Season of thanking and miracles
On Sunday, Nov. 11, more than 50 Jewish educators came together for lunch and a professional development session. The luncheon, provided by an anonymous donor, was designed to express appreciation for the good work of our Jewish school teachers, who devote time, energy and creativity to OUR Jewish children. The program was co-sponsored by Learning for Life and The PJ Library, two initiatives of the Jewish Federation, and the Jewish Family Service’s Family Life Education program.
Following lunch, the professional development session, facilitated by SuEllen Fried and Dr. Blanche Sosland, focused on “cyber-bullying” and peer abuse. Bullying has received a good deal of attention in recent months, and for good reason! It is a problem that parents, children, teachers and others need to tackle together. These two local women are recognized nationally for their work. Last month, the second edition of their landmark study, “Banishing Bullying Behavior: Transforming the Culture of Peer Abuse,” was released.
I want to take this opportunity to recognize all of OUR teachers who don’t always receive the credit they deserve. Since this is the season for thanking and miracles, please make sure that you thank your child/children’s or grandchild/children’s teachers. They change lives every day!
Karen B. Gerson
Director of Informal Jewish
Education — CAJE/Jewish
Federation
Appalling record toward Israel
Poor Alan Edelman! How totally embarrassing it must be for him to have the rug pulled from under his feet just one day after his tribute to President Barak Obama appeared in The Chronicle (Dec. 1. Letters to the Editor). On the very next day, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, on behalf of the Obama administration, ordered Israel to “just get back to the damned table” in regard to peace negotiations. Not the Palestinians, of course. Just the Israelis. Not very diplomatic words from the friendly administration Mr. Edelman would have us believe exist. In the very same statement, Panetta ordered that Israel “mend fences” with Turkey and Egypt. Just how Israel was to do this, he failed to say, nor did he mention that Israel would be thrilled to do precisely that if either or both of those countries was accommodating.
He castigates Shoula Romano-Horing for her article pointing out the facts of Obama’s bias against Israel. He offers no facts whatsoever in rebuttal, other than Obama’s demand for tougher sanctions on Iran, which is tangential to the question of Israel. What he does offer in support of Obama is nothing but Obama’s honeyed words, but obviously he cannot offer any deeds to prove his thesis or he would have done so.
Ms. Romano-Horing offered facts to show the indisputable — that Obama is no friend of Israel. There is no need to reiterate them. Facts are facts. On the other hand, Mr. Edelman obviously is a fan of Mary Poppins, believing that a spoonful of sugar will make the bitter pill of Obama’s hostility to Israel go down, but it won’t. We know better. We also know that between now and next election all we will hear from Obama is fulsome support for Israel. That is totally predictable. But they are just words.
Why anyone would vote to re-elect Obama given his appalling track record in office is difficult to understand. I have talked to many of his supporters and none has been able to offer an answer based on any of the things he has done. However, to those to whom Israel is a significant factor in their vote, keep closely in mind that this man, if re-elected, whose actions (not words) have been consistently hostile to Israel, will have absolutely no motive to rein in his animus toward Israel should he have another four years in office.
Lee Levin
Overland Park, Kan.
