Letters to the Editor

Unenlightened perspective

Regarding "One in twenty," Haaretz Magazine, June 4, 2004

Kobi Ben-Simhon characterizes deafness as a tragedy and the Al-Sayed tribe as people who are not enlightened enough to prevent the tragedy in their village. This attitude is indeed common among hearing people. But it is wrong.

Hearing people often view deaf people from a clinical perspective, seeing them as people who are defective in some way. But that is not the only perspective from which to view deaf people - and it is not a very enlightened one. Many deaf people see themselves not as handicapped, but as a minority group with a rich language and culture of its own.

The greatest obstacle facing deaf people is not their inability to hear, but the communication barrier that exists between them and the surrounding hearing society. This obstacle is a consequence of two factors: objective difficulties for deaf people in using spoken language, and a lack of knowledge on the part of hearing people of the [means of] communication that is accessible to deaf people: sign language.

Throughout the entire article, the most significant fact regarding the Al-Sayed village was completely overlooked - that a large number of hearing people there can communicate well in sign language. For example, it was clearly stated in the article that Salman Al-Sayed was able to fluently interpret for his daughter, Ismain, who described in detail her thoughts and feelings in sign language.

Because of the fluid communication between deaf and hearing people in the village, the deaf people are well integrated within the community, and enjoy social and family lives that are full and normal. This situation is healthy on all levels - social, linguistic and human. However, the situation of Al-Sayed is very rare. Most deaf people do not live within a society that can communicate with them. The tragedy of deaf people is not their inability to hear, but the way in which the hearing world relates to them.

Wendy Sandler, Irit Meir

Sign Language Research Laboratory

The University of Haifa

More than one way

Regarding "B-G's personal trainer," Haaretz Magazine, June 11, 2004

Two points about Aviva Lori's article. First, she gave very little weight to the real reasons why the world celebrates - in many countries - the birthday of the Israeli Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. It is true that one cannot be a prophet in his home town, but what the enlightened world celebrates mostly is the gift given by Feldenkrais who, as a scientist, had ideas that preceded his time by decades.

The world accepts Moshe as a poet, a philosopher, and a person brave enough to make statements that are against what is known and widely accepted, in all areas related to the behavior of mankind as individuals and as a society. Nobody would have celebrated with so much love and respect the birthday of this man only because of his so-called "piquant" qualities, which have been given too much weight in the article.

There was also an untrue quote from Hava Shalhav regarding me. The facts are: Moshe Feldenkrais, in his intellectual honesty, preached in favor of open thinking and enabled me as his student and as his substitute in groups and in his private practice, to find my way independently.

He supported my teaching once a week, teaching the experts who came to his instructional groups on Fridays, [but I was] using words from my own mouth (and not using recorded tapes of his voice). Moshe believed that there is more than one way, and if the path is already paved - it is not your way, but the way of the other who paved it. He encouraged each one of us to conquer and to determine original routes. Had he forced any of us "to push buttons," his teachings would have been dead long ago and we would not have celebrated his 100th birthday.

Eli Wadler

Principal, Feldenkrais Teachers School

The Wingate Institute

A moral role

Regarding "No vacation time," Haaretz Magazine, June 11

The critical tone of Sara Leibovich-Dar's article is uncalled for. The attempt to compare a prisoner who is in jail for a crime and an honest citizen working for a living is off base. The Israel Prison Service has one mission only: to keep in legal detention those whom society has decided to remove from its midst. Over the years, the service has taken on a moral role. For the sake of society, and with organizational efforts and at the risk of endangering its central mission, it is attempting to mend the ways of the prisoner so that he may one day make a successful return to society.

Inculcating work habits is one thing that the prison service does so that, upon their release, prisoners will be able to adapt to an employment framework like any law-abiding citizen. Enabling a prisoner to attain an economic profit, with the aim of aiding him during his time in prison, fits in with this important and ethical mission. In many countries, a prisoner has to pay for his time in prison by working, while here he receives all his needs - food, clothing, medical care - from the prison service and the reward for his work is designated for improving his quality of life in prison.

All of this is worthy of respect, admiration and praise.

Ofer Lefler

Spokesman,

Israel Prison Service

Ramle