Unfair attack on AJC January 26, 2012 - In his recent article about the regrettable treatment of women by some elements of the Orthodox establishment in Israel (“No women on the podium,” Jan. 20), Charles Radin employed a journalistic slight of hand that did him no honor. In the article, he correctly proposed that AJC and Harris have been critical of The New York Times for persistent imbalanced reporting on Israel. Honest people can disagree about the quality of the Times’ reporting. Rather than review the merits of this debate, however, Radin inserted into his discussion two vitriolic paragraphs that strongly insinuated that AJC and Harris are apologists for discrimination against women in Israel. In fact, AJC has consistently and publicly stood up for the rights of women in Israel. In fact, contrary to what Radin led his readers to think, AJC denounced the actions of ultra- Orthodox Jews in Bet Shemesh, who had taunted an eight year old girl. It is appropriate for journalists to call attention to problems and social inequities in Israel and elsewhere. Charles Radin seems to believe, however, that when journalists and newspapers amplify and distort in their reporting, they should be immune from the kind of criticisms that they so generously mete out. His article vividly demonstrates why this is not a good idea. MICHAEL TICHNOR ROBERT LEIKIND |
AJC Boston Letter to the Editor
