Let Me Say This About That

By

To the editor:

No doubt the death of Laurie and Rebecca Hope Recht (“Mother, daughter perish together,” Jewish Review, Oct. 15, page 1) was a shock to the community and newsworthy story. 

I question, however, if reporting that they resided in a “Vancouver Housing Authority owned home,” or that “Laurie had lots of demons,...” or the way in which Rebecca was conceived added to the story. 

Judaism has historically recognized the power of speech and the damage that can be caused, even if what is stated is factual. 

I suggest that the staff of the Review consider the concept of  lashon ha-ra (evil speech) when reporting on sensitive, personal topics.

Jack B. Silver
Tempe, Ariz.
 
Editor’s note: The Jewish Review does consider the harm that can be done through words. However, this story dealt with not just the deaths of two people, but also the struggles they faced. The story questioned how the community might have helped and how it might respond differently in the future. To raise those questions, the struggles—financial as reflected by living in a housing authority home, emotional and physical health as reflected by “demons,” and even how Rebecca came into the world in order to explain why there was no other parent to step in—did need to be addressed.

To the editor:

I’m writing to say how impressed I was with the objective report by Paul Haist on the World Affairs Council of Oregon’s event with John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt (Jewish Review, Nov. 1, page 1). 

I certainly understand how difficult the issues discussed in the two professors’ book “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” are to those who are very close to the debate in different ways. 

Thus, it was great to see your newspaper report on the program as it was presented, and not with any one agenda in mind.

Eric Robinson
Portland