THE-DdRiii March1,1991 . 19 Neusner Blames Non-Practicing Jews for U.S. Jewry's Decline By ALAN HITSKY NO VOICES OF OUTRAGE L ast August the Rev. Bailey Smith, president of the South- ern Baptist Convention, created a furor when he declared that "God does not hear the prayer of a Jew." He deserved every °Ace of outrage that resulted from that primitive and bigoted remark. Smith was speaking at the time at a rally in Dallas, an arch-conservative political convention in actual fact, convened by evangelist James Robison. Commenting on the American tradition of having a priest, .a minister, and a rabbi offer invocations at civic functions, Smith suggested that the rabbi was superfluous since Smith considered Judaism invalid. This blatant anti-Semitism was justifiably condemned by numerous American leaders, both religious and lay. The message of response was clear: This kind of defamation is simply not acceptable in pluralistic America. Six months later, Dr. Curtis Hud- son, edifor of the , fundamentalist weekly journal Sword of the Lord, has notified Robion that he is withdrawing as a speaker at another Dallas conference because a Roman Catholic is scheaul6d.,to speak at the same meeting. "The . . Catholic . _ . Church does not accept cept the Bible as the inspired, iner- rant word of God," he says. "The . (Catholic) religion is a growing ac- cumulation of error through the years," he claims. adding "1 cannot speak at a Bible conference with a Roman-Catholic." Vklat he is saying is very clear. The Catholic faith is invalid. God does not hear the prayers of a Roman Catholic. He is libeling Catholics in the very same way that Bailey Smith defamed Jews. I am waiting for the voices of pro- test and outrage. So far, I've heard none. and that bothers me. The fact that Phyllis Schlafly, arch for of the Equal Rights Amendment, is the Roman Catholic with whom he refuses to share .a platform is im- material. It is not her opinions on women's rights that are at issue. Hudson's opposition is not to Mrs. Schlafly as a person, but to the authenticity of the Catholic faith. Anti-Semitic expressions need to be condemned, but so do anti- Catholic diatribes. Prejudice against any group is equally as bad as pre- judice against any other. Who is go- ing to stand up this time and say: This kind of defamation is simply not acceptable in pluralistic America? Here's one Protestant who says so In a wide-ranging speech Tuesday sponsored by the Shaarey Zedek Cultural Commission and the Rabbi Morris Adler Foundation, Prof. Jacob Neusner of Brown University lashed out at American Jewish leadership which is stifling and alienating the Ameri- can Jewish community. Neusner's speech to ap- proximately 150 persons, however, differed somewhat from advance reports of his remarks in last week's Jewish News in that Prof. Neusner placed much of the blame for the decline in the In-Service Study at Bar-Ilan U. RAMAT-GAN — An in- stitute for in-service study of Israel for y-oung men and women from the Diaspora has been established at Bar-Ilan University at the Joseph H. Lookstein Center for Jewish Education in the Diaspora. The institute's program includes three basic study areas: Israel — past and present; Israel — religion, ideology, philosophy; and methodology of teaching of the study of Eretz Israel. Jewish community on all Jews. "There is a disinterest in all things Jewish," he said. "The capacity to feel and understand as a Jew is not born to us. It must be nur- tured in us... "We American Jews have made a happy com- promise. We are Jewish, but we are not so Jewish that it can't be hidden" when it is convenient for us. Prof. Neusner said he "re- jects the complacent atheism" of the Jewish people in our time. He warned that secular Judaism will not perpetuate the Jewish people and only the study' of Torah and enjoyment of Judaism will turn the general trend within the American Jewish population from soaring intermarriage, de- clining donations and "dis- interest in all things Jewish." Sell Out Desks, Chairs, Files, Typewriters & Adders 342-7802 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxR3O0< .4„ , Ste eePe t ix . x ZERO NECKBAND SHIRTS X 100% Cotton ).< Solid & Stripes from $27.50 X Long Sleeves 31455 Southfield Road (between 13 & 14 Mile) Phone: 645.5560 Open 9-6 daily (to 5:30 Sat.) 9-9 Thurs X rgteeetiial (-LOT FlIER X ample paikingicredit cards accepted X XXXX 5'0 000(XX)(XXXXX-XXXXX X XXX XXXX . Pun McEvoy is Senior Vice President of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. The opinions expressed are his uwn.) Israeli Cabinet Splits Over F-15s, U.S. Congressmen Voice Concern JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli Cabinet was split Sunday on how Israel should respond to the ap- parent decision by the Re- agan Administration to sell sophisticated equipment to Saudi Arabia for its F-15 fighter planes. Premier Menahem Begin described the impending sale as "painful and re- grettable" but suggested that the Cabinet postpone any action. Agriculture Minister Ariel Sharon, Education Minister Zevulun Hammer and Energy Minister Yit- zhak Modai urged Israel to mobilize its friends in the U.S. Senate and House to block the sale, especially if it included extra equipment to improve the combat capabilities of the Saudi F-15s. Sharon claimed that the failure of the Reagan Administration to invite Begin to Washington to meet with the Reagan be- fore Israel's elections June 30 constituted "in- terference in Israel's - internal affairs." Accord- ing to Sharon, the lack of an invitation could be used by the opposition Labor Party in their elec- tion campaign to dis- credit the Likud govern- ment. Begin replied that the U.S. had other priorities and Israel was not its first concern at the moment. He added that he had not been led to expect that he would be invited to Washington before the Knesset elec- tions. - Meanwhile, Sen. John Tower (R-Tex.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is in favor of the Reagan Administration's recommendations to strengthen Saudi Arabia's fleet of 62 American F-15s. He made his views known after meeting with President Reagan at the White House last Friday where he reported on his 10-nation Middle East trip. However, other key members of the Senate and the House, mostly Demo- crats but also some Republi- cans. have expressed reser- vations over the Adminis- tration's plan. James Buckley, under- secretary of state for in- ternational security af- fairs, was reported to have told the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees last Thurs- day behind closed doors that the Saudis would get refueling equipment and advanced air-to-air mis- siles but the bomb racks would not be inclu-ded immediately. However, the United States would provide 10 additional F-15a to Israel with a loan of $600 million. The loan would be at 12 1/2 percent interest over 30 years, with a 10-year grace period before repayment would begin. "I don't like the package at all," said Rep. Benjamin Rosenthal, (D-N.Y.). "What we are doing is increasing the , scale and balance of military terror in the area. It is a very bad arrange- ment. Almost every member (of the House Foreign Affairs Committee)„ expressed deep reservations -- if not outright opposition — towards this." Coupe DeVille YOU CAN BELIEVE IT! Nta'A' • 25 PAYMENTS • $2,500 DOWN (CASH OR TRADE) • TOTAL OBLIGATION $9987.50 • PURCHASE PRICE OPTION $7,800 Now taking orders on Cadillacs' New "J CAR" assCININIARRON (introduction May 1981) "Michigan's Finest Dealership" 851-7200 7100 Orchard Lake Rd. West Bloomfield, Mich. 48033 GIMMAL 180TOSIS PASTS DIVISION ...at the end of Northwestern Hwy KEEP THAT GREAT G.M. FEELING WITH GENUINE G.M. PARTS