THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 16 Friday, May 22, 1981 AJCommittee Speakers, Delegates Worried by Reagan Cuts increased spending for de- fense, yet the Jewish com- munity remains committed to aiding the poor and dis- advantaged. This dilemma was appar- ent at the five-day, 75th an- niversary meeting of the American Jewish Commit- tee at the Washington Hil- ton last week. Speakers and some of the 1,000. delegates WASHINGTON (JTA) — The American Jewish community is in a quandry over the Reagan Adminis- tration's deep cuts in federal spending for social and eco- nomic programs. Many Jews, along with appar- ently the majority of the American public, support the Administration's eco- nomic program, including We Make Our Own Glasses HEADQUARTERS FOR LATEST DOMESTIC AND rowi r.(1114 HIMPORTED FRAME FASHIONS N10.1 i 10% • PRESCRIPTIONS FOR GLASSES ACCURATELY FILLED • DESIGNER FRAMES , SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT] Immediate Repair • • Reasonably Priced ROSEN OPTICAL SERVICE 13720 W. 9 MILE nr. COOLIDGE LI 7-5068 OAK PARK, MICH. Mon.-Fri. 9:30-6 ' Sat. 'til 5 Closed Wednesday argued that inflation was the main threat to the United States and particu- larly to Jews. Michael Horowitz, special counsel to David Sotckman, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), stressed that he had worked as a civil rights lawyer in Mississippi in the 1960s and had supported most of the liberal programs that the Jewish community had backed until he saw the "bankruptcy" of those pro- grams as demonstrated by New York City's fiscal crisis. Horowitz argued that the Reagan Administra- tion is dedicated to social justice but not in terms of symbols that •do not examine whether the programs aimed at help- ing the disadvantaged actually work. He said the Administration is keeping programs that give cash directly to the CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM 14601 West Lincoln, Oak Park, Michigan cordially invites you to attend " FRIDAY EVENING SERVICES MAY 29th, 1981 — 8:30 P.M. .Conducted by RABBI DAVID A. NELSON and CANTOR SAMUEL GREENBAUM accompanied by the SHIR LEADERS — Services Will Conclude With — THE INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS and BOARD MEMBERS of THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION of AMERICA Detroit District Installing Officer — Rabbi David A. Nelson and Featuring: IVAN J. NOVICK, National President ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA Who Will Speak On "AMERICA ISRAEL and THEIR NATIONAL INTERESTS" RABBI DAVID A. NELSON IVAN J. NOVICK Pres. Z.O.A. CANTOR SAMUEL GREENBAUM ONEG SHABAT FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC IS INVITED poor and eliminating those where "it is not the poor who benefit but public service bene- factors." But, Mark Talisman, di- rector of the Washington office of the Council of Jewish Federations (CJF) said voluntary agencies are already hard pressed to meet the needs of the people they serve. He stressed that the Jewish federations throughout the country will continue to meet the needs of individuals who come to them for help because that is a requirement of the Jewish tradition. However, Talisman said the Reagan budget means that the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies in New York City will lose $43 million in federal aid for its program; the federation in Philadelphia, $12 million; and Chicago federation $16 million. In addition, Talisman argued that by cutting the $5 billion for the CETA pro- gram the government will end up paying $10 billion for welfare for the persons who have lost their jobs with CETA. He also stressed that the "safety net" the Administration has promised for the poor and disadvantaged will not help the working poor who are being cut off from the aid they need to survive. Many Jews, particularly the el- derly, fall into this category. Bertram Gold, AJC executive vice president, said, It is clear that this country is embarked on a new economic course and that for the present, at least, most Americans support the Administration's program. It is equally clear that as a group, we Jews, who have generally favored the wel- fare state concept, and the creation of social programs on the national level, are not at all certain how we feel about it. "We are going to have to learn to work more ef- fectively on a state and local level, and to redou- ble our efforts to achieve economic expansion in this country. Because there can be no doubt that only with an expand- ing economy can we ameliorate the plight of the disadvantaged and prevent dangerous inter- group tensions and rival- ries." But, Gold cautioned, "we must never lose our Jewish passion for compassion" as American Jews shift gears to adjust to changing na- tional conditions and moods." Increased anti-Semitism in Western Europe during the past few years calls for heightened vigilance and continued protest, not exaggerated alarm. This was the conclusion of a report of experts from eight Western European countries, submitted by the American Jewish Commit- tee's Foreign Affairs De- partment. The report, based on the experts' conference on anti-Semitism held in Amsterdam at the end of March, was discussed at a meeting of the AJC's Foreign Affairs Commis- sion, chaired by Rita Hauser, the commission's chairperson. Maynard Wishner, president of the AJCom- mittee, and Sol Linowitz, who was the special representative of President Carter for Middle East negotiations, made pleas for strong U.S. support of the rights of individuals. Wishner pledged the AJ- Committee's aid in "our country's effort to protect the forces of freedom and justice wherever they struggle to assert them- selves." He called on the United States to frame and to further a coherent and ef- fective human rights policy. Alain de Rothschild, president of the Represen- tative Council of Jewish Organizations of France (CRIF), said on Sunday that it is too early to forecast the attitude of the French gov- ernment under Socialist President Francois Mitter- rand. But he hoped that it will have a "style" that is "warmer and friendlier" to Israel. De Rothschild, who spoke on the fifth and concluding day of the 75th annual con- vention of the American Jewish Committee, said the position of the French gov- ernment will depend upon the outcome of the Par- liamentary elections next month. But he said it was hoped that the new gov- ernment would have a more positive position toward the Camp David agreements and would agree to "dis- agree in a constructive way" on differences with Israel. At the Diamond Jubilee dinner last Thursday night, Edwin Meese, the White House counselor, said that President Reagan and his Administration "share" the Jewish com- munity's commitment to Israel and to human rights. Meese said that Reagan stood by his pledge during the Holocaust Remembr- ance Day ceremonies at the White House to fight against prejudice wherever it is found. Meese, one of Reagan's closest aides, did not touch on the Adminis- tration's proposal to sell ad- vanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia. Three legislators at the meetings opposed the pro- posed AWACS sale. Sena- tors Howard M. Metzen- baum of Ohio, Rudy Bos- chwitz of Minnesota, and Representative Benjamin A. Gilman of New York warned that the dangers inherent in giving the radar airplane to the Saudis far outweighted any conceiva- ble benefit. In other events, the direc- tor of the American Jewish Archives declared that American Jewry is "living in a golden age" and that it is "the greatest Jewry the world has ever known." Dr. Jacob Marcus, pro- fessor of American Jewish History at He- brew Union College - Jewish Institute of Reli- gion in Cincinnati, said that American Jewry constitutes "a dawn in the west" for world Jewry. A leading South Ameri- can magazine publisher re- ceived an award from the American Jewish Commit- tee for "his outstanding con- tributions to humanism and pluralism in Latin America." Adolpho Bloch, whos enterprises include Brazil's largest weekly news maga- zine, more than 20 other publications, and several radio and television sta- tions, was also cited for symbolizing in "exemplary fashion how Jewish immig- rants have enriched the de- velopment of this conti- nent." The publication of an AJ- Committee booklet was also announced at the meetings. "Religion and Politics in Is- rael" is a 32-page booklet by Daniel J. Elazar and Janet Aviad. The booklet con- cludes that most Israelis, whether religious or not, be- lieve Israel can only survive if it remains a Jewish state and that the Jewish char- acter of the state will be preserved most fully by the Orthodox. The American Jewish Committee, which was created as a response to a pogrom in Kishinev, Rus- sia, has marked its 75th anniversary in part by an oral history project re- counting the experiences of present-day Soviet Jewish emigres. The scheduled publica- tion of the first-person stories of 175 recent Soviet Jewish newcomers is in the format of the AJCommit- tee's 250 oral memoirs of Holocaust survivors in America, the basis of the recently-published "Voices From the Holocaust." Both are projects of the AJCommittee's William Wiener Oral History Li- brary. . Fails to See Double Standard WASHINGTON (JTA) — The State Department saw no contradiction in the re- cent United States order closing the Libyan diploma- tic mission here for miscon- duct, "including support o international terrorism,' while continuing to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to have an in- formation office here. The State Department announced recently that all 27 Libyan diplomatic per- sonnel and their families had been ordered to leave the United States by last week. The department ac- cused Libya of "provocation and misconduct, including support of international terrorism."