Was judaism the problem?
We had intended not to comment on Mr. Harper s article [ Berkeley s Hysterical Landmarks, East Bay Express, 17 September 2003], preferring that it crumble by itself under the weight of its many misstatements of fact and misinterpretations. But in the sidebar box on the fate of the Byrne site at 1301 Oxford St., he lets his penchant for oversimplification lead him into an assertion we cannot believe either he or the Express intended to make: that Judaism was the threat that caused a problem with Congregation Beth El s project or the future of that historic site. Byrne house seen from the Heywood & Jacobs wharf, c. 1868 First, let us be clear: The cardinal sin with respect to this original Berkeley homestead site was the city s, in failing to purchase the site when it was available. This is a site that should have belonged to the people of Berkeley. Beyond that, the issues surrounding the permitting of the synagogue s project had to do with far more than the landmark nature of the site,
