Outrage Over Cremation Ad, Courageous Activist

The Hillside Memorial ad which ran on the back cover of the May 22 issue.

Outrage Over Cremation Ad
Outrageous, dastardly and despicable (Back cover, May 22)!!! The Jewish Journal has sunken to a new level!

When one unfortunately hears the quote over and over again that “Jews are their own worst enemies” one need only look to The Jewish Journal for overt examples.

There is no greater desecration of a Jewish neshama (soul) than cremation, and there is no greater mitzvah than a kosher burial. Just to point out one of many examples, look at our brethren in the Holy Land who will go to any extent, including but not limited to trading a number of known enemy terrorists, for one sacred Jewish body for the purpose of burial. And The Jewish Journal sanctions, facilitates, and implies approval of such desecration by running an ad by a “synagogue” and burial institution for the cremation of Jews.

Cremation is halachically prohibited, and when a Jew is, God forbid, cremated it precludes the saying of Kaddish or sitting shiva. Isn’t it enough that our enemies, in the quest for expedient disposal of millions of murdered Jewish bodies during the Holocaust, used the same vehicle, ovens, to accomplish their task? Is it necessary for a “Jewish newspaper” to encourage and assist the process of doing this abhorrent act to ourselves by allowing an ad for same to run on their back cover?

Where do you draw the line??? If one wants to start a dating service for the matching of Jewish singles with non-Jewish singles, will you run that ad in The Journal? What if one wants to raise funds for Hamas, will you put their ad on the back page of your paper? What if one wants to run an ad for his prime bacon company, will you put that advertisement in your newspaper too?

We have been receiving The Jewish Journal for more years than we can remember. In closing, I want to say that as a result of this ad I have prohibited The Jewish Journal from ever entering our home in the future. In addition, every week I obtained The Jewish Journal for an elderly survivor in our condominium complex and one other person. That practice will be discontinued as well, and I will encourage all my friends and acquaintances to boycott The Journal because of this despicable, dastardly and thoughtless act by your newspaper. Shame on you!

Steve Flatten, Los Angeles

Rob Eshman responds:
The advertisement was placed by Hillside Memorial Park, which is owned by Temple Israel of Hollywood, one of the largest Reform congregations in the community. Mr. Flatten is entitled to disagree with the practices of the Reform movement, but it is our responsibility to serve the entire Jewish community. We urge readers on all sides of the religious and political spectrum to approach our content and advertisement in that spirit: to learn about how their fellow Jews understand and practice their faith, to challenge their own beliefs and practices and to engage through our pages and Web site in sharp and fair-minded debate on the issues they most care about. We believe that this exchange of ideas and information doesn’t weaken and dilute Judaism and Jewish life, but strengthens and builds it.

Courageous Activist
We were deeply saddened at the news of Si Frumkin’s (z’l) death (“Si Frumkin, Soviet Jewry and Human Rights Activist, 78,” May 22). He was the driving force in the fight to save Soviet Jewry at a time when it seemed the world did not care or were unaware of the rampant anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union.

He was a giant of a man, courageous, a man of valor and commitment.

Si was a true activist and involved in many other human rights causes. He will be sorely missed by us all.

Deborah Turken , Myrtle G. Sitowitz, Formerly of Los Angeles Women’s Campaign for Soviet Jewry, Beverly Hills

Love the Shoes
As a long-time fan, I must pass a high degree of compliment to your May 15 cover, “Yenta-in-Chief.” Those naughty shoes are real attention-grabbers. Please consider more cover shots of this nature — it just might expand your readership.

Victor Kodiac, Marina del Rey

Voting Bias
During the L.A. City Council election campaign of David Vahedi and Paul Koretz, I encountered a significant number of Jewish voters who stated they wouldn’t vote for Vahedi because he wasn’t Jewish. Some may call this religious pride. I call it bigotry.

In speaking to Jewish voters about Vahedi, the first questions they asked were, “Is he Jewish?” And, “Is he Iranian?” The Koretz campaign constantly reminded voters that Vahedi was “not one of us” and even planted stories that he might be a Muslim.

As Jews, we often cite the persecution and anti-Semitism we have endured, yet in this election it was the Koretz campaign acting as persecutor, preying on peoples’ fears in it’s constant references to Vahedi’s non-Jewish status and his ethnicity. If your vote was predicated on these factors, you forever forfeit your right to complain about hate, injustice and discrimination when directed at Jews.

Marty Levine, Los Angeles

Objectification of Women
I would like to thank Rabbi Boteach for pointing out the hypocrisy and ludicrousness in the words and actions of Carrie Prejean (“What Would Jesus Say About Miss California?” May 22). I agree that she should not be punished for exercising her right to free speech, as ridiculous as her ideas are. Neither should she claim persecution by others exercising their rights to criticize her. But, free speech aside, Rabbi Boteach speaks to the equally troubling issue of objectification of women that the media seems to have altogether ignored. As a father of two daughters, the fact that this is so prevalent in our society terrifies me, and even more so that my daughters see so many women complicit in their own objectification. It continues to be an uphill battle teaching my girls self-respect and true happiness when our culture worships superficiality and materialism. Certainly it is hypocrisy to behave as Ms. Prejean does and claim to have Christian values when I would assume any religion worth its kosher salt would teach that we should value and appreciate ourselves and others for substance and not appearance. In fact, religious or not, this is a universal truth.

Joshua Lewis Berg, Burbank

I enjoyed Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s article linking the objectification of women as “man’s plaything” with the high rates of divorce in our society. Relating to other human beings through exploitation, whether as an object to provide sex, money, labor, status or anything else is not “love.” According to the brilliant (and Jewish) social philosopher Erich Fromm in his classic book “The Art of Loving,” mature love is based on respect: “I want the loved person to grow and unfold for his own sake, and in his own ways, and not for the purpose of serving me.” In order for marriages and even friendships to thrive, we must remember to honor others as the sparks of divinity, autonomy and potential that we all are.

Name Withheld Upon Request, Los Angeles

Rewriting History
“Protecting Hate at UC Irvine” helped to underscore where we, the Jewish community and our leaders, are failing (May 22). A few days ago, my granddaughter came home from school, very upset. As part of a homeroom assignment, she was to explain how the Palestinians lost their land when the Jewish homeland was established in 1948. That’s a “When-did-you-stop-beating-your-wife?” question. The implication is erroneous — and drastic!

I reviewed her textbook; it was accurate as far as it went but left out important facts that should have been taught. We spoke to the teacher who now better understands the facts and will make changes in her lessons.

We, the Jewish community and our leaders, have failed to get the facts of the matter to the public and especially to the people who are teaching our children. For example, the history and facts about the term “Palestinian” is absent from the textbook — and completely misunderstood by too many people, young and old.

No wonder situations like those at UC Irvine are occurring all over the country.

George Epstein, Los Angeles

Correction
The article “Cougar Liaisons” by Naomi Pfefferman (Summer Sneaks, May 22) gave the wrong date for the opening of the film, “Cheri.” The movie opens June 26.