It’s everyone’s duty to oppose anti-Semitism
THE outcry by the Jewish community about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party shows this irrational hatred still exists.
I worked as a chef in Tel Aviv for ten years and, after my return to the UK, I was alarmed by the anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli sentiments I encountered. One Israeli friend asked me: ‘Why does everyone hate us so much?’ I didn’t know how to reply. My friend was not political, nor religious, simply Jewish.
The ugly rise of anti-Semitism should be opposed at every turn.
I decided to run educational events at a church, which included food from Jewish festivals such as Purim and Passover.
But a chaplain at the hospital I attend for chemotherapy and kidney dialysis objected to the leaflets about these events I had left in the chapel.
He said people had phoned him decrying the use of the words ‘Israel’ and ‘Jewish’.
This irrational hostility towards Jewish people is something that should belong in the distant past. We need to reassure our Jewish friends that we wish them shalom — the Hebrew word for peace.
COLIN NEVIN, Bangor, Co. Down.
PRAISE to those who organised the dignified demonstration in Parliament Square.
Jeremy Corbyn’s letter of apology to the Board of Deputies of British Jews is a smokescreen for his lack of action in kicking out the perpetrators in Labour. The party has recognised it has pockets of anti-Semitism — unfortunately, they appear to be very deep.
STEPHEN VISHNICK, Tel Aviv.
Bed-blocking crisis
THE bed-blocking crisis in Scotland’s NHS is reaching breaking point. The pledge by the health secretary to abolish the system entirely three years ago – no progress whatsoever has been made – only makes the situation all the more poignant.
Is it taking cynicism a step too far to suggest that spending decisions by the SNP administration are made primarily on two factors? The first and by far the most important to nationalists would be the impact on the Holy Grail of breaking up the UK. The second would be the vote-gathering potential.
For the second reason thus we have bridge tolls, prescription charges and other revenue raisers abolished – even for the wealthiest in our society – the cash from which would have helped if not cleared the bed-blocking log jam.
The recipients of the largesse needed to be brought on-side by the SNP. In the meantime the mainly poor and old are kept in hospital beds that could be used by the sick. Only when politics, especially nationalist politics, is taken out of the health arena will progress be made.
Alexander MCKAY, Edinburgh.
Missing a hug
I LOVED Jan Moir’s review of the BBC comedy Mum (Mail). I have been widowed for five long years and, much as I desperately miss my husband, like Cathy in the TV show, I wish I had someone in my life who would hug me.
CAROL BYATT, Harlow, Essex.
Keep Easter special
DO you remember when Easter eggs were sold at Easter and not on Boxing Day? And do you remember when Christmas wasn’t reduced to a non-religious retail festival and was celebrated at Christmas, not from August?
JIM ADAMSON, Cupar, Fife.
Truth about Facebook
AFTER all the revelations about Facebook’s harvesting of personal information, I decided to download all the data it has on me (go to Settings and click ‘Download a copy of your Facebook data’).
I was astonished to discover it has all the personal contacts from my mobile phone, which I wrongly thought were private.
I never knowingly agreed to give Facebook access to my phone, but there is a record of every call I made, with the date, time and duration. Printed out, it came to more than 150 pages.
DAVID WEST, Birmingham. THE assertion Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook ‘with the best of intentions’ (Letters) is not correct.
Its first incarnation was a site called Facemash, launched in 2003 while Mr Zuckerberg was a student at Harvard.
It displayed pictures of students and encouraged people to vote for those they found ‘hot’, pandering to the elitist ‘frat boy’ culture.
Official Harvard headshots were used without permission and displayed on an open website that anyone could view. The university shut down the site. Was this a benevolent start? If anything, it shows Facebook’s true colours — a business doing whatever it takes to become successful.
IONA BAIN, London W14.
Mobile madness
I WAS interested to see how much people spent on mobile phones in the article ‘Is £43,000 a year the key to happiness?’ (Mail).
Two families spent more than £50 a month and one spent £120. If they are struggling to make ends meet, may I suggest they do what I do — buy a cheap pay-as-you-go phone? It’s perfectly adequate for making calls but doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles.
VAL BELLAMY, Devizes, Wilts. THE easiest way to manage your money is to spend it on your needs, not your wants. Mrs COLLEEN BRUNTON, Enfield, Middx.