Coverage On Auschwitz Interfaith Trip Appreciated
We were honored to to have our recent trip to Auschwitz with Muslim clerics and religious leaders from the Middle East and Developing World featured in your May 30th issue.
As your story so clearly noted, one of the purposes of the trip was to witness the devastating results of the dehumanization of any people, based on their religion, race, or ethnicity, and to bear witness at a time of a disturbing rise in Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and other forms of hatred, rhetoric and bigotry.
As these Muslim leaders soon understood, Holocaust Denial invalidates the suffering not just of the Jews, but also that of the millions of others who perished, including Christian Scientists, Roma, Muslims, Catholics, the mentally ill and countless others.
In addition, your story was beautifully written and absolutely factually correct. It was a pleasure to read and we are grateful for your very positive coverage.
Yours truly,
Rabbi Jack Bemporad
Director
Center for Interreligious Understanding
Kudos to Catherines’s on Rt. 4!
While visiting Teaneck last week for my granddaughter’s graduation I went to do some shopping in Catherine’s a small store on Route 4. When I returned to my son’s home, I realized that the diamond had fallen out of my ring. I immediately called the store, told them which racks I was looking through and which dressing room I had used. It didn’t take five minutes when the store manager called me back and told me they found my diamond on the floor under one of the racks. I want to give a Hakarat Ha Tov to the manager and employees of this store for returning my diamond. This shows that people can be honest.
Roz Farbowitz
Boca Raton, Florida
Response from Paramus on Blue Laws
I would like to respond to Shira Hirschman Weiss’s article encouraging readers to sign Rosemary Shashoua’s petition to repeal the Blue Laws from the perspective of a Paramus resident and observant Jew.
First and foremost, Paramus residents are entitled to one day of peace and tranquility in their town, with no traffic. The malls create major traffic headaches on local streets as well as Routes 4 and 17. Sunday is the one day that Paramus residents and surrounding areas can travel without getting stuck in terrible traffic jams. As noted in the article, for observant Jews, Sunday, as opposed to Saturday, is the one day of the weekend we are able to get out and drive places. If the malls were open, a simple trip to visit friends or take grandchildren to the park would take infinitely longer.
We live in one of the most centrally located areas, where shopping malls in New Jersey and stores in New York City are within a reasonable distance, if one desires to shop on Sunday. Thus, not every mall and store in New Jersey needs to be open. As for Ms. Shashoua’s argument about economic benefits, the Blue Laws do not seem to be a detriment, as evidenced by Garden State Plaza’s current expansion. Clearly, vendors have not been deterred by the Blue Laws.
Finally, Paramus has quite a few observant Jews, which Ms. Weiss failed to mention and/or interview for her article, many of whom would like to keep the Blue Laws in effect. We endure enough traffic six days a week, not to mention during the busy holiday season. We also feel this is our town and our business. I wouldn’t dream of involving myself in education funding issues in Teaneck or other controversies in other towns. At the very least, the decision to keep Paramus malls closed should remain in the hands of Paramus residents.
Sam Lichter
Paramus
