Although we live in an open society, at the same time there remains a stigma attached to mental disturbance

SHATTERING STIGMA

It was exceedingly moving to read Liane Grunberg’s cover story, “My daughter, myself” (October 12). She describes the pain-filled emotion of a mother unable to reach her child coupled with an overwhelming sense of being alone and helpless.

Being able to share her experience will have given comfort to those with a member of the family suffering from bipolar mental illness or other forms of mental sickness.

Although we live in an open society, at the same time there remains a stigma attached to mental disturbance. A mother being able to share her feelings in the way that Grunberg did may well help others to do the same. BRENDA KATTEN Netanya

GUILTY?

Regarding Jonathan Mishkin’s letter asserting that Rabbi Stewart Weiss’s comparison of King David to Brett Kavanaugh is false (“Judge thyself,” October 19), Rabbi Stewart Weiss responds: Only one small difference – David was actually guilty of something.

ASKING DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

In recent issues of The Jerusalem Post, including in the Magazine (most recently “Supreme power,” October 19), there have been many items concerning Justice Brett Kavanaugh – indicating great interest in the subject. There appears to be a strong opinion that the judge is guilty, but that it cannot be proven.

It seems to be taboo to question the veracity of Prof. Christine Ford and indeed the Senators were reluctant to ask her any difficult questions. Justice Kavanaugh remains under a permanent cloud of suspicion.

I would like to raise a number of questions that bother me about the professor:

• Did Christine Ford lie when she claimed to be afraid to fly to Washington? Is it the case that she had a history of flying as well as being a “frequent flyer”?

• Did Christine Ford also lie when she said that she went to therapy with her husband over making a second door in their house in 2010? There appear to be records that the door was put in about four years earlier. If, as she claims, she mentioned the attack whilst in therapy, why did she refuse to show the notes of the session?

• If she claimed that the polygraph that she took showed that she was telling the truth, why will she not show the transcripts of the polygraph session? Who paid for the polygraph and when?

• Dr. Ford claims that she had one illegal underage drink before the so called attack. Was this the first time that she had had a drink and can we find out further about her drink history?

• Why have we not seen her yearbooks for the period in question? Why have we not been able to look at her emails and social media to see whether there were any signs of political motive for her accusations?

I think that the hypothesis that during the Kavanaugh hearings she became incensed that he would change the law concerning the Roe vs Wade (abortion) case should be examined. She had known of Kavanaugh and his friends from schooldays, and she thought that she could write an anonymous letter blackening his name without further exposure. This all exploded in her face and then she was taken over and used for political purposes. According to what I have read, her behavior did not correspond to a traumatic experience. This can be checked by consulting experts. I hope that one day we shall see a clarification of all issues without obfuscation of political and political correctness factors intruding.

DR. MURRAY FIGOV Ra’anana

GET THE BALL ROLLING

My deepest appreciation to Aharon Wexler for his touching and personally revealing Observations column (October 19) about Ari Fuld z”l, which moved me to tears.

He learned from Ari, “a regular guy doing extra ordinary things that made him a hero,” how to get out of our comfort zone and act. “Jewish life never lets you sleep in.” Wexler beats himself up for swiping past Ari’s heartfelt posts advocating for the “cause of Jewish people and its state,” as well as failing to appreciate that Ari would not prefer to watch superficial channels.

My sons and grandchildren also share with Wexler the striving to make a decent living, so it is understandable he feels that he has accomplished his Zionist mission in so doing. Pinpointing the qualities of Ari Fuld that he has imbibed contain lessons which, as an educator, he may well be in a position to impart. These include the notion that aliyah should not allow complacency to set in, but should be a stepping stone to further fulfill our mission to contribute to society here in our precious homeland.

Short of setting up a university department to impart Ari’s values, possibly Wexler himself could set the ball rolling, thereby galvanizing students to act. Many would thus benefit through this demonstration of loyalty to the qualities and memory of Ari Fuld.

Good luck to you, Aharon Wexler, in this mission, which you are probably already undertaking. PESSY KRAUSZ Jerusalem The writer is the founder of the Shalshelet Center for Interpersonal Relationship Facilitation.