An open letter to Rimma Zelfand, CEO of JF&CS from Alexander Schechter, Executive Director, Ezra Home Care

Dear Rimma,

I am very sorry to hear that CJP and JF&CS' board voted to accept this money! It just shows their foresightedness and lack of moral standards. I simply cannot comprehend how a Jew, or a Jewish based organization can use proceeds from Mein Kampf for anything, not to mention spending this money for survivors care, being well aware of the facts surrounding this book, its history, knowing that Neo-Nazism and antisemitism is on the rise in Europe and in the US.

The only analogy I can make is if KKK were to sell their book telling how and why black people to be lynched and then distribute proceeds from the sale of the book to families whose members were lynched!

The decision to use money from the sales of Mein Kampf for Holocaust survivors is an insult to my parents, my grandparents, myself and everyone who perished in the WWII. Ironically, the program bears the same last name as mine - Schechter!

I am sending you a link to comments about Mein Kampf from Amazon's website: http://rankings.gawker.com/overrated-amazon-reviews-of-mein-kampf-ranked-1719961051

Just read some of the comments from people wholeheartedly loving this book, supporting the ideas! You'll be shocked, I promise! Given the chance, some of these readers/reviewers will repeat Holocaust all over again without any hesitations.

As you know we have a client, Fegha S., to whom we provide six hours of care a week and get paid through the JF&CS Holocaust Program. I no longer can be accepting money from the Holocaust Program, at least until this issue is being resolved and JF&CS refuses from HMH funding. I shared the situation with my staff and it was decided that we would provide Feigha's care for free for as long as JF&CS would want us to do so. I will contact Irina Rutman to inform her about my decision.

I will make every effort to fight this decision made by CJP, JF&CS Board of Directors and the committee consisting of Holocaust survivors from accepting HMH funds. If I don't do it, I wouldn't be able to look my daughter straight in the eyes without feeling guilty for staying quiet about something I feel so strongly against.

If you personally feel that this was a wrong decision, please let me know how I can be of assistance to you and your organization in repealing this decision.

Sincerely,
Alexander Schechter
Ezra Home Care, LLC