Jewish Group Dismayed Over Attacks on Buddhist Symbol
As chair of the Anti-Defamation League’s Valley civil rights committee, I read “Symbol of Misunderstanding” (Oct. 14) about the Buddhist Temple in Chatsworth with great interest.
Unfortunately, the article failed to mention the ADL’s strong response to the numerous initial expressions of concern about the religious emblems. The ADL, after determining that the emblems were not Nazi swastikas but rather Buddhist symbols of peace which predated the Holocaust, served to calm the community and to urge tolerance toward the temple and respect for the First Amendment rights of its members.
In fact, the ADL’s Valley office contacted everyone who had expressed alarm, to allay their fears and educate them about the Buddhist emblem. We are saddened by the intolerance and violence that has greeted this temple, and again urge respect for the diversity of the many religious groups in our community, including the Hwa Yen Buddhists.
BRADLEY W. HERTZ
West Hills
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