MEN SOUND OFF

I found Pam Peled’s “Unsex me here” column (December 10) extremely well-written and entertaining, as well as so despondently true.

To use Bill, as she refers to him, one of the most cherished writers, and one of his most prized plays, Macbeth, to illustrate the sexist attitude of our so-called learned gentry toward the opposite sex is pure genius.

In contradiction to the view of her male Hanukkah host, Peled is “definitely not alone.”

There are many of us who think and feel as she does; it’s just a shame that not enough ladies (or men) can put the word out in such an eloquently honest way.

BRIAN HARRIS Tel Aviv

I am baffled as to what your readers could possibly find appealing about Peled’s latest tirade against the haredim. The writer is obsessed by a deep-rooted dislike of the ultra-Orthodox, which she feels she must share with your readers.

Would The Jerusalem Post publish articles so clearly against the Reform movement or the Arab community? I think not. It seems that only the haredim are a legitimate punching bag for outrageous stereotyping, and Peled is only too happy to supply the sordid goods.

I don’t know how Danit Shemesh, the haredi member of the Three Lattes team, puts up with Peled’s attitude toward anything haredi. Peled should learn from Dana’s magnanimous behavior and spare us her divisiveness.

KENNY FISHER Jerusalem

I very much enjoyed Peled’s latest column. Using Shakespearean characters as a trigger for her discussion about women’s status was brilliant.

Peled managed to deal with weighty social issues with grace and wit, keeping it light, while eloquently expressing her principled stance.

What the rabbi said was insulting and misogynist. The belief that a woman needs a partner to temper her passion on issues by fulfilling her sexual passion is archaic and indicative of gender prejudice and patriarchal supremacy.

I could not agree more about the injustice regarding the Russian (and Ethiopian) aliyot. My solution is the separation of religion and state, or allowing civil marriage. The situation today is untenable. The vast majority of Israelis are not religious, and are being held hostage by religious authorities, who represent less than half the population. Something has to give, and Peled’s insightful but tongue-in-cheek depiction shines a light on the need for something to be done.

PAUL MIRBACH Kibbutz Tuval, Galilee