Editor,
A letter written by Brian Fejer published in the Daily Lobo on Feb. 8 called for America to look past the nuclear threats of Iran and focus its attention on Israel.
Israel, the only democratic country in the Middle East that values the lives of its citizens and embraces all faiths. Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey, and surrounded by heavily armed neighbors, all of which have attacked and invaded it at some point since 1948.
I fully recognize that Israel, like every country, has made mistakes. But I also recognize that Israel, like every country, has the right to protect all its citizens from terrorist attacks.
Iran poses a serious threat to Israel and the rest of the world because of its capabilities of producing nuclear weapons. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently stated in a speech that Israel should be wiped off the map. If this is not a clear sign that Israel is in jeopardy, then I don't know what is.
I am relieved to know that America has vowed to stand with Israel and take the necessary measures in ensuring the safety and security of this democratic country.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The Iranian president also called the Holocaust a myth made up by the Jewish people. Fejer's letter, too, dismisses the memories of countless survivors and the deaths of six million Jews and five million non-Jews in Hitler's Final Solution as a fabrication. Holocaust denial has become a serious problem in the world and is a contemporary form of anti-Semitism.
Similar to Ahmadinejad's call for Israel's annihilation, Fejer asks the United States to bomb Israel. It seems that denying the mass murder of Jews is too often a pretext for the mass murder of Jews.
If you have to question this well-documented period of history, then I urge you to read a history book and go down Central Avenue to the New Mexico Holocaust Intolerance Museum and Study Center and experience a powerful and educational dose of reality.
Mandi Casey
UNM student
