Letter: Maccabi Games issue

The JCC Maccabi Games, a worthy international cultural celebration involving Jewish youth, should not have been held in Tucson this year. It is grotesque to view photographs published in this newspaper depicting the smiling faces of healthy JCC Maccabi participants juxtaposed to the photographs of the anguished faces of Palestinian children who are dying from starvation. The Hebrew word Maccabi derives from the name of the leader of ancient Jewish warriors known for their ferocity in combat with their enemies. This leader was also known as the “Hammer” and “Extinguisher.” As Israel is being accused by human rights organizations, the United Nations and most of the governments of the civilized world of hammering and extinguishing the Palestinian people in a genocidal war, I have a question for the organizers of the Maccabi Games. During the holocaust, how would Jews living in Tucson have felt about our city hosting and supporting an “Aryan Games” event for German youth celebrating their culture?