors and the million, dark-skinned Jews forcibly expelled from Arab countries as "settler colonizers" even though they were granted a state by the United Nations in 1947 and legally purchased their properties just the same way we do in this country. The ballot question bemoans money that the U.S. gives to Israel for self-defense, yet ignores the $600 million that the U.S. annually gives to Palestinians.
The article calls for justice and equality for "all people," but singles out only the Jewish state for vilification.
The holy places of all religions are protected. The Baháʼí of Israel, who were severely persecuted in Iran, flourish in Israel. Ahmadi Muslims, persecuted in Pakistan, are safe.
LEYDEN, MASS.-F. Miess of Southern Vermont for Palestine advocates for a boycott of an Israel-produced software product. Apparently, it is in vogue now to cancel anyone, or anything, Jewish or Israeli. Recently, even the Jewish musician, Matisyahu, who sings about peace, had three U.S. concerts cancelled. If Mr. Miess...
LEYDEN, MASS.-In response to Holland Mills' recent letter, it's essential to address significant omissions and clarify the context. The claim that "no less than a million Lebanese have fled Israel's newly-launched ground war" lacks credible support. This exaggeration misinforms readers giving a distorted narrative that unfairly singles out Israel...
Rhonda Wainshilbaum is an artisan and a civic volunteer, living and working in Massachusetts, just over the Vermont line. LEYDEN, MASS.-Jews used to be called "Christ-killers." The notion that all Jews collectively bared the responsibility for the death God's son stained Jews with lasting, incomparable guilt. Some used it as an excuse to murder Jews (even if Christ's death happened centuries before their births). As a child I wondered: "How can God be killed?" and "Wasn't Jesus Jewish?" I now...
Rhonda Wainshilbaum is an artisan and a civic volunteer, living and working in Massachusetts, just over the Vermont line. The anti-Israel letter from Jewish Voice for Peace, published in The Commons recently, contained fallacies, omissions, and inaccuracies. Accusing Israel of genocide is a provocative indictment unsupported by facts. It diminishes real acts of genocide - such as those that occurred in the Holocaust and against Armenians and in Rwanda. Since their creation in 1948, Israelis have sought to live in...
Rhonda Wainshilbaum is an artisan and a civic volunteer, living and working in Massachusetts, just over the Vermont line. This is a scary time to be Jewish. Our world turned upside down on Oct. 7. Innocent Israelis were brutally murdered while their Hamas assassins happily filmed the torture of children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children. We are mourning our dead and are horrified by the utter cruelty and hatred of Hamas. We feel...