THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
The underlying assump-
tion of prayer is not , that
things may be had for the
asking, but that there are
Political Scientist; Socio-Economic Changes
Caused Divisiveness Among American Jews
•
_Prescription Optical Co.
.
By BEN GALLOB
(Copyright 1977, JTA, Inc.)
NEW YORK—A Brandeis
University political scientist
contends that massive
socio-economic changes in
the United States in recent
years, rather than any
"waning commitment" to
social justice, is responsible
for growing divisions among
American Jews on crucial
public issues.
Prof. Lawrence H. Fuchs
argued that American Jews
today are just as committed
in the past to justice for
but that the issues have
come too complex for
Jews to rely on the once
accepted formula of the
conservative-liberal litmus
test.
Prof. Fuchs cited a "liber-
alism scale" for meastiring
Jewish and non-Jewish
responses on such issues,
developed in 1953 for use in
his book, "The Political
Behavior of American
Jews." Declaring that typi-
cal standard issues of the
period were used, he listed
them as including civil lib-
erties, civil rights, regu-
lation of business, support
for welfare programs and
for the United Nations: He
reported on his findings in a
recent issue of "The Ameri-
can Jewish Historical
Quarterly."
He commented that the
liberalism scale was devel-
oped and applied before the
"landmark" decisions of the
Warren Court, the domestic
"legislative triumphs of the
Johnson Administration"
and the "packing" of the
UN with "petty
dictatorships."
He said that the scale and
its use also came before the
sexual revolution; the
increase in divorce; mas-
sive juvenile crime; family
disorganization and other
symptoms of social
malaise; before the
women's liberation move-
ment; the Vietnam War or
Angola.
Even without these com-
plications, he asserted, the
older issues of the early
1950s "have become more
complex and less suscep-
tible to a liberalism-con-
servatism test." Rapid
decolonization, admission of
Communist China to the
UN, the start of detente
with Russia, and the decline
of American willingness `-lo
use as well as abuse power
overseas"' similarly have
made international issues
far more complex.
These changes, the politi-
cal scientists declared, have
created a situation in which
"a commitment to social
justice, whether Jewishly
inspired or not, does not
provide clear answers."
Rampant pornography, to
cite another example, has
made the issue of censor-
ship, on which Jews have
generally lined up on the
side of freedom of expres-
sion, too complicated for
such automatic support.
He suggested the older
issues are no less upsetting
be free here and abroad
from Soviet military
pressure."
He predicted that for a
long time there will con-
tinue to be "visceral attach-
ments to the political sym-
bols and associations" of
the past, which he said was
one way Americans have of
"identifying themselves."
to established Jewish
responses when placed in
the context of changes pro-
duced by the new socio-eco-
nomic developments. He
cited the example of the
issue of protecting the
rights of the accused, which
Jews once could be
expected to solidly support,
which now is being posed as
versus protection of
defenseless citizens against
street crime.
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Similarly, Jewish support
for steps to compensate
members of some minority
groups for past discrimina-
tion is reconsidered when
such steps take the form of
"affirmative action," which
raises the counter-claim of
the right to protection
against quotas which dis-
criminate against other
groups, notably Jews.
Prof. Fuchs also listed •
support for labor unions
Versus protection for work-
ing people against abuses of
power by 'authoritarian
labor leaders"; integration
of public schools versus pro-
tecting the influence par-
ents should have in educat-
ing their children,
"including the choice of
schools for them to attend";
support • for welfare pro-
grams versus the damage to
working middle-class tax-
payers "demoralized" and
"threatened" by the forced
cuts in municipal services;
and the reduction of
expenditures for military
strength versus "the pro-
tection of those aspiring to
Friday, September 23, 1977 19
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RIP 'I R•
'