Re: Toronto Women’s Bookstore For over two decades I directed the Women’s Educational Resources Centre at OISE/ UT and was in close contact with the Toronto Women’s Bookstore. During these years it emerged into one of the greatest women’s bookstores in the world. I was appalled to see the headline: “The Toronto Women’s Bookstore supports killing women.” How dare Stephen Glazer besmirch the reputation of such an honorable institution!Yes, as a Jewish feminist and Zionist, I was disheartened, as were many friends of the bookstore, by the button calling for an end to the occupation of Palestine. Although I strongly support a two-state solution, I felt the button did not represent either the violence suffered by both peoples, or the reality of Israeli peace movements. However, nothing in my long association with the bookstore has given me cause to view them as my enemy. Quite the contrary: they have always carried an extensive collection of books and periodicals by and for Jewish women as well as significant works on anti-Semitism and racism. Last week, a group of concerned Jewish feminists, representing a wide spectrum of the Jewish community, met with the bookstore. Our open and honest discussion was nuanced in its deliberation of issues, beliefs, and sensibilities. We are proceeding with the design of another button to express our solidarity with peace activists in Israel; public meetings with Jewish and Palestinian women are also planned. Frieda FormanSomething fishy about Middle East povertyFish Griwkowsky’s opinion piece (Oct. 15) on Prime Minister Chrétien’s understanding of poverty and protecting Iraq is interesting, but utterly flawed. Iraq is one of the wealthiest oil countries in the rich Arab Middle East. Trillions of dollars in oil sales have never reached the Arab people. The United States, European Union and Canada, etc. poured billions into the Palestinian Authority since 1993. Where is the money? The Palestinian Arabs have not seen it. No new factories, schools, hospitals and housing for refugees. The only poverty in the Middle East is created by the greed of megalomaniacs like Saddam Hussein and Yasser Arafat. How much did Saddam’s invasion of Iran in the 1980s cost? It’s all right to bemoan poverty, but the Arab Middle East is not poor. Marvin MaurerCalendar corrections create conflictsThere are a few words that one can say about the way this university operates. Unfortunately, most of them are not allowed in any respectable newspaper. It is a wonderful adventure that we as students embark on, when we are signing up for classes. We try so hard to make the schedule work, and then the school comes up with some changes that force us to change it all over again. The year starts and you think it is over—but not yet. This wonderful university has more to offer. They send you letters and apologies about the fact that they made yet another mistake in the calendar and the course that you are taking next semester is meeting at a totally different time. So you are stuck. It is too late to change things around, you cannot drop your full year course that now conflicts with the class. What do you do? Who runs this place? Obviously, the best university in Canada does not care about the students at all…Mira Nell
