No need to foment moral panic over Beth Din 

Miriam Shaviv often brings a refreshing clarity to issues in the community.  However, I struggled with her article about the London Beth Din and Dayan Abraham (You can’t cover up when a dayan falls short, JC, April 3).  It felt a little disingenuous, trying to sensationalise a most unfortunate episode.  This does not warrant her suggested honest discussion with the community; nor does it diminish the authority of the LBD and the eminent, learned Dayanim who grapple with complex halachic issues every day. 

I do not believe that the US, LBD or Chief Rabbi have swept this episode under the carpet simply to project a sense of business as usual.  Their response was swift, transparent and firm; condemning what had happened and letting people know that it was being dealt with.  Community consultation is important — perhaps around Israel, antisemitism or education – but this issue, concerning the errant behaviour of one individual, will not benefit from extensive public discussion.

Ms Shaviv attempted to link the criminal conduct of a previous Dayan who stole books 20 years ago with Dayan Abraham’s behaviour.  The episodes both reflect moral and ethical failings but they are completely different and do not somehow combine to make the track record of the LBD more or less poor.

What I find most distasteful is the moral panic that articles like this, seem to want to foment.  Deeply personal issues or failings in behaviour do not always need a spotlight and articles like this often forget the upset sustained by innocent family members.  Of course, the LBD should be beyond reproach, and whatever Dayan Abraham did was unacceptable but we should not lose sight of the maxim that to err is human, and that even those who should never act wrongly, do sometimes put themselves in compromising positions. We have much bigger and more pressing issues than this to occupy our time.

Adam Tarsh
Radlett, Herts

Forget the politics, rabbi

My wife and I have been members of the same Reform synagogue for over 50 years and one of the initial reasons we changed from United was because we were assured that it involved only spiritual and physical aspects of Judaism, with no political agenda or connection.

Rabbi Yoni Birmbaum (When – and how – rabbis should talk politics, JC, April 3) expresses his opinion as to when rabbis should talk politics. He describes his job as a “profession”  eg paid)  which, apparently, provides qualification for expressing personal views which he has the freedom to do whether as rabbi or politician. He goes on to talk of “value judgments”, “political viewpoints”, “behaviour of politicians”, “influencing the community”. He describes expressing these personal views “from the pulpit” as a primary function for a “spiritual leader”. 

So what are the objectives of a rabbi? Those of the “professional”, for which there is physical payment? Those of the “spiritual leader”, for which there is no physical payment? Both? Does the role itself provide an entitlement to try to politically — and spiritually — influence others? Or does it offer the opportunity to help others, provide spiritual fulfilment and advice where appropriate? 

Surely, that’s enough to be getting on with — forget the politics. 

Harry Levy
Pinner, Middx

Houses and books needed

Sir Simon Schama makes a very important point (Simon Schama: Schools should teach more Jewish history to avoid ‘Holocaust fatigue’, online and JC, April 3). As he says, education is absolutely essential to countering antisemitism. To understand the scale of the Shoah’s tragedy, people  must make an effort and delve into the depths of history. 

It is essential to undertake the task of reading more than slogans on the internet but books of renowned authors. Otherwise, the Holocaust runs the risk of becoming a mere brand or just a recurrent subject for tabloids that present it as if it were a horror movie with gruesome images and catastrophic headlines.

 Sir Simon is completely right when he says that schools should stress the appreciation for “Jews’ epic, extraordinary history, instead focusing disproportionately on the Shoah”. Schools should also stress the heroic feats of the Holocaust Rescuers, those people that risked their lives in order to stretch a caring hand to those persecuted by the Nazi regime, Jewish or not Jewish alike.

Thanks to these unsung heroes, humanity has not completely lost its dignity. Thanks to them, human history can still cling to the hope that evil can be overcome — if one only tries. “Houses of Life”, an educational program lead by the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, with the mission of spreading the actions of solidarity of institutions that sheltered persecuted by the Nazis, represents an attempt to achieve the lofty goal that Sir Simon Schama wisely points at.

Baruch Tenembaum
The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
New York

To confuse failures or otherwise of Holocaust education with the rise of antisemitism is to confuse a phenomenon with its symptom or sign.  

Antisemitism, like other campaigns of bigotry, is pushed from the top as a political diversion to take eyes off the real cause of troubles.  This is why the worst outbreaks occur in times of economic upset: the decade after the 1929 and 2008 crashes and the Tsarist reign of Alexander III and Nicholas II when industrialisation hit Russia.  

In a modern context, the serious counter to the anti-social effects of bigotry is to press governments for decent re-training programmes and housing so that people displaced from occupations by technical developments can move to new jobs and towns and so avoid generalised resentments. 

Frank Adam
Prestwich M25

Burning out his fuse

Hamas claims that the rocket which they fired 75 miles into Israel, completely destroying a house in Kvar Saba, was sent by mistake. Although it is obviously no laughing matter, the ironic riposte in Israel is, ‘So what did they mean to send? Flowers?’

Kay Bagon 
Radlett, Herts

Information, please

AJEX Archives are seeking family of these two men:

Pte John FILEMAN, Royal Sussex Reg. believed died/killed Oct 4th 1914 of 27 Highbury Place, London — he is not remembered by the CWGC and we are seeking a correction

John Myer FILEMAN, Essex Reg, killed Kohima, Burma, 13/5/44 — a cross on his grave may be wrong

Please contact martin.sugarman@yahoo.co.uk if you have any information or call 07806 656756

Martin Sugarman 
AJEX Archivist

A unique statue

Further to your publication of a photograph of the statue of Licoricia of Winchester, readers can donate via www.licoricia.org.

We believe that Licoricia will be the only named statue of a Jewish woman in the UK.  She will promote religious tolerance and the knowledge that Britain had a significant medieval Jewish community, and her achievements should inspire women today.  

William Carver
Trustee, The Licoricia of Winchester Statue Appeal