Self-Reliance

"Letters: Israel's Actions, and Its Place in the World"; A20

Rita Cohn's letter is well-argued, but its publication alongside the letter of Peter J Purdy diminishes the impact it should have. The editors wanted to publish one really pro-Israel letter and one really pro-Palestinian letter for the sake of the ever-sought-after objective of balance. The really pro-Palestinian letter, however, is inferior to the really pro-Israel letter, not because of its argument, but because it barely addresses the article and is, in fact, a rant. The uninformed reader, however, may be fooled into thinking that the letters are the same, though they represent different sides.

Purdy's letter is largely about his experience observing checkpoints, which is not the topic of the article to which he responds. In fact, the article is barely addressed, which should not be the case for a letter to the editor.

Purdy calls upon readers to "set aside the historical data of Israel's creation," a veiled way of suggesting that the only reason for a Jewish state is the Holocaust. This understanding of the origins of Israel is standard fare at NYT but does not conform to historical reality.

Fortunately, Cohn's call for self-reliance is being heard by more Jews each day.