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After 6 million Jews were slaughtered during World War II, the Jewish people needed a safe haven. Though, in retrospect, it might not have been a wise decision, they were gifted the state of Israel. One tiny strip of land, where they could live their lives in relative safety.

Clearly, that goal has not been met. As it stands now, it is, perhaps, the least safe place one could be on this planet.

Is it possible to share this land? Well, yes, of course. But who, realistically, needs a safe haven? Christians, who are in the majority in the majority of nations around the world? Clearly not. And they seem perfectly content with Israel being run by Jews (as their own savior was a Jew himself).

How about Muslims? Let's look at the details of where Muslims are essentially safe (except for the fact that different sects choose to go to war with one another ... but that's a different story):

• Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Mauritania and Yemen are all Islamic states.
• Though not "Islamic states," per se, in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Somalia and Brunei, Islam is the state religion.
• Though there is no state religion in Niger, Indonesia, Sudan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sierra Leone and Djibouti, the population is overwhelmingly Muslim.
• And, while there's a separation between church and state in Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Guinea, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Northern Cyprus, Nigeria, Senegal, Syria, Lebanon, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, the majority of their populations are also Muslim.

(My source for these details is WorldAtlas.com.)

That's a very long list. So do Muslims need yet one more nation to call home? Clearly not. But needing it and wanting it are two separate things, aren't they?

I don't pretend to know how to solve the ongoing crisis, a crisis that's only getting worse, day by day. But I do want to add a bit of perspective. Jews are a minority group — everywhere in the entire world — except on this very small plot of land. Unless we're willing to let this group of people be slaughtered yet again, common sense says to leave well enough alone.

John Fineberg, St. Paul

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Many of us were quick to condemn the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America for its initial response to the most recent horrors in Israel, a response that did not include an unequivocal condemnation of Hamas for its brutal attack on innocent Israeli citizens, including babies and children. I, too, was distressed by this omission.

My hope is that many of us are equally distressed that responses from some of our esteemed elected officials, including Gov. Tim Walz ("Socialist group amends words on Hamas," Oct. 13), do not include condemnation that innocent Palestinian citizens, including babies and children, are being killed by Israel's military reprisal.

Beth Rademacher, St. Paul

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As the conflict seems to escalate or stalemate in the Gaza region, Israel has taken measures to restrict access to water, food, electricity and power inside the area in the north. The threat to the population is real — not only for starvation and dehydration, but for disease.

The disease that seems most likely to spread is cholera.

Cholera is a bacterial disease generally spread because of insufficient clean drinking water and inadequate sanitation facilities. According to Oxfam's executive director, cholera is an imminent health threat in the Gaza now: "The situation for civilians is already intolerable. Our staff are telling us that in some cases, there are up to 70 people crammed into a single room."

Modern health care professionals (according to available sources) can offer two significant means of prophylaxis for cholera: first, a vaccine known as "Vaxchora" and, second, the treatment commonly known as oral rehydration.

But in the short and the long run, those in the Gaza area are going to need clean water and reliable and effective sanitation systems. Moreover, the World Health Organization indicates that to prevent or reduce cholera, there must exist an adequate system to monitor its spread and/or risks. This obviously means safe access to health care.

The United Nations has stated that both the right to water and the right to sanitation are part and parcel of those basic human rights to which all persons are entitled.

The threat of cholera, a disease which has been recognized since the early research of British scientist John Snow in the 1850s as bacterial in its origin, is also a disease whose ravages have been identified as preventable.

Egypt and Israel now must find a way to cooperate in getting humanitarian assistance to meet basic sanitation needs in Gaza and to stop the next crisis — a health crisis that has plagued humankind for centuries.

The U.S., Israel and Egypt can and must step up.

Albert Turner Goins Sr., White Bear Lake

ORONO

No way to run a city

As former mayors who have helped grow and nurture Orono for the past 50 to 60 years, we were once again appalled by the embarrassing and intimidating conduct of the city's sitting mayor, Dennis Walsh, who allegedly threatened a firefighter from our neighboring Long Lake community ("Orono mayor threatened lawsuit in call, says Long Lake firefighter," Oct. 14). This belligerent style of governance — if we can call it that — has no place in our city.

This is not how things used to be in Orono. Mayors are elected to be guiding lights, not bullies picking fights. The allegations against Walsh are likely true since some of us have experienced the same legal threats from him. Such conduct by an elected official at any level has no place in public life or in governance. But to see it time and again in our small, close-knit community indicates a disturbing pattern of behavior that cannot continue.

The majority of the current Orono City Council and Orono residents benefit from a legacy of leadership that has made the city what it is today. We ask that the citizens of our community to abide by our legacy of improving the common good and stand on the side of right, not might. If the current mayor wants to continue this belligerent behavior, he should do so in another arena, and leave his role to someone that Orono citizens can respect and trust, someone who can better our lives and not chronically belittle them.

This letter was signed by former Orono Mayors Gabriel Jabbour, Lili McMillan, Barbara Peterson and Jim White.

ROME SYNOD

Blessings on their journey

With great joy I read the Oct. 13 article about local women going to Rome ("Local women advocate for place in church, in Rome"). These women are my friends and colleagues, women with exceptional faith and gifts in leadership, pastoral ministry and formation with a passion for church renewal. And there are many more of us like myself, who have given their lives to the church as professional lay ecclesial ministers who share their vision. It is time for Catholic women's voices to be heard from the pulpit, to be able to minister as chaplains in detention centers and in the military, and to have the opportunity to discern a vocational call to the diaconate as ordained servant-leaders in our church.

Anne Attea, Minneapolis

The writer is director for faith formation and social justice at the Church of the Ascension.