No great revelations

Letters

Editor: The letter “To serve Baal or Hashem?” (Bulletin, Jan. 18) by Dr. Moishe Golubchuk can only be described as an incoherent rant. Dr. Golubchuk is offended by many actions, people and organizations. In the process of unjustly criticizing Cynthia Ramsay, for her participation in the Unitarian Church choir, he launches into an assault on the integrity of the church, the organization Jews for a Just Peace and, finally, the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. His words are particularly offensive to members of the Peretz Centre.

Let me briefly quote from his letter: “Ms. Ramsay is also naïve in suggesting that there is no connection between the Unitarian Church and the so-called Jews for a Just Peace. Prominent members of this group are also prime movers in the Vancouver Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. The Peretz Centre is a reincarnation of the Jewish communist movement in Vancouver.”

It might be difficult for Dr. Golubchuk to believe, but there is no political means-test for membership in the Peretz Centre. I don’t know, nor would I want to know, what, if any, the political affiliations are of members of our organization. Similarly, Jews for a Just Peace (JJP) is an independent organization and membership in the Peretz Centre does not require that affiliations to other organizations be revealed.

If Dr. Golubchuk can demonstrate that “prominent members of JJP are also prime movers in the Peretz Centre” we might be interested, but then, so what? Indeed, what follows from his implied conspiracy theory – Unitarian Church, JJP and Peretz Centre acting in concert against Israel – other than that people may belong to more that one group? It’s hardly an earth-shattering revelation.

The Peretz Centre is a member organization of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and has been one for many years. Its members belong to a wide range of other groups and I dare say that most Jews in Vancouver belong to, or are involved with, many groups. The positions taken by the Peretz Centre reflect the diverse views of its members; there are no “prime movers” from other organizations determining our actions. We are definitely a liberal group (not currently a crime) and we represent Jews who wish to celebrate their history, culture, languages and traditions in a secular manner.

I suspect that what most offends Dr. Golubchuk’s sensibilities is that we have rejected religion as the foundation of our Jewishness. So be it. His style of red-baiting and unwarranted and unsupported attacks are fortunately an increasingly distant memory. Let him celebrate his religion in good health and leave us to celebrate our culture, as we have seen fit.

Richard Rosenberg
President, Peretz Centre
for Secular Jewish Culture

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