Met's Levine

To the Editors:

To those of us for whom life without opera is unthinkable, your perceptive story on Maestro James Levine [Jan. 17] was welcome. Bravo for your recognition of a brilliant artist.

David C. Titus

Sea Island, Ga.

The greatest of maestros should have proved himself in symphonic music as well as in opera. Levine has not done that. Sir Georg Solti has. If you compare their respective recordings of Mozart's Don Giovanni, you will discern how superior Solti's conducting is.

Annabelle Farmelant

New York City

Your story encourages a type of star system in classical music that is deplorable. I could run a season of professional opera on one-tenth of Levine's salary. As long as there is a Met, opera will remain an oddity, suited to a museum.

Henry Rosack, Music Director

San Mateo Symphony

Palo Alto, Calif.

Regarding your description of the Met as the "General Motors of the world's opera companies," we in the West know that it is the San Francisco Opera that is the Rolls-Royce.

C. Richard Ogden

San Francisco

The Met is now a more exciting, more dynamic and richer place under Levine's direction.

Hannah C. Parfitt

Lynn, Mass.

Begin's Settlements

Begin and his settlers should beware of their scheme to control the West Bank through colonization [Jan. 17]. The British tried similar tactics when they imported Scotsmen to Northern Ireland during the early 17th century. The descendants of those settlers have achieved dubious results as we see in Ulster today. Begin's settlement policy may be creating an evil that will curse the area for generations to come.

Robert Webster

Levant, Me.

By quoting Genesis 17:8, one of countless biblical passages in which God promises the land of Israel to the Jewish people in perpetuity, you puzzle both Christian and Jewish readers [Jan. 17]. How can you quote the Bible and yet scoff at the Israelis for wishing to fulfill God's pledge to them by building settlements throughout the land?

Manfred R. Lehmann

New York City

The quote from Genesis implies that the Jews are the only descendants of Abraham. Abraham's eldest son was Ishmael, which makes the Arabs his descendants also. The kinship between the Jews and the Arabs, not the animosity, is what should be stressed.

Les Gruber

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Like most Americans, I loathe any form or expression of bigotry, but I resolutely refuse to defend the modern statesman whose political philosophy is based on the alleged pronouncements of an ancient tribal god.

Del Johnson

Port Chester, N. Y.

If Israel has the funds for a major war, the occupation of Lebanon and the colonization of the West Bank, why does it need so much U.S. aid?

G. Robert DeLong

Weston, Mass.

You write that in 1948 "the Jews of Palestine seized control of part of the ancient land of their forefathers and established the state of Israel." In fact, the state of Israel was created in 1948, after the United Nations agreed to the partition of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.

Anne Pernick

Southfield, Mich.

Why don't we leave it to the Israelis to decide what is the best way to ensure their nation's survival?

Jack P. Hecht

Alamo, Calif.

Pedophilia

As the mother of two young sons, I bund your article on the North American Man-Boy Love Association frightening and repulsive [Jan. 17]. If these men were institutionalized, I could pity them. However, while they are free, I feel only hatred )based on my fear.

Jane Jacobson

Waldwick, N.J.

Pedophiles talk of children's rights. Children do have rights to a wide variety of nonsexual, social experiences upon which to base their later choice of a sexual partner. To suggest that youngsters age four or eight can make a choice is to rationalize a sexual aberration.

Rita Dybdahl Cline

Santa Barbara, Calif.

I do not engage in pedophilia, but I do believe children should have a say in the issue. By taking the position that sex for youngsters cannot be anything but traumatizing, the adults in American society force the child to feel needless guilt and greatly restrict his sexual expression. It is time we treated children as complete human beings.

Steve Auclan

San Francisco

I read your article on child molestation with fear and sorrow. Thousands of unenlightened people will now equate pedophilia with homosexuality. Americans should realize that the great majority of homosexuals have no designs whatsoever on children.

Edward Harbur

New York City

I work with victims of pedophilia and have found that in many cases the emotional harm is serious and permanent. Some of these young people will grow up to be pedophiles; the cycle of abuse and exploitation repeats itself. While the range of normal sexuality is wide and varied, it is clear that pedophiles do not fit into the normal category.

T. Michael Knack

Mid-Michigan Psychological Services

Saginaw, Mich.

Double Dole

Robert and Elizabeth Dole [Jan. 17] are made for the presidency and vice presidency. I am ready to start the "Californians for Dole-Dole in 1984."

Joseph W. Foraker

Mission Viejo, Calif.

Building with Heart

I do not care for the new Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building [Jan. 17]. But I now understand from your critique the architectural rationale behind the stark, costly structure.

Leslie J. Gianelli

Washington, D.C.

It is refreshing to read your appreciation of contemporary design in the new Senate office building. But a 7/8-in. to 2-in. stone veneer that is properly designed and installed is not necessarily inferior construction. It is a prudent and economical use of one of our natural resources.

Bruce Toman, A. I.A.

Universal City, Calif.

Paradise Islands

By differentiating between the political structures of the governments of Central America and those of the eastern Caribbean you were right on target in your story "Troubles in a Pauper's Paradise' [Jan. 10]. But you failed to note that of the Caribbean-basin short-term aid package totaling $350 million, only $20 million has been set aside for the eastern Caribbean island nations. The long-term tariff and trade package that is being proposed will only serve to benefit multinational corporations and pit those ministates in fratricidal battle for the crumbs.

We in the U.S. possessions (Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico) have been trying to point out that a Caribbean package should improve the basic educational system of the eastern island chain as well as the economic infrastructure. This means improving the roads, telephones, electrical power and food production. Otherwise the initiative will fail.

Ron de Lugo

Delegate to Congress, U.S.V.I.

Washington, D.C.

Dinner a la Mimi

I have never, to my knowledge, visited a restaurant reviewed by New York Times Food Critic Mimi Sheraton [Jan. 17]. But if she manages to keep New York City's dining industry on its toes while providing those of us at home with visions of sugar plums, all the more power to her. Irving S. Cohen Woodmere, N. Y.

Mimi Sheraton's palate may be more experienced than mine, her service requirements more rigorous and her attention to detail more finicky, but why shouldn't a restaurant's toilets be considered a part of the ambience? When I make a reservation, why shouldn't it be honored promptly? If I am undemanding about the placement of my table, I should not be "snotted" by an owner, maitre d' or waiter because I am not among the recognizably famous. We Americans have for too long accepted shoddy quality and poor service.

Margot Seitelman

New York City

I do not understand why so many people allow the opinions of others to rule their minds. An opinion from anyone boils down to individual taste. The proprietors of the restaurants afflicted by Sheraton's reviews should let their product speak for itself. If the quality and service are from good to excellent, people will come back.

Priscilla Martinez

San Antonio This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.