Testimonial letter from Joseph Eger
This letter is one of a remarkable series of over 2650 letters amassed in 1983 to support Osho's attempt to get permanent resident status in the US at the time of the Oregon ranch. The image is reproduced here with the kind permission of The Oregon Historical Society. Information about their collection of these letters and other supporting material -- the "Jeffrey Noles Rajneesh Collection", named for Osho's immigration lawyer Jeffrey Noles, who compiled them in 1983 and donated them to the OHS -- can be found at this page. The wiki is grateful to the OHS for making access available for these documents. For more information and links to all the letters, see Testimonial letters.
This letter is from Joseph Eger. It is "Exhibit A-744" in the Noles collection.
The text version below has been created by optical character recognition (OCR), from the images supplied by OHS. It has not been checked for errors but this process usually results in over 99% correct transcription. Most apparent "errors" are correct transcriptions of typos already in the original. The image on the right in the text box links to a pdf file of the original letter, it has 2 pages.
 SUN To whom it may concern: Over the past six or eight years I have read many of the writings of Rajneesh and have heard his tapes. Some of my friends have become his disciples. Although I have never met Rajneesh in person, I am convinced that he has exceptional ability, that his stay in the United States would be of considerable benefit to our country and would contribute to the general welfare. I am not a disciple of Rajneesh but as Music Director and President of the Symphony for United Nations, I am deeply interested in world peace and improved understanding among all peoples. It is my belief that Rajneesh teaches this understanding of the oneness of humankind and contributes largely to the need for awareness of world unity. Yours sincerely, [A "fair use" excerpt of Eger's "My Turn" article in Newsweek follows below. The whole thing can be read in the pdf version (click on image)] NEWSWEEK Menachem Begin reminds me of my father. They look alike, talk alike and come from the same orthodox tradition. My father was so orthodox that, when the eldest of my six sisters married a non-Jew, he "sat shivah" and ordered my mother also to perform the rites for the dead. My sister was mortally wounded by this rejection. She would surreptitiously visit me, her baby brother, as 1 played in the streets. My tiny heart could hardly contain the anguish and compassion I felt for her and, at the same time, for my good parents. She obediently died a few years later -- of colitis, which many psychologists connect with repressed grief or anger. Survival was the big and only question in my family when I was growing up -- economic survival and survival of the Jews as a people. My grandmother judged all but strictly family affairs by one criterion: "Is it good for the Jews?" Is Begin good for the Jews? The answer must be “No,” though there is plenty of history to rationalize Begin’s motivations and mindset. [ ... ] We must open conversations with our Palestinian neighbors and treat them with respect. |
(Please note: We assume that the above letter is still copyrighted, but we regard its historical interest to constitute a Fair Use exception for publication in this wiki.)
