56 Friday, August 31, 1919
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Editor Analyzes Black-Jewish Rift Over Young Affair
There is one more issue
(Continued from Page 1) Jews to the civil rights
I
must
raise with you:
movement
are
chapters
in
ing as friends under the pre-
tense of working for the the annals of American his- that of talking to the PLO.
common purpose of civil tory that cannot be obliter- Aside from fundamen-
rights. This latest affront ated by glib allegations tally different
reveals clearly that. their about suspect motives and assessments of that
loyalties are not compatible dual loyalties. Let's have organization — the
with the struggle of black done with the approach of Jewish people and Israel
see it as a pure and simple
Americans for equal oppor- the accountant's ledger.
terrorist
outfit while
tunity under the law. In-
some black leaders see it
deed, we question whether
as the vanguard of the
their loyalties are first to
Palestinian people — the
the state of Israel or to the
issue for Israel and the
United States. The loyalties
Jewish people has never
of black Americans have
been one of talking or not
never been questioned."
talking to the PLO.
I suspect that the fact
The fact is that the PLO
that you and other black
has "talked" to Israel and
leaders were so quick to
the Jewish people and to
question the motives and
many non-Jews — but from
loyalties of "many"
behind the barrel of a sub-
American Jews was be-
machinegun, a hand gre-
cause this thought was
nade, a bomb, and a
repressed, at least in
Kalichnikoff rifle.
terms of public state-
How does one, whose life
MURRAY
ZUCKOFF
ments, until a suitable
is
ebbing away in a kibutz,
excuse could be found to
It was to the interest of at Avivim, or in the center
let it "all hang out."
black sto seek and accept
In all candor I strongly Jewish support, and support of Kiryat Shmona or
feel that you and other in the general white com- Jerusalem, or on a lonely
beach near a highway be-
black leaders used, yes,
munity, because they could tween Haifa and Tel Aviv,
used, Young's resignation not go it alone, just as Jews
or on a hi-jacked airliner,
to release repressed hostil-
need allies and alliances be- talk to a person who has
ity toward American cause they too cannot go it committed this atrocity,
Jewish leaders and Jewish
alone. When black-white this barbarism, this act of
organizations for real or
unity began to dissolve, unspeakable violence?
imaginary grievances. The
black militants resorted to
How many black Ameri-
allegations of dual or prior the desperate tactic of
cans spoke to racist club-
loyalties is an old canard
"burn, baby, burn" and the wielding goons? How many
unworthy of your position
"long hot summers" ensued. black Americans thought of
as an educator.
But be that as it may. talking to the killers of
I don't recall that at any
blacks
to seek and accept Medgar Evers? How many
time during the civil rights
loyalty to the state of Israel black Americans engaged
struggle any Jew fighting
alongside black brothers or to the United States is in a dialogue with the mur-
sheer subterfuge and unfor- derers who snuffed out the
and sisters was asked to
tunately on a par with many lives of .the young children
sign a loyalty oath or to take
hate groups that also ques- in a church in Birmingham,
a sincere-o-meter test be-
fore taking up a position on tion the loyalties of Jews, Ala.? And = how many
and of blacks and of all other Jews asked black Ameri-
a picket line or participat-
minority
groups. This is the cans to talk to any of these
ing in marches, or being
racists and murderers?
beaten or arrested, or killed wrong company for a black
The PLO is not an or-
leader
to
find-herself
in.
— as were the Michael
Why
should
yOu
ques-
ganizing
force among the
Schwerners, along with the
tion the loyalty of the Palestinian people. Rather,
Medgar Everses.
One of the unfortunate priority of loyalties of it seeks to usurp all power
consequences of discussing Jews? Would you ques- for itself.
tion the loyalty of
This is the opposite of the
contributions by Jews to the
Catholic Americans who civil rights black leadership
civil rights movement
under the conditions of try- look toward the Vatican which mobilized and in-
for spiritual guidance? spired people on all levels.
ing to dispel allegations
such as the ones you have Would you question the There is no recorded au-
raised is that it frequently loyalty of Moslem Ameri- thenticated instant where
tends to degenerate into a cans who look toward black leaders engaged in
Mecca? Would you ques- terrorist assaults even upon
haggle on the part of both
tion the loyalty of Black their most vicious oppo-
blacks and Jews, each side
fully equipped with a ledger Muslims who swear fidel- nents.
ity to Mohammed? Would
Incidentally, I don't recall
of who did what, where,
when and for whom. But the you question the loyalty any Palestinians on civil
civil rights struggle was of those blacks who sup- rights marches or demon-
port African liberation strations, nor do I recall any
-never reducible to a line
leaders of the PLO express-
item in a bookkeeping movements?
Nor was black loyalty ing solidarity with current
ledger or a promissory note
of eternal unity by either questioned by the local cops black struggles and objec-
and the FBI who tailed and tives in the United States.
side for deeds done.
The danger in getting in-
contributions surveilled, arrested and kil-
The
made by Jews were not in led, and forced into silence volved with the PLO — a
the form of saleable and exile so many militant foreign power — is that
commodities to be black leaders and spokes- those doing so are getting
involved in a cause which is
bought when needed or men.
No the loyalty of black not their own, methods and
returned for credit, nor
were they conceived as Americans was never ques- traditions of struggle not
debts to the black people tioned, just their right to their own, and objectives
which could be stamped live as human beings, in not their own.
It might be well, in this
"cancelled" at an arbit- dignity, and to enjoy "life,
regard,
to recall the state-
liberty
and
the
pursuit
of
rary moment.
ment by Eldridge Cleaver in
No, the contributions of happiness."
his tract, "On the Ideology
of the Black Panther
Party": For too long black
people have relied on the
analysis and ideological
perspective of others . . . .
There are those who are all
too willing to do our think-
ing for us, even if it gets us
killed. However, they are
not willing to follow
through and do our dying
for us. If thoughts bring_
about our deaths, let them
at least be our own
thoughts, so_ that we will
have broken, once and for
all, with the flunkyism of
dying for every cause and
every error — except our
own."
fiery,
were
Those
passionate words, and I say,
"right on." But righton with
blacks and Jews in solidar-
ity for a cause that has not
yet been achieved, for a
cause whose day is ripe, for
a cause that will enrich both
Jews and blacks by making
democracy more vital. So
let's get on with it for the
sake of preventing the "fire
next time" that may engulf
both of us.
Jewish Leaders
Respond to Black
Leaders' Remarks
vention meeting in Detroit
last week issued a state-
ment , attacking recent re-
ports of a .rift between the
country's black and Jewish
leaders over United States
policy in the Middle East
and over the resignation of
Andrew Young as chief
United States delegate at
the UN.
In a statement signed by
Gus Hall, the party's gen-
eral secretary, the reports
were called "a cleverly de-
signed trick." Angela Davis,
the black activist and a
party Central Committee
member and Herbert Ap-
theker, also a Central
Committee member and
editor of the publication
Jewish Affairs, also signed
the statement.
In Washington, Patricia
Harris, secretary of the De-
partment of Health, Educa-
tion and Welfare, deplored
the possibility of a rift be-
tween the Jewish and black
communities, but said she
does not expect that a "per-
manent breach" will take
place.
The highest-ranking
black member in the Car-
ter Administration and
the President's only
black Cabinet member
spoke out on the issue of
black-Jewish relations
on ABC-TV's "Issues and
Answers."
In New York, chanting
shirs against Jews and the
state of Israel, about 150
black Americans,
American-Arabs and their
sympathizers staged a
two-hour demonstration
Monday in front of the Is-
raeli Consulate and the Is-
rael Mission to the United
Nations.
The demonstration was
sponsored and organized by
the Black United Front as a
protest, according to a press
release given to reporters
during the demonstration,
against "the Zionist racist
pressure which resulted in
the- dismissal of Ambas-
sador Andrew Young_"
"Death to Israel, death to
Zionism, long live the PLO,"
the demonstrators chanted
vigorously in response to
NEW YORK (JTA)
Leaders of major Jewish
organizations declared, in
response to statements is-
sued by a black leadership
conference in New York on
the impact of Andrew
Young's resignation on
black-Jewish relations, that
the Jewish agencies "cannot
work with those who resort
to half-truths, lies and
bigotry in any guise or from
any source."
The response emerged
from a meeting of represen-
tatives of the 11 major na-
tional Jewish agencies affil-
iated with the National
Jewish Community Rela-
tions Advisory Council,
which also represents 107
Jewish Community Rela-
tions Councils throughout
the United States.
The affiliated agencies
are the American Jewish
Committee, American
Jewish Congress, Anti-
Defamation League of Bnai
Brith, Hadassah, Jewish
Labor Committee, Jewish
War Ve - rans, National
Council of Jewish Women,
Union of American Hebrew
Congregations (Reform),
United Synagogue of
America (Conservative),
Union of Orthodox Jewish
Congregations of America,
and Women's American
ORT.
The subject of the
Jewish statement was a
meeting attended by
some 200 leaders of the
NAACP, the National
Urban League and the
Christian
Southern
Leadership Conference
which criticized the Car-
ter Administration and
the Jewish organizations
in tie resignation of
Young as U.S. Ambas-
sador to the United Na-
tions.
Meanwhile, delegates to
the Communist Party con-
PLO, to come to the U.S. to
discuss Mideast issues.
In a related development,
Israel Deputy Premier
Yigael Yadin warned that
"appeasing the PLO mgith
have serious consequences
in the -process of carrying
out the Camp David ac-
cords."
At the same time; Robert
Strauss, president Carter's
special Ambassador for
Middle East negotiations
defended the U.S. poli
not talking to the PLC
stressed he is seeking to
bring Palestinians into the.
peace process.
Strauss' position on the
PLO was criticized by
former Undersecretary
of State George Ball who
said the U.S. should "lib-
erate" itself from the
pledge to Israel and
begin negotiations with
the PLO.
In Washington, the Car-
ter Administration rejected
claims by defenders of Am-
bassador Andrew Young
that Israel determines U.S.
foreign policy because of the
1975' American commit-
ment not to deal with the
PLO until it agrees to oft-
stated conditions.
Meanwhile, at the United
Nations, in an action widely
interpreted as a personal
tribute to outgoing U.S.
Ambassador Young, the Se-
curity Council adjourned
last Friday after accepting
U.S. efforts to postpone a
vote on a draft -resolution
calling for "self-
determination, national in-
dependence and sover-
eignty" for Palestinian
Arabs.
- The postponement, which
was not linked to a specific
date for fresh consideration
by the council, was viewed
as a significant achieve-
ment for Young, who res-
igned under pressure fol-
lowing disclosure he met
July 26 with Zehdi Lahib
"Terzi, the PLO observer at
the UN, at the apartment in
New York of Abdalla Yac-
coub Bishara, the Kuwaiti
delegate.
Prior to the opening of
the Security Council de-
bate, Ambassador‘Young
approached Israeli Am-
Theodore Mann,
bassador Yehuda Blum
president of the Con-
and shook his hand.
ference of Presidents
Among the persons Car-
of Major American
ter is considering to replace
Jewish Organiza-
Young is Sol M. Linowitz, a
tions, will discuss the
negotiator of the Panama
black-Jewish issue
Canal treaties.
9:30 p.m. today on the
.t
It also was learne
Channel 56 program,
officials of the Central In-
"Another Voice."
telligence Agency and the
Federal Bureau of Investi-
various speakers who de- gation dismissed or refused
manded that the U.S. to confirm media reports
should change its Mideast about Israeli intelligence
policy and recognize Pales- operations stemming from
tinian rights.
Young's meeting with a
Meanwhile, a national PLO representative.
public information program
Wednesday evening,
aimed at explaining the ABC News reported that
"true goals of the PLO to the U.S. intelligence agents
American black commu- bugged Young's New York -
nity" has been launched by apartment and knew in ad-
the Zionist Organization of vance of his secret July 26
America, according to IN r
meeting with the PLO
Novick, president.
representative. Attorney
Paul General Benjamin Civiletti
Congressman
Findley (R-Ill.) has invited said he knew of no such sur-
Yasir Arafat, head of the veillance.