Heschel West isn’t claiming anti-Semitism

Heschel West isn’t claiming anti-Semitism

Larry Brown’s May 15 letter to the editor is both regrettable and disturbing. Heschel West is clearly on record that it views the controversy surrounding its school project as purely a land-use issue. We have reiterated this many times.

While we believe our opponents are sometimes needlessly inflammatory and extreme, no one representing the school has ever attributed that to anti-Semitism. Other than the one letter referenced by Brown, which was written by an outside observer not connected to the school, the only ones who keep mentioning the issue of anti-Semitism are the opponents themselves.

Brown opines that our elected and appointed officials will not fairly discharge their responsibilities for fear of being "branded as anti-Semites."

We disagree.

What is he talking about anyway? The only time the issue has ever been mentioned to the planning commission is when Brown raised it, making wholly unfounded accusations against the school leadership similar to those in his letter to The Acorn.

We do agree with one statement made by Brown: "Real damage is being done to the fairness of the process." The damage is from mean-spirited personal attacks and name-calling in which Brown and a small number of others have engaged.

Heschel West respects the rights of all concerned to participate in the public discussions about our project. It is important that all concerns be aired. The "fairness of the process" will best be served by discussing these issues with careful attention to the facts, courtesy and mutual respect.

Suzanne Feldman Greenberg

Westlake Village