Changing intolerance into brotherhood
We were gratified by Curtis Sitomer's column on the decline of anti-Semitism in America, both for what it said and what it implied [Anti-Semitism: how intolerance has turned into brotherhood, Jan. 31]. As Mr. Sitomer notes, this change for the better has not come about serendipitously, but rather as the result of conscious efforts by both Christians and Jews to work at better understanding.
As part of this effort, the Zionist Organization of America has begun a process of dialogue with Catholics and Protestants on Zionism and anti-Zionism. The latter, a phenomenon given impetus by the infamous UN resolution of 1975, has often become a subterfuge for anti-Semitism and attempts to delegitimize the state of Israel. Understanding Zionism, the liberation movement of the Jewish people, and the implications and dynamics of anti-Zionism is essential for promoting broader understanding betwen Christians and Jews. Elaine Cooper Director of special programs Zionist Organization of America New York
Re: the article on anti-Semitism.
Throughout the entire article, which outlines numerous interreligious activities among Jews, Protestants, and Roman Catholics, not one word is mentioned about interreligious meetings among Jews, Protestants, Catholics, and Muslims.
And not one word is mentioned about the anti-Semitism that persists unopposed in the US against other Semites -- Arab-Americans.
If Americans are serious about removing the ugly blot of anti-Semitism from our democracy, then they must join the leaders of the Protestant, Jewish, and Roman Catholic communities and publicly denounce the injustice of anti-Semitism when it affects Arab-Americans as vehemently as they have when it has affected Jews in the past.
The Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish religious leaders should extend a long-overdue invitation to Muslims and all other groups to join and participate in all aspects of their interreligious activities.
Only then will we truly be able to say anti-Semitism is on the wane. Anne Hewitt Ericson Georgetown, Mass.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the fighting inside the Lorient pocket (May 7, 1945) and inside the Saint-Nazaire pocket (May 8), the newspaper Ouest-France is looking for photographs and for personal accounts in writing by American veterans who participated in the long resistance inside the Lorient and Saint-Nazaire pockets. They are requested to contact Joel Le Guillou, c/o Ouest-France, 5 Place Aristide Briand, 56100 Lorient, phone (97)21.95.30.
Letters are welcome. Only a selection can be published and none individually acknowledged. All are subject to condensation. Please address letters to ``readers write.''
