I feel we can follow the American model in this way: All immigrants, regardless of former nationality or religion, must be held to the same standard. In the U.S., all immigrants take an oath of citizenship in order to officially become Americans. For Israel, it can only be "all or nothing" -- either everyone or no one would take the oath.

Those who currently reside in Israel, regardless of religious beliefs, should be treated the same in one important respect -- they are "loyal citizens" until proven (by law) otherwise.

A deviation from this would, in my view, strengthen the Carter-Apartheid view of Israel, and that's the last thing we need.

ALAN ROTNEMER

Rockville

An educational resource

Susan Freudenheim's op-ed, "Brandeis -- selling off or selling out?" (WJW, Feb. 12), touched a nerve in me as an art educator. I agree with her about the value of art objects to reveal the "heart and soul" of civilization and the human condition. Yet, I feel even more strongly about preserving Jewish art.

As she points out, the direct experience of "real art" may not be the mission of a university, but neither should the art be valued merely as a commodity. It is an educational resource.

Freudenheim concludes with a rhetorical question: If the Brandeis collection were to be sold, "In saving ourselves, did we lose ourselves?"

The World War II story of the Danzig community answers this challenge. They sold their Jewish art and used the money so that almost all of their Jewish population could emigrate. The Jews saved their art -- and they were saved by it. Many of them testified to this experience in a film produced by the Jewish Museum of New York where the Danzig collection now resides.

Seeing that film years ago transformed my life. With some strong supporters, I founded a nonprofit entity, The Jewish Art Education Organization. Its mission is to produce a film using Jewish art to strengthen Jewish identity.

The arts are not a luxury. They are life sustaining and essential to expressing and awakening our humanity and spiritual well-being.

Regardless of whether or not Brandeis sells its art, if Jewish groups don't maintain our Jewish art, who will? As we face tough economic times, we must remember that when we are gone, the visual arts remain. Our cultural heritage enriches our lives. We must bring art into our lives and promote organizations that preserve, educate and create a greater understanding of Jewish art.

MYRNA TECK

President, The Jewish Art Education Organization, Silver Spring

Not mutually exclusive

Thank you for your generally balanced report on Rep. Donna Edwards' event. ("Debatable panel," WJW, March 5). I do have an important correction to make. You wrote: "Éthe group unanimously called for Israel to fully open its borders with Gaza so that humanitarian aid workers, wounded individuals and impartial observers may travel freely. (Israeli officials have said they must maintain border control to stop the flow of smuggled arms.)."

I don't think any of us advocated a full opening of the borders. Israel, as I stated repeatedly at the talk, has legitimate security concerns that must be addressed. What I did say was that access to Gaza must be expanded so that necessary humanitarian and reconstruction aid as well as human rights investigators can get in and some degree of exports can get out.

The other panelists can speak for themselves, but I recall general agreement that loosening of the border control, in a manner which both addresses Israel's legitimate concerns and still allows the bare necessities of traffic in and out of Gaza, is imperative. Addressing Israel's security concerns and safeguarding the basic rights of the civilian population in Gaza are not mutually exclusive goals.

I certainly did not, as your paragraph implies, state that Israel should not maintain necessary security control of its border with Gaza, and I don't recall the other panelists doing so either.

MITCHELL PLITNICK

Director of U.S. Office B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories