LETTERS
Description of silent vigil as 'rude' is puzzling
I am puzzled by the comments by some that those who stand outside the Beth Israel congregation on Shabbat are "rude" or obstructionist in any way. We hold our signs in silent vigil and speak only when spoken to.
When the congregants of Beth Israel show some acknowledgment of the wrongdoing of the government of Israel and condemn their methods forcibly and publicly, I will gladly retire from my post at the vigils. I do not say all Jews support this. Many in Israel and the U.S. protest, wanting instead to have a real peace and not live with imprisoned people in their midst, knowing this is not the way to peace, but they, too, are punished.
One group has taken a moral stand. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church at a recent national convention passed a statement calling for several measures opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestine. They ask for the church to begin selective divestment from companies with holdings in corporations doing business with Israel, condemn the construction of the "security wall," and call upon the United States and other members of the road map to be an "honest broker for peace." It was passed in the General Assembly by a vote of 431 to 62.
We should all demand such principled action.
Shirley A. Zempel, Ann Arbor