Is there something bigger than parenting?
I agree with 98% of what Rabbi Jessica Fisher wrote in “I Am A Single Rabbi Without Children…” (Opinion, Feb. 2). But I respectfully disagree with her response to the comment, said to new parents, “Raising this child is the most important and impactful thing you will ever do.”
In my opinion, this is what we owe our kids. I’m not a woman, nor a rabbi. I’m a proud father of two wonderful adult children and I still melt each time they say “Dad.” We love and respect one another, in large part because I raised them with them knowing that they were, and still are, the most important and impactful thing in my life.
I’m sure Rabbi Fisher is doing her part in this world and her community, as a unique human being and rabbi, in ways that l will never be able to, and we will be tossed together to make a beautiful salad known as the Jewish people.
Dan Caplan, Rockville
Let’s teach about the Holocaust
The newly established Virginia Commission on Antisemitism is long overdue – especially during this time of increasing antisemitic activity in public schools, universities and communities at large (“Virginia’s Jewish legislators emphasize protecting freedoms” (Jan. 19).
As a former teacher/administrator of 33 years in Northern Virginia, I can validate that there is no consistent teaching about the Holocaust. It is up to individual efforts by teachers, such as bringing in a Holocaust survivor to address students in an assembly program (which was incredibly effective).
The commission has also recommended recognition of Jewish Heritage Month. Other designated heritage months get deserved attention in schools and the media. But other than a sign at Wegmans and one night of acknowledgement at Nat’s Park, Jewish Heritage Month is a tiny blip on the radar.
I read with astonishment that our Jewish delegates from Falls Church and Fairfax County are interjecting politics and are wary about the recommendations, citing other perceived deficiencies in the Virginia History Standards. I do not dispute that these standards are still in need of modification. But why must the critical teaching of the Holocaust and other recommendations be deemphasized to suit a political agenda?
Bruce Jankowitz, Frederick
