Adler responds to media coverage
I was disappointed to see the media coverage last week about the private welcome reception I co-hosted for some members of the Canadian delegation in Israel during Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent visit. The national media story based on an unnamed source regrettably attempts to pit one supporter of Israel against another supporter. I co-hosted this event, outside of the official program for the historic visit to Israel, and there was no taxpayer money involved.
Our government’s recent trip to Israel was incredibly emotional. During my speech at this welcome reception, I even broke down as I spoke about my father, the only survivor from his family after the Holocaust, who always wanted to visit Israel but never made it before he passed.
This was a very exciting, but very difficult trip for me. I was pleased to be accompanied by so many prominent members of the Jewish community, including a number of rabbis from York Centre, who were a comfort and support during this trip.
Mark Adler
MP York Centre
Thank you for promoting empathy
Children start off life as caring, loving, empathetic beings, and they only lose those traits because the adults in their community see to it. Children are told to “grow a thick skin” and are chastised by adults when they display a loving and caring attitude to our non-human brethren. While we might not tell them outright that their empathy is wrong, we certainly let them know that their lives would be better without that amount of caring for others. And that is wrong on every single level imaginable.
Therefore, I find it very sad that people accuse your writer of convincing her son to be a loving, caring, compassionate individual, because all they’re doing is supporting those traits that many parents see fit to eliminate (“My son, the activist,” The CJN, Feb. 27).
Many thanks to the writer for promoting empathy in her son. Children like him are going to have to change the world, if we’re going to survive.
Vanessa Sarges
Toronto
Home-schooling is not enough
Raquel Kaplan Goldberg is correct in suggesting that Jewish home-schooling is not enough (“Raising our kids to be knowledgeable Jews,” The CJN, Feb. 20). The CJN’s editor, Yoni Goldstein, can certainly teach his children the Jewish values of respect for human dignity, justice, and tikkun olam, but that will not distinguish them from their Christian schoolmates. It will only mean that they will easily fit in with the better part of the Christian community.
As Goldberg suggests, home-schooling will not enable children to have a broad foundation, instruction book or reference guide for not only Jewish problems and a Jewish lifestyle, but for secular problems as well. It will not enable them to immerse themselves in the Jewish community and have that as their community and source of morality.
Canadian Christians live by very similar moral codes as Canadian Jews. To maintain Jewish values, we must give our children all the wonderful tools and morals of Judaism. For that, a good knowledge of Torah and ritual is required.
Jonathan Usher
Toronto
Standing by our friends
This is my friend and my dentist. I will stand next to him and all health professionals proudly. It is who they are and how they take care of us that interest me and my family, not what they wear. We are all the same.
Premier Pauline Marois wake up! I am not alone in my opinion. No one else cares, either. Fix the Quebec economy that you are destroying.
John Kirbizakis
Montreal