2 Friday, March 25, 1977
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
The Outrage in Nation's Capital is a Test Case for Media
and a Challenge to Fact-Finding and Fearless Expose of
Anti-Semitism...Threat of Retribution Not the Jewish Way
By Philip
Slomovitz
The Media and the Horror That Was Visited Upon the Bnai Brith Building in Washington
Horrors were complemented with puzzles in the aftermath of the outrage that was
perpetrated in Washington, primarily in the Bnai Brith International Headquarters.
At the outset, a major issue was made of the media. In an attempt to hush up most of
the occurrences, on the premise that the criminals were not to be kept advised on what
was planned to end their barbaric exploit, there were demands upon newspapers, radio,
and television not to publicize terrorist actions or hijackings while they were in prog-
ress.
To the credit of the press-radio-tv it should be said that any proposal to introduce cen-
sorship was rejected. Hiding facts does not end crime.
Interestingly, however, while censorship was rejected, the truth about the siege of the
Bnai Brith Building did not become known until two or three days after the hostages
were freed and the Bnai Brith headquarters were photographed. Is it possible that the
media did not know that a major motivation in the crime was anti-Semitism? There
was only a smattering of reporting about blacks turned Moslem who were singling out
Jews among the hostages for special treatment. The beasts who took control of the Bnai
Brith Building had good lessons in terrorism and Jews were their special targets.
Why wasn't it generally known? Why was Rabbi Stanley Rabinowitz, who gave the
sermon at the services at Temple Adas Israel in Washington, where the freed hostages
met on the Sabbath morning after they were freed, the only courageous man to speak
out very firmly in condemnation of the criminals and the crime?
Should it be overlooked that the culprits were blacks turned Moselm? Why are blacks
the major advocates of anti-Semitism today? Isn't the Jew among the most devoted sup-
porters of civil rights and justice for the underprivileged? Why aren't more of the black
leaders speaking out against the shocking demonstrations of bigotry in their own ranks?
All Americans, Jews in particular, have many reasons to be grateful to the leaders of
the black community for frequest declarations in support of justice and decency and
against bias even when it occurs among their own people. Is it too much to expect that
it must be more outspoken, that it should be more demonstrative, that especially in an
instance like the pogrom in the Bnai Brith Building the blacks should have been heard
in repudiation of every vestige of anti-Semitism by those who stemmed from their midst
and often assumed to speak for all of them?
There is another twist to the Hanafi Moslem story. Now there is jubilation because
three Arab envoys had "pleaded for the lives of Jews" at the Bnai Brith Building. Does
anyone merit special thanks for acting against terrorism? Wasn't there a special obliga-
tion upon the Arabs because the Operation Terrorism in Washington was in the name of
Mohammed by Blacks turned Moslem? Whatever is said. whatever was done, the duty_
of fair-minded people is not to glorify terrorism, and the obligation of all decent peo.
is to fight terrorism.
Of course the efforts of the three Moslem ambassadors merits appreciation. They
might have refused to intercede. They did act regardless of the composition of the many
scores who were held as hostages. the majority of whom were Jews. But the human
factor must be rated as primary in the judgment of the issue. And if the Moslems will
apply their impartiality on a religious basis in the rescue effort in Washington to the
national aspects that make the Israel issue a cause for bitterness and animosities, then
there will he cause for rejoicing.
Whatever the grievances and the aggravations over the failure to recognize the magni-
tude of the crime and the extent of anti-Semitism that motivated it. only the deluded
and the irresponsible will speak for retribution. In the search for justice. for an under-
standing by the American people that the bigotries perpetrated against Jews can react
also against all decent citizens. the aim is for the law to he just and to do the retali-
ating. The Jewish Defense League leader Meir Kahane and his associates certainly are
acting as a small group of vigilantes who do not speak for even a fraction of American
Jewry.
What had occurred was more than a puzzle : it was a shocking experience and a
source of deep regret that the worst in Czarist and Nazi ideology should have been im-
posed upon our nation's capital.
An Old and Moot Question About
Diaspora Jews' Role in Israel
Those Who Hate the Jew
and Accept Him as the Healer
What should be the extent of Diaspora Jewry's role-in Is-
raeli activities, in the Jewish state's communal functions?
This issue is being raised now with special emphasis on
the Jewish Agency's status, on the extent of guidance in
providing know-how as contrasted by influence in govern-
ment, in the educational institutions and in the social serv-
ices.
It isn't a new problem. It is traceable to the early years
of Israel's rebirth into sovereignty.
More than a quarter-century ago, in the early part of
July of 1951, Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, who was one of the
very dominant Jewish personalities in the world and the
outstanding American Zionist leader, delivered an address
in Johannesburg, South Africa. JTA reported the event as
follows:
Anti-Semites were advised by Dr. Kannon Shein-
man to examine who their beneficiaries are before
doing their hating. Currently addressing himself to
the Arabs who seek Israel's destruction, the advice to
Arabs for their own self-protection includes the follow-
ing guidelines:
Johannesburg (JTA)—Addressing a large
meeting here this week, Dr. Abba Hillel Silver
said that the only organization that can mobi-
lize aid for Israel is the World Zionist Organiza-
tion. "Those trying to reach over the head of
the WZO to some anonymous mass beyond are
deluding themselves," he declared. "This
amorphous mass can be brought to assist Is-
rael, but it is not dynamic and falls away eas-
ily."
Dr. Silver criticized the fact that there are
20 political parties in Israel. He pointed out
that the United States, with a population of 150.
million people, "gets along with two or three
parties." Political partisanship in Israel is
"too intolerant," he said.
"We have the right to expect that the toler-
ance which Israel extends to Christians and
Moslems, should be extended also to all Jewish
sections," he declared. He urged that Israel be
built as a united nation and "not a collection of
political parties."
Of course, conditions were different then. Yet some of
the issues must have been akin to the present. World
Jewry and the Zionist movement were vital to Israel then,
they, remain vital factors in defense of the new state in an
area of peril.
Perhaps the voice of Diaspora Jewry is needed more in
Israel today than in the year of Dr. Silver's criticism of
Israel's leadership. The accumulating circumstances point
to the urgency of an accord, of a fuller understanding be-
tween the partners in the great drama of making Israel a
great cultural and spiritual center as well as a secure
home for the millions of Jews who now enjoy the Jewish
state's citizenship.
It would be both wrong and injudicious to doubt the since-
rity either of the Israelis or world Jewish leadership. Both
may be stymied in their search for the desired accord out
of caution to prevent uncalled for interference in what
could become intercession by non-citizens into Israel's au-
tonomous rights. Yet, because the question of a greater
role. by Diaspora within Israel the leaders of both Israel
and Diaspora must arrive at decisive methods of coopera-
tion that would be devoid of unreasonable interference.
Since it is imperative that all loyal Arabs avoid
any and all contact with Jewish influences, the follow-
ing instructions, issued by members of the Arab
League must be strictly followed:
• An Arab who has syphilis must not allow him-
self to be cured by salvarsan •because it was discov-
ered by a Jew — Ehrlich.
• He must not even take steps to find out whether
he has syphilis, because the Wasserman reaction,
which is used for detection, was also discovered by a
Jew.
• if an Arab suspects he has gonorrhea, he must
not - seek to establish the fact, because he will be using
the method discovered by a Jew, Weissner.
• An Arab who has heart disease must not use
digitalis, which comes from. the discovery of a Jew,
Ludwig Traub. If he has a toothache, an Arab will not
use cocaine, or he will benefit from the work and
•
discoveries of two Jews — Widal and Weill.
• If an Arab has diabetes, he must not use insulin
because of the research work done bY a Jew, Min-
kowsky. If he has a headache, he must shun pyrami-
don and anti-pyrim, because of two Jews — Spiro and
Ellege.
• Arabs with convulsions must put up with them,
because it was . a Jew, Liebreich, who discovered
chloral hydrate. They must continue suffering
psychic ailments because the great discoverer of
psychoanalysis, Freud, was a Jew.
• An Arab suffering froM Diptheria should not
use the "Shick" reaction cure because Bela Shick was
its inventor.
• Arabs should be ready to die in more numbers
and not permit treatment by the method of the Nobel
Prize Winner Robert Baram, a Jew whose method of
treatment of ear and brain damage has saved mil-
lions.
• Arabs whose nervous systems break down
should not be sent to an asylum because they must
refuse the use of research results of another Nobel
Prize Winner, Otto Levi.
• Arabs of all ages must forego the use of vita-
mins because the discoverer of their special nutri-
tional value was a Jew, tiasimir Funk.
• Arabs should continue to die and remain crip-
pled by infantile paralysis because the discoverer of
anti-poliomyelitis vaccine is a Jew, Jonas Salk.
• Arabs stricken with tuberculosis, must con-
tinue to die by refusing streptomycin because Zalman
Waksman, a Jew, invented this wonder drug.
• Arab doctors must discard all discoveries and
improvements of the Nobel I'd* men — Volitear,
Barangan and Otto Warburg. ; of the dermatologist
Judas S. Benedict; of the lung specialist Frawnkel.
In short, a good loyal . Arab may fittingly and
properly remain afflicted with syphilis, gonorrhea,
heart disease, headache, typhus, diabetes, mental
RABBI ABBA HILLEL SILVER
disorders, brain damage, infantile paralysis, convul-
sions and tuberculosis.
Do these admonitions help? When it serves a ha-
ter's purpose Jesus becomes a blond Aryan, white be-
comes black when it serves a desired purpose and the
devil quotes Scripture for his purpose; some times
blindly, on occasions deliberately.
But it won't hurt for the haters to know whence
come their blessings, even if they turn them into
curses.
American Jewish Leadership:
Dr. Rackman as Bar-Ilan Prexy
It would be wrong even to think in terms of Dias-
pora interference in Israel's internal affairs. As a sov-
ereign political entity, Israel's affairs are her own.
Nevertheless there are roles among Jews that can
not be ignored or rejected. There are the common
interests that call for mutual concern, cooperation and
a sharing of administrative interests.
Israel's universities have a special impact on
American Jewry. All of them have American sup
tive organizations, which provide a measure of
port towards the construction of new buildings, for
scholarships and to encourage research and the en-
rollment of guest lecturers.
The naming of an Ameri-
can as president of one of the
schools of higher learning,
Bar-Ilan University, is a case
in point about the .practicality
of inviting American Jews to
share in administering the
educational tasks in Israel.
The American know-how is
valuable, and in the case of the
new Bar-Thin president, Dr.
Emanuel Rackman, the per-
sonality and ability of the new
DR. HACKMAN
collegiate leader will surely
serve the university in good stead.
Ba•-Ilan already has shown the way to progres-
sive Israel-Diaspora cooperation by having as the
chairman of its global board of governors the Detroi-
ter, Phillip Stollman. American Jewry's role in Israel's
behalf is greatly enhanced through- such wholesome
partnerships.