Madam, - Prof Yakov Rabkin (letters; December 12th) raises a number of points which require a response from the Irish Jewish community. Although Prof Rabkin's factual account of what transpired at Dublin's main Orthodox synagogue last Saturday is broadly accurate, he was not, in fact, blocked by "synagogue officials" but by members of the congregation who reacted spontaneously to the situation.
Nevertheless, the broad feeling within the congregation seems to be that the actions of these individuals were justified.
Prof Rabkin is known throughout the Jewish world as a person who associates with organisations holding views which are both controversial and abhorrent to most Jewish communities. In particular, he shares platforms with groups which deny the right of the State of Israel to exist (eg the extremist and widely ostracised "Neturei Karta" - Guardians of the City - organisation, whose members are banned from most synagogues worldwide, amd pictures of whose members attending the Holocaust "conference" in Tehran have recently been flashed around the world's media) and/or which use their platforms as a thinly veiled conduit for anti-Semitism.
As will be appreciated, there is a world of difference between debating the policies of the Israeli government (which is perfectly acceptable) and a denial of Israel's right to exist.
Prof Rabkin states that "Dublin Zionists also prefer honest debate to remain stifled". Irish Jews, like Irish people generally, are only too happy to engage in debating politics and current affairs generally and do so on a regular basis. Most would not, however, wish to share a platform with a person associated with viewpoints which are unacceptable and insulting to most of the worldwide Jewish community.
The Irish Jewish community welcomes hundreds of visitors - both Jewish and non-Jewish - each year and most of these visitors take away fond memories of the warm hospitality and friendship they receive. Had Prof Rabkin been visiting Ireland in a private capacity, he, too, would have enjoyed the same hospitality from our community. - Yours, etc,
CARL NELKIN, vice-chairman and public affairs spokesman, The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, Dublin 2.