AJCommittee
Record of
75 Years
•
Public Outcry
Needed Now
to Oppose Arms
for Saudi Arabia
Commentary, Page 2
Neo-Nazi Tactics
Desecrating
Realities
*
Israel at 33
Inspires
Partnership
With the U.S.
THE JEWISH NEWS
•
A Weekly Review
of Jetuish-
Events
Editorials, Page 4
Copyright ,C The Jewish News Publishing Co.
VOL. LXXIX, No. 8
17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833
$15 Per Year: This Issue 35c
April 24, 1981
nutraged Israel, U.S. Publics
Condemn Arms for the Saudis
Holocaust Teaching Effort
Reaches Wide Community
Shown at the recent educators' conference on the Holocaust
at Mercy College are, from left, conference organizer Sister
Carol Rittner, guest speaker Dr. Irving Greenberg of the
President's Holocaust Commission, and conference organizer
Norman Naimark.
Last year, high school student Linda Skopek had the opportunity
to join a study group of American Christian and Jewish students going
to Israel. While there, she visited Yad Vashem, the memorial museum
in Jerusalem that commemorates the victims and martyrs of the Nazi
Holocaust.
While the entire trip to Israel was an enlightening experience for
the Royal Oak teenager, she said Yad Vashem held particular signifi-
cance, for it reinforced her desire to become involved in Holocaust
education for youths of varying religious and ethnic backgrounds.
'A senior at Bishop Foley High School, Linda's initial interest in
joining the study group was sparked when she attended the first Inter-
faith Youth Symposium on the Holocaust conducted at the United
Hebrew Schools in April 1980.
The program arose out of a proposal by Norman Naimark
and Dr. Irving Panush of the Jewish Community Council's
Holocaust Subcommittee, to convene a joint community sym-
posium for students in private, parochial and public schools that
would focus on the Holocaust and related periods in history.
The resulting conference was sponsored by the Council, the
Greater Detroit Round Table of the National Conference of Christians
and Jews, the Schools Office of Archdiocese of Detroit and the Jewish
Educators Conference. The groups are members of the Interfaith Coor-
(Continued on Page 8)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israel government on Wednesday expressed "deep regret and
unreserved opposition" to the announced decision of the Reagan Administration to propose to
Congress to supply Saudi Arabia with sophisticated weapons and AWACS intelligence planes.
An official communique issued in Jerusalem said that Saudi Arabia was known for her
strong opposition to the Camp David accords to peace with Israel and to recognition of Israel.
Saudi Arabia grants the terror organizations financial aid, said the communique, and was the
center for a call for jihad (holy war) against Israel. The communique also states that the supply
of sophisticated aggressive weapons to Saudi Arabia would present a serious threat to the
security of Israel.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman refused to say whether Israel would now call
upon her friends in the U.S. to work against the sale. The spokesman said, "We hope all
our American friends will take our position into consideration . . . We will do all that we
can as a government to prevent the sale from taking place." The spokesman added that
Israel rejected American explanations that conditions placed on the sale of the AWACS
aircraft reduce the danger to Israel.
The Reagan administration announced Tuesday that it has decided to officially propose the
sale but said that it has not yet decided when it will officially send the package to Congress. The
package includes five AWACS surveillance aircraft, KC-35 air-to-air refueling planes, extra
fuel tanks and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for the 62 F-15 jet fighters the Saudis have already
purchased from the U.S.
Congress has 50 days, after it receives official notification, to reject the sale which must be
by a majority vote in both Houses. Tuesday's announcement was immediately attacked by Sen.
Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who said the equipment does not "meet legitimate Saudi defense
needs. They are offensive weapons that can be used to threaten the security of Israel, our closest
ally in the Middle East."
Kennedy said that he
has joined as a co-sponsor
of a resolution of disap-
proval being prepared by
Sen. Alan Cranston (D-
Calif.), the assistant
NEW YORK (JTA) — More Americans have positive attitudes
toward Jews now than at any time in recent years, despite the reported
minority leader, and Sen.
increase in anti-Semitic acts such as vandalism against synagogues,
Joseph Biden (D-Del.).
according to the results of a Gallup Poll taken last month compared to
Sen. Carl Levin (D-
previous polls.
Mich.) called a press
The poll was conducted among 1601 persons in 300 localities
conference Monday to
around the country between March 13-16. Forty percent of those polled
dispute
weekend claims
reported "highly favorable" opinions of Jews as against 33 percent who
by Reagan Administra-
were asked the same question in 1975.
tion spokesmen that the
The poll also found that the climate for Jews seeking political office
deal for the Saudis had
improved dramatically during the last decade. In 1973, 46 percent of
Americans polled said they would vote for a Jewish Presidential
been approved by the
candidate. In 1978, the figure was 82 percent.
Carter Administration
From 1968 to 1978, the proportion of Americans who approved of
and that the Reagan
marriages between Jews and non-Jews rose from 59 percent to 69
Administration's hands
percent, according to the poll. Only two percent of the sample inter-
were tied by that ap-
viewed last month had highly unfavorable opinions of Jews.
proval.
Favorable attitudes were reported by 46 percent of Catholics and
Levin, a member of the
Attitudes Toward Jews
in U.S. Are More Positive
(Continued on Page 8)
(Continued on Page 5)
AWACS for Saudi Arabia Endangers Israel and U. S
,nger to Israel's security threatened by the proposed
U. le of AWACS radar planes to Saudi Arabia has
aroused increased protests on a national scale. Opposition
to the proposed provision of the menacing weapon to Is-
rael's neighboring state, whose leaders are advocating a
jihad, holy war, against Israel, is increasing in both houses
of Congress.
. The menacing threat of the sale proposed by the Re-
agan Administration is outlined in the accompanying re-
searched study of the impending danger by the American
Jewish Committee:
Why does the proposed U.S. sale to Saudi Arabia of
AWACS — the Airborne Warning and Control Systems
aircraft — actually imperil American interests? Why are
these planes such a danger to Israel?
Imagine an eye in the sky that "sees" or senses
any plane up in the air for as much as 400 miles away,
the distance from New York to Cleveland. Imagine,
too, that it could follow the movement of any tank or
truck on the ground, or ship at sea, within a 300-mile
range. An AWACS plane is such an eye, and much
more besides.
AWACS incorporate several American top-secret elec-
tronic and other systems. So careful has the U.S. been with
its AWACS over the years that only now, indeed, are they
to be delivered to America's long-time, stable NATO allies.
Giving them to the Saudis is to take the considerable risk
that AWACS secrets will be compromised, or fall into the
hands of U.S. enemies. Radical Arab forces opposed to the
United States as an "imperialist" power not long ago
sought to overthrow the feudal, ruling Saudi monarchy.
And military security in that country is notoriously poor.
One cannot overlook the possibility, therefore, that Ameri-
can arms will be turned against the U.S.
That they will be turned against Israel, when in Saudi
possession, is virtually a certainty. Given AWACS
capabilities, Israel would not be able to make a move with-
out the Saudis immediately knowing all about it. It could
not mobilize its troops for defense without the Saudis —
who have called on other Moslem states for a jihad, a holy
war, against Israel — knowing where and how the Jewish
state was placing its forces and equipment.
This is bad enough. But the AWACS permit the Saudis
to do even more. These advanced American radar planes
(specially modified Boeing 707 jets with 30-foot long rotat-
ing domes, highly-sensitive electronic sensors and com-
munications equipment probably unique in the world) also
can discriminate among the "targets," or objects, they
"see."
Assume for a moment that the Israelis find it
necessary to send up a substantial part of their air
force, in the event of a struggle. A single AWACS, with
its 12 radar systems, could pick up and distinguish
among as many as 600. It could provide Israel's
enemies with detailed information about 240 of them:
their size, speed and direction. Thus enemy planes
(Continued on Page 6)