Sir: I cannot be the only reader whose teeth were
set on edge when your other- wise wholly admirable leading article on Hong Kong referred to Dr Zell's 'co- religionist', identified by the quotation as Trotsky. Dr Zell may be of Jewish origin — I simply do not know — but judging by his views, he will long since have ceased to adhere to the Jewish faith, if indeed he ever did in the first place. Trotsky was an atheist and therefore could not be anyone's
LETTERS
'co-religionist'. Jews loyal to our heritage and faith can hardly be linked with those who left it to go whoring after strange gods.
The matter is more worrying since Dr Zell's prominence in your leader was in- trinsically pointless when you had such bigger fish to fry. If you wish to know how our co-religionists are thinking, you are better off asking the chief Rabbi. To represent us Jews by Zell and Trotsky grates on us for good historical reasons. Alfred Sherman
10 Gerald Road, London SW1
Editor's note: We used the word 'co- religionist' metaphorically to refer to Dr Zell's fellow socialists. We intended no reference to his Jewishness. Indeed we do not know whether he is Jewish.
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