Wild talk from Jewish leader

Sir: Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, describes the assimilation of Jews into the wider community as a "silent Holocaust" ("US Jews fear Israel is casting them adrift", 16 November). This is not the first time such a comparison has been made.

Before its currency becomes general, even in a small circle of Jewry, the horrific implications of such a remark should be made clear. For a child of mixed marriage (my father was Jewish), it is implied that my life and those of my children are so worthless that they may as well have been disposed of by state violence.

My cousins, who were murdered by the Nazis on account of being Jewish, must have their suffering likened to the life of a Gentile raised in peace and prosperity. It is ironic that this supreme insult to the victims of the Holocaust should come from a man who claims to be a Jewish leader.

ROWLAND NELKEN

Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire