Letters to the Editor, November 13, 2023: Spielberg's Indifference

Spielberg’s indifference

I had deep disgust on reading Hannah Brown’s article “Desperately seeking Spielberg” (November 10). It seems that the famous director has been unable to condemn the barbarous acts committed by Hamas terrorists against Jews and other citizens and residents of the Jewish state on October 7.

The president of the Holocaust Survivors’ Foundation-USA, 94-year-old David Schaecter, the only member of 105 souls in his family to survive the Holocaust, wrote to Spielberg recently in an attempt to elicit a reaction from the one he calls “the premier Jewish filmmaker in the world.”

Schaecter continued that Spielberg’s “silence now is a comfort for our enemies... We do not need another film in three years about the horrors of October 7th. Instead, we need you and others to speak out NOW, when it truly matters.”

A spokesman confirmed that the director had in fact read the letter but stated that no response would be forthcoming. From correspondent Brown’s investigations in Hollywood, it seems that the esteemed director did not want to be seen as supporting the Israeli government in any way. Of course it goes without saying that the government is the duly elected government and therefore is representative of the Jewish people in our existential fight against evil.

If Spielberg wants to get involved in Israeli politics, he can cast his vote by making aliyah and becoming a citizen, as many others have done before him. In the meantime, by his inaction, he is showing to those who hate us, daylight between Israel and our number one ally, the US.

It’s hard for me to reconcile the difference between the world’s relative silence in the face of Hitler’s Holocaust, and the indifference of Spielberg and his ilk in what is described as the most atrocious act since the Holocaust. Schaecter concludes: “Take it from those of us who have been subjected to the most brutal and deadly antisemitism of all time: it will never go away, and Jews will never be safe until Israel is safe and secure.”

The US Left is fond of saying that silence is complicity; it seems now that to Spielberg, the phrase “never again” comes with conditions of his choosing.

DAVID SMITHRa’anana

Appeasing America

Regarding “Israel agrees to four-hour daily pauses” (November 10): The lives of our citizens and military are taken very lightly when it comes to appeasing America. Four-hour daily pauses will only strengthen our enemy and bring further death and suffering to the Nation of Israel.

From the start we have been complying with American demands, to our detriment. Jews were decapitated, babies were burned to death, and women raped. Isn’t that enough to realize that Hamas and all its supporters in Gaza are pure evil? They have no redeeming purpose to exist.

America is not experiencing the trauma, mourning, and suffering of our people. They are friends, who also have their own political agenda, which often is in stark conflict with our needs. We must not allow ourselves to follow their orders on how to run this war.

The fate and land of the Jewish people are at stake. I suggest America take a four-hour daily break from us while we are battling for our future. May we be strong and not capitulate to pressure.

HINDI KAHNJerusalem

Pauses in the ongoing hostilities for humanitarian purposes work both ways – or at least they should. I would think that the prime minister would demand some proof of life and that the hostages are in reasonably good shape.

Considering the intense air and ground attacks targeting Hamas strongholds and concealments, is the government expected to blindly accept Hamas assurances that the hostages are still available as bargaining chips? Proof that they have not been victims of collateral damage should have been provided before pauses of any sort were even considered.

There has been much conjecture as to what “the day after” will look like and what can be expected of Middle East dynamics once the war comes to an end. Well, considering that international sympathy is focused, for the most part, on Gazan civilians and very little attention is being given to the plight of the hostages – many of whom are children – Israel should be ready to distrust any offered alliance or partnership that may be forthcoming.

The Abraham Accords have proven to be worthless, support from the United States is slowly morphing into something troublesome, the United Nations expressed the opinion that Israeli policies provoked the Hamas attacks, and nations throughout the world are demanding that Israel agree to a ceasefire regardless of what the consequences may be. And as for the daily four-hour pause, well, it certainly creates the impression that Israel is gradually bending to the will of the world.

Israel was caught by surprise on October 7. Please, Prime Minister Netanyahu, let’s not make a habit of committing disastrous mistakes.

BARRY NEWMANGinot Shomron

False narrative

Regarding “PM: We must have security control over post-war Gaza” (November 8), Palestinian leaders have shown that they are more interested in destroying the nation-state of the Jews than they are in creating the first-ever-to-exist Arab state of Palestine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has accepted the false narrative of Palestinian leaders that claims that Israel has been persecuting the Palestinians. She insists that Gaza must be part of the future Palestinian state, ignoring the fact that Palestinian leaders have flatly rejected multiple Israeli and US proposals for the formation of that state.

She also warns against Israel imposing any blockade on Gaza, ignoring the fact that prior to October 7 Israel had been regularly supplying Gaza with tons of food, medicines, and fuel, while trying (not very successfully) to prevent weapons and munitions from entering Gaza via an embargo on contraband - yet complaining that an “Israeli blockade” was making it impossible for Hamas to develop Gaza’s economy,

Hamas was using (Israeli-supplied) cement to construct hundreds of miles of underground tunnels used as shelters for terrorists (but not for Gazan civilians), and also used for storing weapons and facilitating the abduction and murder of Israelis.

Palestinians living under Hamas’s misgovernment have suffered greatly and have also been taught to hate Israel and Israelis. At this point, Israel is correct to feel that the only nation that can guarantee the safety of Israelis is Israel. Yet, Israel should not assume responsibility for governing Gaza.

That would best be left in the hands of Arab nations allied with Israel via the Abraham Accords, with cooperation from European nations, which would carefully monitor the use of monies they donate for the construction of the infrastructure needed by a viable state, and reform of an educational system that spewed hatred of the Jews for generations.

TOBY F. BLOCKAtlanta

Existential threat

Of course our major focus today must be on destroying Hamas and bringing all the hostages home safely. But while hopefully we will soon have good news in these regards, we should not ignore that climate change is becoming an increasingly existential threat to Israel and, indeed, the entire world.

This was indicated most recently by “This year set to be warmest in 125,000 years, EU scientists say” (November 12) and “‘We are afraid’ – Earth’s vital signs are in ‘uncharted territory,’ climate scientists warn” (November 5). As the latter article indicates, there have recently been, among other things,“massive wildfires in Canada, Greece, and Hawaii,” as well as “all-time record heat waves,” and “hurricanes with surprising ferocity.”

Clearly everything possible must be done to avert a climate catastrophe, and Israel and Jews worldwide should be leaders in these efforts.

RICHARD H. SCHWARTZShoresh