Think about the future

Regarding “Gov’t to adopt strategic plan ‘to guarantee future of Jewish people’” (July 5), what a joke. Educating the Diaspora Jew about their Jewishness is all very well, but what about acknowledging that there are moderate strains of Judaism (not all are religious or extremist), and grant them a place of prayer at the Western Wall? Jewish tolerance should be the by-word.

At the present time in Israel, there is no room for religious tolerance. Diaspora Jews are made to feel unwelcome unless they follow the doctrine of Orthodox Jewry. Any other forms of Jewish life are invalidated.

Why alienate Jews who follow their own Jewish doctrine? Bring them into the fold with tolerance and open arms. Why let extremism chase away Jews who would otherwise be part of the Jewish life cycle? I am speaking of people whose parents and grandparents born and bred into a Jewish way of life, but are slowly alienated by the extremist views of those controlling Jewish life in Israel. Live and let live.

I. SIVAN Kiryat Bialik

I think there is a more urgent situation in Israel toward guaranteeing the future of Jewish people.

We are losing land to our enemies that should be populated with Jews as commanded by God. Instead we have “Jews” demanding that Shabbat should be a day for travel, entertainment and shopping, rather than the holy Shabbat together with the demand that Israel should be a state for all people rather than the Jewish State for the Jewish People.

Diaspora Jews have the ability, should they choose, to make aliyah and it is obvious what their choice is. They also have the ability and wherewithal to bring up their children with a strong Jewish identity and again it is obvious what that choice is. Throughout our history Jews, have chosen galut (exile), often with tragic consequences, but Israel cannot be held