Letters

Editor-> My very Dear Gail, I have never received such a warmhearted and gentle letter of chastisement in all the years I have been publishing the Megillah, and for this I thank you very much. I really do understand your concerns, and I have given a great deal of thought to them. The Gantseh Megillah and the Weekly Megillah are not, in themselves, political publications. But the fact is that politics plays a part in all our lives, and Jews, like anyone else are involved. One thing you will notice, in the almost 10 years that the Megillah has been published, the only area in which I ever express my own, personal opinion, is in the Editor's Comments. I have always run columns and articles that express views from all sides of the political spectrum, and I never censor what anyone has to say. That has always been, and always will be the case with the Megillah. The Shmuck of the Month however is a very different story. This area is new, and includes people who are either Jewish or effect the lives of the Jewish community in some way that I consider disadvantageous. It is not necessarily political however. I did not select Michael Mukasey because of his political affiliation. I have nothing against Republicans or Conservatives for that matter, in fact I am a registered Republican, myself. I believe in the freedom of choice the United States has always lived by. But this selection was based totally on his refusal to express an opinion on an activity that has been declared as torture by the entire world, including the United States when it prosecuted the Japanese for using the same methods against our soldiers. I named him Shmuck of the Month because it does not reflect well on the Jewish community, to have a Jewish man essentially supporting, or at the very least, for political reasons, refusing to acknowledge a torturous act. If he was a Democrat or Liberal, he would have been named just as readily. Jackie Mason, the month before, was selected because of his overtly hateful and racist statements, which again, do not reflect well on our community. I understand you concerns, but I cannot turn the Megillah strictly into a story board. My entire reason for publishing in the first place, was to offer a forum for discussion and presentation of ideas, without censorship based on political opinion. It is also a place to find some excellent stories and articles that do not touch on politics. In other words, just like the real world, there is something for everyone. I hope you understand my intentions, and that I do respect your opinion and concerns. But I also hope you respect my belief that without differing points of view and discussion, the Megillah would not be providing the service and forum for which it was originally created. Certainly, as in any other publication, there might be opinions or areas that some readers are uninterested in, and in those cases they choose to read what they find enjoyable. I am sure you will agree that there is much, as you said yourself, in the Megillah that is non-political, and I am delighted to know you enjoy those articles so much. Thank you for contacting me and for expressing yourself in such a gentle and fair-minded manner. I hope you will agree that I have done similarly in my response. I am delighted to have you as a member of our Megillah family, and I hope very sincerely that you will continue to remain in our circle of friends. Just remember, opinions are like pipiks.....everybody has one. All my very best and warmest wishes, Michael

Gail Weiss		February 29, 2008
	Shmuck of the Month
Please do both of us a favor and stick to non-political opinions. It disenfranchises readers like me (and I imagine I'm not the only one who feels this way) who really love all the articles you cull from around the world (from a spectrum of positions). But when you start to insert your own political position into the website (Michael Mukasey as schmuck of the month) it makes me not want to come back, and that would be a shame for both of us. For me, because I have gotten enjoyment and knowledge from reading your articles. But also for you, because I forward your site to so many people every time I read it, some of whom undoubtedly have given donations over the years to your website. So I would urge you to stick to choosing from categories other than U.S. civil servants to disparage. For both our sakes. Thanks very much, Gail Weiss Maryland
Editor-> My very Dear Gail, I have never received such a warmhearted and gentle letter of chastisement in all the years I have been publishing the Megillah, and for this I thank you very much. I really do understand your concerns, and I have given a great deal of thought to them. The Gantseh Megillah and the Weekly Megillah are not, in themselves, political publications. But the fact is that politics plays a part in all our lives, and Jews, like anyone else are involved. One thing you will notice, in the almost 10 years that the Megillah has been published, the only area in which I ever express my own, personal opinion, is in the Editor's Comments. I have always run columns and articles that express views from all sides of the political spectrum, and I never censor what anyone has to say. That has always been, and always will be the case with the Megillah. The Shmuck of the Month however is a very different story. This area is new, and includes people who are either Jewish or effect the lives of the Jewish community in some way that I consider disadvantageous. It is not necessarily political however. I did not select Michael Mukasey because of his political affiliation. I have nothing against Republicans or Conservatives for that matter, in fact I am a registered Republican, myself. I believe in the freedom of choice the United States has always lived by. But this selection was based totally on his refusal to express an opinion on an activity that has been declared as torture by the entire world, including the United States when it prosecuted the Japanese for using the same methods against our soldiers. I named him Shmuck of the Month because it does not reflect well on the Jewish community, to have a Jewish man essentially supporting, or at the very least, for political reasons, refusing to acknowledge a torturous act. If he was a Democrat or Liberal, he would have been named just as readily. Jackie Mason, the month before, was selected because of his overtly hateful and racist statements, which again, do not reflect well on our community. I understand you concerns, but I cannot turn the Megillah strictly into a story board. My entire reason for publishing in the first place, was to offer a forum for discussion and presentation of ideas, without censorship based on political opinion. It is also a place to find some excellent stories and articles that do not touch on politics. In other words, just like the real world, there is something for everyone. I hope you understand my intentions, and that I do respect your opinion and concerns. But I also hope you respect my belief that without differing points of view and discussion, the Megillah would not be providing the service and forum for which it was originally created. Certainly, as in any other publication, there might be opinions or areas that some readers are uninterested in, and in those cases they choose to read what they find enjoyable. I am sure you will agree that there is much, as you said yourself, in the Megillah that is non-political, and I am delighted to know you enjoy those articles so much. Thank you for contacting me and for expressing yourself in such a gentle and fair-minded manner. I hope you will agree that I have done similarly in my response. I am delighted to have you as a member of our Megillah family, and I hope very sincerely that you will continue to remain in our circle of friends. Just remember, opinions are like pipiks.....everybody has one. All my very best and warmest wishes, Michael
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