Community Magazine November 2012

AN SY FUTURE IN THE HOLY LAND Hazak Ubaruch to Rabbi Hamra for the leadership he has provided for the Jewish community of Syria over the past decades. The story [told in last month’s issue] of the rabbi’s trials and tribulations in his efforts to secure the freedom of thousands of our brothers is inspiring. But even more praiseworthy is the courage Rabbi Hamra is showing in his latest endeavor - not because he’s trying to build a magnificent new community center, but because he’s trying to do so in Eress Hakodesh, the Land of Israel. The bulk of Jews from Syria chose to settle in Brooklyn because of the economic benefits, but we know that our real home is Israel. I applaud Rabbi Hamra for choosing to settle in Israel and lead the Syrian Jewish community of Holon, and I wish him much success in all his endeavors. D. Levy ANYONE CAN SHARE THE WEALTH The picture of three seemingly clueless men posing a question to a religious Jewish man holding a Hebrew book immediately drew me to read Rabbi Mansour’s article, “Share the Wealth” – and I’m glad I did. The Jewish community in America is facing an identity crisis, with most of America’s Jews either unaffiliated or non- observant, and assimilation is likely the greatest danger to Jewish survival. That means that observant Jews like us are on the front lines in the struggle to preserve our heritage. As Rabbi Mansour points out, we don’t need to be experts or to go very far. The smallest effort with the people we already know can go a long way. We just need to try. S. Beyda POLITICAL POWER STARTSWITH THE PEOPLE I read with interest the article on “Sephardic Political Power” (September 2012). If the community wants to have its views reflected in legislation, they must be active and join with allies outside the community with similar positions on the issues critical to us. In that vein, the community should push for vouchers for secular studies in grades K-12. The community should join not only with Catholic school parents, but with public school parents, as well. The City has pumped billions into the school system, yet all they have to be proud of, is a graduation rate of slightly higher than 50 percent. This statistic may mark an improvement over the dismal graduation rates in the past, but in real terms it is an abysmal failure. Public school parents are well aware of the fact that more money alone is not the answer. The answer is responsive principals and quality teachers. K-12 parents should be given one voucher per child to be used for a secular education at any public or private school, and the principal’s budget should be dependent on the number of vouchers the school receives. Principals should also be given more latitude to hire and fire his teachers. This way, both public schools and private schools would become responsive to parents and students. Though the teachers unions would fight the voucher idea tooth and nail, if we get enough public school parents on our side, it could work. Principals would have to get rid of the dead weight, entice the better teacher or lose their funding. It’s a win-win for both private and public school parents. Charles Plushnick,President, Congregation Ahavath Achim RECIPES THAT LOOK AS GOOD AS THEY TASTE Thank you so much for the most delicious and well- presented recipes. The pictures are incredible and the recipes are easy to follow. Thank you for adding this new section to your great magazine! L. Goodman CIRCUMCISION ESTIMATE IS SHORT I noticed your article about the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending circumcision in last month’s issue. While the main gist of it is accurate, the ending seems quite incredible. It claims that just over half of baby boys in America are circumcised. However the latest figures I have seen (2009) had 56% of babies born in public hospitals circumcised before they leave the hospital. That, tip of the iceberg figure alone, is over half. Since Medicaid doesn’t cover circumcision in many states, resulting in the procedure often being done at a private clinic, and factoring in religious circumcisions, the estimate of 70% or more seems more reasonable. Deni L. LETTERS TELL US WHAT YOU REALLY THINK! WRITE US A LETTER MOBILE: Scan the Quick Response (QR) code here with your tablet, smart phone or other mobile device. EMAIL: letters@Community M .com WEB: www. Community M .com FAX: 718-504-4246 POST: Community Magazine 1616 Ocean Pkwy Brooklyn, NY 11223 Letters submitted become the property of Community Magazine and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Letters may be edited and revised for length, style and grammar before publication. All submissions are considered for publication unless otherwise requested. Preferential consideration is given to brief comments and insights that relate directly to published content. Anonymous letters are generally not reviewed or considered for publication. 14 Community magazine