THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Boris Smolar's
Between You
. . . and Me'
Editor-in-Chief
Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1981, JTA, Inc.)
HISPANIC-JEWISH RELATIONS: Relations be-
tween Jews and Hispanic communities in the U.S. are
developing into a Jewish community problem. Jews and
Hispanics in this country have common concerns, and
Jewish organizations back certain political and social
measures in which the Hispanics are interested, but they
do not see eye-to-eye with Hispanic leaders on every issue.
There are at least 15 million Hispanic Americans
today in this country. They are the fastest growing ethnic
group in the U.S.
Jewish organizations feel that although Hispanic-
Jewish ties are steadily increasing, more exploration is
needed. The American Jewish Committee went so far as to
solicit the opinion of its leaders throughout the country on
whether they think that building Hispanic-Jewish rela-
tions should be an AJCommittee priority in the months
ahead.
American Jewish Committee leaders — members of its
Executive Council — were also asked for
opinions on what they consider the key issues around which
Jews and Hispanics can or should forge coalitions. Their
opinion was solicited also on what the effect of the growing
ties between Hispanics and Jews might be on black-Jewish
relations and other coalitions with which the AJCommittee
has been involved in the past. It is noted that all five
Hispanic Congressmen voted with the majority of the lower
house of Congress in rejecting President Reagan's $8.5
billion arms package sale to Saudi Arabia which included
the AWACS, and which was approved later in the Senate.
THE DISAGREEMENTS: One of the issues on which
Jewish and Hispanic leaders disagree sharply is affirma-
tive action. Hispanic leaders argue that their community is
subject to a great deal of discrimination in employment and
higher education. They are therefore strongly for affirma-
tive action, including quotas. Jewish organizations are
firmly against quotas.
At several meetings between leaders of the American
Jewish Committee and leaders of the Hispanic community,
differences also surfaced regarding some aspects of U.S.
immigration policy. Except for Puerto Ricans, who are
Americans by birth and therefore not subject to immigra-
tion restrictions, Hispanics constitute the largest group of
both legal and illegal entrants to the U.S. Jewish and
Hispanic leaders disagree on the measures needed to curb
illegal migration, although both support a generous U.S.
immigration policy and advocate amnesty for un-
documented workers already in this country—an amnesty
which was granted late last month by President Reagan.
Another issue on which Jewish and Hispanic leaders
are in disagreement is the goal of bilingual education. Jews
reject the proposals of some Hispanic groups that their
children continue to be instructed in Spanish in all sub-
jects, even after they have learned English. Jewish organ-
izations endorse the use of native languages primarily as a
vehicle for teaching English. They also back the extension
of the Voting Rights Act, which recognizes literacy in
Spanish.
THE JEWISH POSITION: The position of all major
Jewish organizations with regard to affirmative action is
that members of racial, religious and ethnic groups have in
the past suffered from discrimination and cultural depriva-
tions; therefore the present society has an obligation to
seek to overcome the evils of the past. However, the sole
criterion for admissions and promotion opportunities in
employment and education must be on the basis of indi-
vidual need, they insist.
All Jewish groups in community relations activities,
nationally and locally, have made it clear they reject the
proposition that race, color or ethnicity is a qualification or
disqualification for any post. They argue that individual
merit is the touchstone of equality of opportunity. They
regard quotas and proportional representation in hiring,
upgrading and admission of members of minority groups as
inconsistent with the principle of non-discrimination.
Experts in the field of sociology are of the opinion that
the growing emphasis on group identity instead of on indi-
vidual merit or need, when social and other services are
allocated, constitutes a major challenge to American Jews.
They visualize that group status and identity will play an
increasingly important role in defining the nature- of
American society in the 1980s, as will the efforts by various
groups to achieve political objectives.
Eilat Prepares for Tourism
EILAT (JNI) — In antici-
pation of the Sinai with-
drawal, Eilat is being trans-
formed into a major tourist
site. Tourist attractions and
facilities are being ex-
panded, including consular
and travel services for
tourists between Israel and
Egypt.
Friday, November 13, 1S1 21
Handleman Endows Library on Holocaust at U. of Miami
MIAMI — A gift of
$25,000 to the University of
Miami's Judaic Studies
Program by philanthropist
Joseph Handleman will es-
tablish the Handleman
Holocaust Collection at the
University's Otto G. Richter
Library.
Dr. Helen Fagin, director
of the Judaic Studies Pro-
gram, said the collection
would include Holocaust
diaries, memoirs, archival
material, records and liter-
ature gathered from Israel,
England, Germany and Po-
land and from agencies and
archival institutions in the
United States.
Handleman, of Detroit
and Miami, was a pioneer in
distribution of phonograph
records in the U.S. and
Canada. He served as gen-
eral manager of the Hand-
leman Co. in Detroit, and
Haig Assails
Jews Who Hit
Israel Publicly
NEW YORK (JTA) —
Secretary of State Alexan-
der Haig told a group of
Jewish leaders in Washing-
ton that some of the shar-
pest criticisms of Israel's al-
leged inflexibility in peace
negotiations have come
from his Jewish friends,
adding he did not accept
such criticism and "I do not
join it."
He also told the Jewish
leaders that he had told
Lord Carrington, British
Foreign Secretary and
chairman of the Council of
Ministers of the European
Economic Community
(EED), that Carrington's
endorsement of Saudi Ara-
bian Crown Prince Fand's
eight-point "peace pro-
posal" was irresponsible.
The Jewish leaders were
participants in a United
Jewish Appeal - Federation
of Jewish Philanthropies
Presidents Invitational
Mission to Washington.
Handleman established a
chair in public affairs at
Dropsie University 12 years
ago and for a number of
years served on the univer-
sity's board of governors.
He is the past national
president of American Red
Magen David for Israel and
participated in negotiations
in behalf of the MDA, the
Israel equivalent of the Red
Cross, both in Israel and in
this country.
Think Hanukkah
Ultrosport Worm-Up
Suit Headquarters
JOSEPH HANDLEMAN
then as its president and
chairman of the board. He
retired in 1966, moved to
Miami Beach the following
year and became an inde-
pendent sales consultant.
His interest in recorded
music made possible the
creation in 1970 of the
Sally and Joseph Hand-
leman Institute of Re-
corded Sound at the Uni-
versity of Miami's School
of Music.
Each year for the past
four years, Handleman has
provided three $1,000
scholarship awards in the
names of his daughters,
Joan, Joy, and Linda, to
University of Miami music
students based on outstand-
ing scholastic achievement.
lehtilb time
S E
mo:7.' , F.
D--
Jewish Students
Forsee Dismal
Future in Quebec
MONTREAL (JTA) .— A
report submitted to the
board of directors of the
Hillel Students Organiza-
tion here states that a
"significantly high group"
of Jewish university stu-
dents have decided to leave
Quebec citing economic and
political factors.
Mel Himes, chairman of
the Hillel Committee as-
signed the task of assessing
the future of young Jews in
Quebec, placed the number
who plan to leave the prov-
ince at between 30-40 per-
cent. The report has not yet
been adopted by the board.
The study noted that the
political climate in Quebec
is a mpjor factor in the
exodus'
: of young people and
that Quebec's economic de-
cline is forcing university
graduates to look for em-
ployment elsewhere.
The deed is all, and not
the glory.
—Goethe
Jewish mothers (and fathers) have traditionally boasted, and
justifiably so, about their children's professional achievements.
But in how many parts of the world can a Jewish parent proudly
proclaim: "Meet my son, THE KNIGHT!"
Certainly Scotland must stand in the forefront. In
recent years Scotland produced three Jewish Knights,
two Jewish Members of Parliament, a Lord Provost
(mayor), and the only Jewish pipe-band in the entire
world!
Of course Scotland's most famous product is scotch
whisky. And America's favorite scotch is J&B. We care-
fully select the finest scotches and blend them for
smoothness and subtlety. The result is why we say that
J&B whispers.
;_.
Incidentally, -you don't have to wait until your son
becomes a. Knight or your daughter a Dame in order to
enjoy J&B. Any 'simcha' will do!
J&B. It whispers
86 Proof Blended Scotch Whisky. 01980 The Paddington Corp.. NY