Reality course Sir, – Seth J. Frantzman wrote a very informative and almost frightening article after interviewing the Kurdish national leader (“Handing Iran the region on a silver platter,” One on One, September 19). It is frightening because the leader of the free world, the president of the United States, is so inept. It is also tragic because this president is very much responsible for the situation that is now a reality in Iraq. Iraq is three different countries, not one. The change in position as to who (ethnically) runs Iraq is unimportant. What is necessary is a healthy dose of reality. Let Iraq become three countries, and let the Kurds at long last have their independence. Let the Kurds develop their own resources, and let President Barack Obama attend a reality course on the Middle East. TOBY WILLIG Jerusalem No rush Sir, – With reference to “Ireland, identity and avoiding anti-Semitism” by Brian Blum (“This Normal Life, September 19), I agree entirely with Blum's 20-year-old daughter. My wife and I paid our first visit to Ireland about three years ago. It is a beautiful country, and we found the people we met very friendly and good humored, particularly when we said we were from Israel. The response was invariably positive and interested, with the occasional friendly banter. One amusing incident occurred when we were on a walking tour of Dublin, taking in the many sites of the Irish people's violent struggle for independence from Britain. I asked the tour guide – tongue in cheek – how it was that we Jews took only 38 years to get rid of the British, whereas it took the Irish about 700. He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and said, “Ah, well ye see – we Irish don't like rushing inta tings.” LARRY REEFE Netanya Investigate first Sir, – I read the letter from reader Miriam Vilner (“An unpleasant town,” September 19) with horror. How can she mention that the hotel in Copenhagen was blatantly anti-Semitic? Because she had to wait for the rooms to be ready? She was stared at by a bunch of Arabs? Did she verify they were Arabs? I do not understand how every taxi driver asked them where they were from, and 80 percent grimaced violently and drove away when told. These drivers were there to earn money. So she spent a not inconsiderable amount of money on snacks. There are places to buy kosher food and you have to pay for it. Where did she ask for a plastic bag? In supermarkets there, they charge everybody who wants a bag. Environmental protection, it is called. And what is the meaning of “left over 1,000 euros at that hotel prepaid”? You pay to stay in a hotel wherever you are. So her grandson bought a baseball hat and put his fringes out of sight. Does that make Copenhagen anti-Semitic? I find this letter offensive on behalf of the city of Copenhagen. What is mentioned is not grounds for all these complaints. I think The Jerusalem Post should have investigated all these accusations before printing such a long and negative letter. ARNE RABUCHIN Kfar Saba The writer was born in Sweden during World War II and saved by the Danes. He holds Danish citizenship but has been living in Israel for 30 years. So many stories Sir, – “The librarian and the gardener – but not what you think” (Arrivals, September 19) prompts the following (which can be tossed into the proverbial round basket but might be of slight interest to some). The combination of awaiting the arrival of a 39th great-grandchild in Israel and having had Transylvanian family murdered by the Nazis leads to a story that might resemble others. When word of the Shoah belatedly seeped out, I, now 83, joined the tiny Intercollegiate Zionist Federation of America group at the University of Chicago before graduation in 1948. My husband, Hanoch Zeitlin, now 86, graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology. We came to Israel in 1950 on a youth hostel trip, meeting many new Israelis at Kibbutz Sasa, including the unforgettable Post journalist Alex Berlyne. It took until 1968 for us to make aliya from San Diego with our five children and settle in Ramat Aviv with the help of the AACI, late physicist Saadia Amiel and others. A long, warm friendship developed with Sonia Peres, who so quietly helped many, out of the limelight and with no fanfare. Today, we live in Jerusalem. Four children live here or in Tel Aviv with their families, as our tribe increases greatly. I have written very crabby letters to the editor of the Post since 1969. Hanoch has fostered tennis and horsemanship as much as possible. Children Marc, Ellie, Rafael, Nancy and Dina reflect an interesting variety of Jewish identities. We have learned much in various workplaces, schools, the IDF, daily life and friendships, and will stay put always. ESTER ZEITLIN Jerusalem Inappropriate... Sir, – With regard to “For the love of debauchery” (Cover, September 12), the Merriam- Webster dictionary I consulted defined “debauchery” as follows: “bad or immoral behavior that involves sex, drugs, alcohol, etc.” After considering this definition I am confident you will agree that: (1) This doesn't sound like the appropriate headline for an article about community wine and beer festivals; (2) This doesn't sound like the appropriate headline for an article in the Magazine; and (3) This doesn't seem like the appropriate headline to appear opposite a photo of a father holding his toddler son in his arms, with the caption: “A father and son enjoy music and the party atmosphere of the Jerusalem Beer Festival” – which itself does not seem appropriate. NORMAN M. MESKIN Jerusalem ... and a warning Sir, – Seth J. Frantzman and Noa Amouyal wrote a great piece about Israel's exploding microbreweries, or craft beers, as they are known in the industry. However, they missed an important development that kashrut-keeping and/or vegetarian drinkers ought to be aware of. In my work as a consultant for a leading business, I have found that flavorings and processes might not meet the standards of these consumers. I report on beers with flavorings added to make them taste like pizza, oysters, coffee, peanut butter, crème brûlée (milkbased) and more. Furthermore, high demand for craft beer is pushing brewers to add chemicals to process the batches faster. Filtering methods include the use of fish bladders, egg whites, seashells and gelatin. We don't yet know the impact on kashrut or vegetarianism. I highly recommend that kashrut certification agencies warn their followers. HAROLD GOLDMEIER Beit Shemesh/Chicago
