Letter to Simon Weisenthal Center

I recently received a letter from your organization requesting that I help keep Jerusalem united under Jewish control by contacting the President of the United States. As a citizen of Jerusalem, I'm quite astonished that Weisenthal Center fails to recognize that the political pressure must be directed towards Prime Minister Olmert and not President Bush.

Since the Lebanon war, every speech by Olmert and his aids has denigrated to one territorial concession or another, so why can we not assume that it his vision to indeed do so? Only a few nights ago, Prime Minister Olmert spoke before the world and claimed that the future of Jerusalem is up to Israel - meaning himself - and not of the Jewish people in the diaspora! What chutzpa!

Begging for leniency from American politicians to keep Jerusalem united is simply missing the point. It's akin to asking Olmert not to pressure Bush into Iraq. If you want Jerusalem to be safe and united, you must demand safety and unity from Israel's leaders. Clearly, as an organization calling for the continued unification of the Jewish Capital, you have recognized a problem, but have administered the wrong antidote.

Accordingly, this is your country, whether you live inside Israel or not. You are Jews and you have a vested interest in the Jewish State. We all seek to be free from terrorism and to be a beacon of light to the world, but we will only do this through the hearts and minds of the Jewish people, and not through aimlessly demanding other nations to do our work for us, when indeed our own leadership demands the opposite. I hope you take the right path.

Sincere Regards