Letter to The Washington Post

Dear Editor, I enjoyed the article "Yom Kippur presents quandary for rabbis", (9/26/12). It is an appropriate challenge that Rabbis do not mix politics with religion when discussing the existential threat that Israel faces with Iran. There is one point in this article which I believe merits further elaboration. When Iranian President Ahmadinejad discusses Israel, he refers to the country as "the occupying zionists". Nowhere does the Post say that Ahmadinejad won't even call Israel by name. Worse, the Post does not comment when he calls Israel "the occupying zionists"- Ahmadinejad is not referring to just the West Bank and Gaza; rather, he means all of Israel. He believes that all Israel should be Palestinian. Post readers should be made aware of this fact. The Washington Post is very good at clarification, but unless this disturbing distinction is fully explained, it is difficult to comprehend the menacing existential threat that Israel faces. Michael Berenhaus