Headline at the deadline? Equal rites Right. What’s left?

Was the headline “Kanievsky: Meron tragedy due to women’s immodesty” (May 5) written under pressure of a tight deadline?

As the headline actually contradicts the content of the article, one has to believe either that 1) the headline writer didn’t have time to carefully read the article or that 2) The headline was written intentionally inaccurately for a reason we can only guess at.

JESSICA ROSEN Jerusalem

I have long ago given up on journalists being exact in their reporting if not outright distorting the “news” for their own interests. The Post’s bias against many topics (from Netanyahu to certain religious streams) is evident and now there is nothing to expect in the lost field of objective reporting of events.

Therefore I was not surprised by the headline “Kanievsky: Meron tragedy due to women’s immodesty” (May 5), a case study in how a paper can distort statements and events to achieve a desired results. I must give credit to the reporter for accurately quoting what Rabbi Kaneivsky actually did say which was”…a decree from Heaven and we cannot know the considerations of Heaven.”

As always, when we receive a “slap” from Heaven we automatically try and use the “slap” to better ourselves in serving Hashem and therefore the rabbi was asked “what needs to be rectified” – how can we better ourselves in serving Hashem – and the rabbi answered that each should strengthen their fulfillments of their obligations which is studying Torah for men and modest clothing for women.

I do not expect your journalists to understand this because 1. This is not the way they think or relate to anything that is publicized in the haredi public and more importantly 2. It just is not interesting for them or for your readers, so the truth must be distorted to elicit strong reactions.

Nevertheless, I must protest the injustice, the bias, the inaccuracies and the downright purposefully distorting of statements and events just to drive an agenda.

YOSEF TUCKER

Jerusalem

Regarding “Jerusalem Day: Temple Mount to be closed to Jewish visitors” (May 10), I could, perhaps, understand closure of Har Habayit (The Temple Mount) to Jews – if it were closed to Muslims as well.

Regardless of the fact that this might save lives, in what tortured-logic universe is the trouble-maker rewarded and the blameless punished?

This situation is just one more reason to question the notion that these are people with whom a peace deal could ever be made.

CHAIM A. ABRAMOWITZ Jerusalem

Regarding “A dangerous left-wing gov’t” (May 10), I always enjoy Susan Hattis Rolef’s articles. I learn a great deal from them and always accept her invitation to “Think about it.”

I was fascinated to read about the origin of the expressions Left and Right in politics. Unfortunately, there is a loose end. When Sulla and Marius were squabbling about how best to run the Roman republic, about a century before Julius Caesar, Sulla was designated

“right” and Marius “left.” The Latin for left hand is sinistra, the root of the English word sinister. Apparently, this is not an accident. To tie this to the French Revolution requires time travel, which involves science fiction.

Rolef also emphasizes the connection between social democracy and the welfare state. While this is true, one should also give credit where credit is due. The first modern welfare state was introduced by that arch-conservative Otto von Bismarck. He had a good reason, which he explained by the following quote: “Give a working man a pension and he looses his interest in revolution.” Bismarck’s system is the model for all the modern Western European welfare states.

I have read that socialist thinker Karl Marx did not like these nasty reactionary tricks since they delayed his expected proletarian revolution.

ALBERT JACOB Beersheba