Father is sending the wrong message to his son

Being a practicing Jew, I am outraged that this father is teaching his son and the entire community that sports are more important than religious beliefs ("Father of Jewish player doesn't agree with Rosh Hoshana rule," Simi Valley Acorn, Sept. 14).

The Jewish people have been oppressed for hundreds of years, and we are finally receiving a little recognition and some muchdeserved respect from the rest of the world.

What this father is instructing his son is that religion takes a back seat to sports and don't let another team get "one" extra practice ahead of you. What he should be teaching his son is that observing the holiest time in the Jewish religion will lift you internally and, therefore, help you grow more from within, which will help in all areas of life.

Taking the day off also teaches the other students to be respectful of and open-minded toward others. The entire world schedules holidays and vacation days around the calendar of the most popular religions; I am so very thankful that our local school board has the decency to recognize that everyone should be acknowledged.

Coach Borowski and the other complaining coaches are also to blame- how dare they engage in this type of talk? Opening a line of discussion against the Jewish religion can and should be viewed as anti-Semitic and discriminatory.

He is supposed to be teaching our children sports, not encouraging them to take a stand against what he does not practice. I anticipate a large crowd on Oct. 9 at the board meeting; I know there will be many of us to defend what is correct, as Mr. Scherr certainly does not speak for the numerous other Jewish families throughout our area.

Respecting your neighbor's religion is not forcing it down everyone's throat, as Mr. Scherr put it. What we are doing is teaching tolerance and respect, something all people of all ethnic backgrounds and religions should practice.

The current war the American people are fighting is in large part due to a religion not tolerant of others. My family and I are proud of our beliefs and respect the beliefs of others; we teach our children values they can establish a life on, not grade them on their sporting abilities.

A lifetime of values should be more important then one game of football. Vivian Galambos-Gee Simi Valley