•

THE DETROIT JEWISH SEWS

62 Friday, March 5, 1982

Jewish-Chicano Dialogues In Arizona

By DR. DIANE STEINMAN

(Copyright 1982, JTA, Inc.)

(Editor's note: Dr.
Diane Steinman is the di-
rector of the Colorado
chapter of the American
Jewish Committee.)
During the Andy Young
affair in 1980, when the re-
lationship between Jews
and blacks was strained to
the breaking point, Dr. Lee
Kerschner, treasurer of the
Colorado chapter of the
American Jewish Commit-
tee and executive director of
the Colorado Commission
on Higher Education, re-
marked that nothing, by
contrast, could happen to
strain the relationship be-
tween Jews and Chicanos in
Colorado, because "There is
no relationship!"
This observation about
the state's growing Jewish
community and its largest
minority group triggered a
chain of events culminating
in a year-long series of
dialogues between Jews and

Chicanos from Colorado and
the Southwest.
A January 1981 confer-
ence discussed bilingual-
bicultural education, affir-
mative action and quotas,
Israel and the Middle East,
and U.S.-Mexico relations.
By the end of 1981, 20
Jews and 20 Chicanos
had engaged in two
Colorado dialogues and
committed themselves to
a third for the spring.
Part of the explanation
for the success of the
Dialogues lies in a shared
understanding of their pur-
pose: an opportunity to gain
a broader appreciation of
another group. The groups
agreed to avoid publicity, to
pass no resolutions, to seek
no commitments on specific
positions or goals. The only
commitment has been to
achieve mutual under-
standing, trust, and good
will. "It's been a tremen-
dous learning experience,"
said Mark Silverman,

1

Cantor Sholom Katz Dies

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Romanian Synagogue in
Colorado AJC chapter vice from Jacobo Kovadloff, AJC Shalom Katz, a leading can- New York City's Lower
president, "even if it has at national director for Latin for in this country and an° East Side.
American Affairs, about authority on Jewish music,
times been painful."
He appeared in concert
Many of the issues dis- whom to write concerning died Feb. 20. He was 67.
halls
and synagogues in this
the
safety
of
certain
Argen-
Born in Romania, Cantor
cussed — immigration pol-
country, Europe, South
tinian
and
Chilean
"disap-
Katz
Was
a
recognized
can-
icy, human rights, the sur-
America, Canada and -Is-
vival of the family, the pearers" and political pris- tor by the time of his Bar rael. He was the firgt cantor
preservation of culture and oners, and sent letters, co- Mitzva. He was ordained a invited to give a series of
tradition, discrimination signed by many state legis- rabbi at the age of 18 and concerts in Israel after the
and prejudice, extremism lators, to the appropriate was chief cantor of founding of the state.
Bucharest before he came to
and anti-Semitism — have ambassadors.
Chicano Dialogue par- the United States after
In 1946, Katz was invited
emerged as bridge issues.
to Switzerland to sing at the
Where there has been dis- ticipants sP7ving on the World War II.
During the war he was World Zionist Congress. A
agreement, the focus has advisory committee to
been on discussing its Colorado Congresswoman captured by the Nazis and Dr. Chaim Weizmann de
Pat Schroeder on immigra- imprisoned in a concentra- livered a eulogy for the six
source.
Where there has been a tion and refugee policy in- tion camp. He said in later million Jews who had died
need for education — on Is- vited AJC participation on years that when he was in the Holocaust, Katz sang
rael and the Middle East, the Committee and tes- forced to dig his own grave the El Molei Rachamim and
or the U.S. relationship timony on the AJC position in the camp he asked the added to the traditional text
with _ Mexico and Central concerning the Reagan guard to allow him to sing. the names of Auschwitz,
American countries — edu- Administration refugee pol- He sang the traditional El Treblinka, Dachau and
cation has been given. icy proposals. Representa- Molei Rachamim which so other Nazi death camps.
Throughout there has been tives Castro and Laura De moved the guard that he
He also sang the tradi-
what Roderick Delgado, Herrera are among the co- allowed Katz to escape.
tional
song of mourning in
Katz
was
the
cantor
at
state chairperson of the sponsors of a bill to increase
the closing scene of the
American GI Forum and the penalty for desecration Beth Shalom Congrega- Academy Award-winning
executive director of the of place of worship and bu- tion in Washington from movie, "The Garden of the
1947 to 1957. At the same
Westside Neighborhood rial.
time, he alternated with Finzi-Continis," and also
A Chicano/Jewish lead-
Health Center in Denver,
the late Cantor Moshe sang in the film, "The
has described as a "willing- ership mission to Israel is
Eichmann Story."
ness to listen and to under- being planned — the culmi- Kussevitsky at the
nation
of
a
year
of
Dialogue
stand, to debate the issues."
Perhaps as important programming on Israel and
as the discussion of is- the Middle East. The
JERUSALEM (JTA) — in Ozira.n, Galicia. He was a
sues has been the sharing Colorado AJC chapter is at-
of experiences. During tempting to secure funding Mordechai Anshel Judaica scholar and an ex-
Tenenblatt, one of the first pert in Hebrew and Yid-
each Dialogue, everyone for it.
Finally, Susan Wohlauer, correspondents and editors dish as well as English and
participated in the cele-
bration of each other's member of the chapter's of the Jewish Telegraphic German. He composed a
book ti-
Sabbath, providing what board, is setting up a Agency, died Feb. 27 at age Hebrew instruction
a
94.
for many has been a first mechanism for sharing with
Tenenblatt
.published
Mr. Tenenblatt was born tled Mr.
"Our
Language."
exposure to Judaism or some of the Chicano partici-
numerous
articles
in Jewish
pants
information
about
Catholicism. Moreover,
ADL
Opposes
newspapers
in
Poland,
social time spent during fund-raising techniques
Germany and the United
and between Dialogues employed in the Jewish Discrimination
States. During World War I,
has often been a source of community.
by Grad Schools he was the editor of the
insight. AJC national
NEW YORK — The Zionist daily, "Tageblatt."
domestic affairs director ADL Questions
He worked as the chief
Anti-Defamation
League of
Seymour Samet, a par- Cuts in Legal •
Bnai Brith has passed a correspondent for the
ticipant at Scottsdale and
resolution opposing racial Jewish Daily Forward in
a speaker at the first SerVices Corp.
and religious discrimina- New York City and pub-
Colorado Dialogue, re-
NEW YORK — The
many articles in
marked recently that the Anti-Defamation League of tion by graduate and profes- lished
the Morgen Journal, also
sional
schools
in
student
development of friend- Bnai Brith has adopted a
New York.
ships and intimacy has resolution urging the Re- admissions and faculty hir- in Mr.
Tenenblatt began a
ing, except for institutions
been a unique and valu- agan Administration to re-
new chapter in his jour-
that
train
clergymen.
able feature of the consider its intention to
In introducing the resolu- nalistic career when the
Dialogue program.
abolish or seriously curtail
Although concrete results the federally funded Legal tion at the league's Na- Jewish Correspondents
have not been the goal of the Services Corporation which tional Executive Commit- Bureau, established in 1917
Dialogues, some have provides legal aid to the tee meeting last month, in The Hague by his old
Meyer Eisenberg, chairman friend Jacob Landau, moved
emerged spontaneously. poor in civil cases.
of ADL's national law com- in 1920 from The Hague to
After Scottsdale, Represen-
The action was taken at
tative Pena sought advice the league's National mittee, criticized the recent London under the new
accreditation of the Oral name of the Jewish Tele-
Committee meet- Roberts University law graphic Agency.
Orthodox Union Executive
ing in Palm Beach last school in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
Landau, who had known
Passover Guide
month.
by the American Bar Asso- Mr. Tenenblatt's journalis-
The President's proposal,
tic activities from his work
Now Available
which has stirred sharp op- ciation.
He noted that the Oral in Vienna, invited him to
NEW YORK — An ex- position from the American Roberts law school, a reli- become JTA's chief corre-
panded edition of the Union Bar Association and many giously affiliated institu- spondent in Europe, work-
of Orthodox Jewish Con- other community groups,
of ing in Vienna.
gregations of America's an- would leave it up to the tion, requires an oath
Later, he headed the
allegiance,
in
writing,
to
the
nual "Kosher for Passover states to decide whether to Christian religion as a con- world operation of the JTA.
Products Directory" is being use federal block grant
Upon the establishment.
dition of admission or em-
distributed to synagogues, funds to finance legal aid ployment.
"This constitutes of the JTA office
Jewish institutions and services.
blatant religious discrimi- Jerusalem, he immigrate, _
families across North
to Palestine and served as
nation," he said.
Demographics
America.
chief of the Palestine
The 40-page booklet lists
NEW YORK (ZINS) — Of Students Protest
bureau and later the Israel
more than 1,000 different the total of 13,027,900
bureau until his retirement,
consumer and industrial world Jewish population, Korean Junkets
due to illness, in 1955.
food products bearing the 6,492,000 (49.8 percent) live
Since then, Mr.
HAIFA (ZINS) -- Reli-
organization's seal of kash- in the Americas; 2,969,500 gious students at Haifa Tenenblatt researched the
rut certification - for (22.8 percent) in Europe, in- University have protested Babylonian Talmud, which
Passover. It also contains a cluding the Asian parts of the recent trip to Korea by he regarded as his life's
guide to Passover practices the Soviet Union and Tur- six Haifa professors to work.
and observances and a sec- key; 3,328,000 (25.5 per- attend ceremonies con-
tion on preparing the home cent) in Asia; 164,500 (1.3 ducted by Rev. Sun Myung
Life is a warfare; and he
for the holiday.
percent) in Africa, and Moon's Unification Church.
who easily desponds deserts
Individuals may order the 74,000 (0.6 percent) in
The students called the on double duty — he betrays
free booklet by sending a Oceania, according to the church
an idolatrous sect the noblest property of man
self-addressed, business- American Jewish Year-
and said this is the third which is dauntless resolu-
size envelope, stamped with book.
time this school year that tion; and he rejects the pro-
40 cents in postage to: Or-
Haifa professors have been vidence of that all-gracious
thodox Union Passover Di- By annihilating the de
rectory, 45 W. 36th St., New sires, you annihilate th e flown by the sect to Korea Being who guides and rules
with all expenses paid.
the universe.
York, N.Y. 10018. mind.

.

Journalist Tenenblatt Dies

send

THE
JEWISH NEWS

as a gift this

PURI

To: The Jewish News
17515 W. 9 Mile Rd., Suite

865

Southfield, Mich. 48075

Please send a year's gift subscription to:

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY

FOR:

STATE

state occasion

FROM

$15 enclosed

ZIP

,