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Jewish Leaders Shocked by Massacre, Deny Israel Involvement

NEW YORK (JTA) — organizations have reacted
Leading representatives of with shock and horror at the
major American Jewish massacre of Palestinian

Israel Embassy Statement
on the Beirut Massacre

The following statement was issued by the Israeli Em-
bassy in Washington, D.C. on Monday:
"Israel expresses its dismay and shock at the killings
in Beirut.
"After the assassination of Bashir Gemayel, Israel re-
peatedly asked the Lebanese army to take up positions in
the camps. The Lebanese army refused. Israel asked Am-
bassador Draper to use his influence with the Lebanese
army to persuade them to do so. They again refused.
"The camps were, at no stage, under Israeli army con-
trol. It should be pointed out that in those parts of Beirut
where the Israeli army was in control, there were no such
killings.
"As soon as Israel became aware of the killings the IDF.
immediately entered the camps and, using force, stopped
the killings and evicted the Christian militiamen.
"Israeli troops sealed off the camps and provided
prompt medical relief to the wounded.
"It was only the presence of Israel army units in Beirut
and their prompt action that prevented further killings.
There is every reason to believe that had Israeli forces not
been in west Beirut at this time, the loss of life to the
civilian population would have been much greater."

Boris Smolar's

`Between You
. and Me'

Editor-in-Chief
Emeritus, JTA

(Copyright 1982, JTA, Inc.)

I• ■ •

•

•

THE MAX FISHER SAGA: Max M. Fisher is
"American Jewish leader Number One" according to many
in this country and in Israel. In his modest way he has been
in the front row leadership of major national Jewish organ-
izations, as well .as top leader of local Jewish agencies in
Detroit, where he resides. He is also very active in general
politics and in civic affairs where he enjoys a high reputa-
tion.
An influential figure in the Republican Party, Fisher
has been-close to the White House under Republican ad-
ministrations. He could have been appointed a U.S. Am-
bassador, and at one time there was talk about appointing
him to the Cabinet as Secretary of the Treasury. However,
while deeply interested in American politics, he preferred
to concentrate on activity in the Jewish field, playing at the
same time a leading role in the affairs of his party.
Reared mainly in the company of gentiles and having a
meager Jewish education, Fisher, nevertheless, developed
a high Jewish consciousness which brought him to top
leadership positions locally and nationally in Jewish
organizations, including the Council of Jewish Federa-
tions, United Jewish Appeal, American Jewish Joint Dis,
tribution Committee, American Jewish Committee and
HIAS. In addition, he is one of the pillars of the Jewish
Agency for Israel which he helped to reconstruct, becoming
in 1971 the chairman of its board of governors, a post he
continues to hold. His contributions to the Jewish commu-
nity here and abroad, and his stature, is all the more fas-
cinating given his antecedents.
A FAMILY PORTRAIT: Max Fisher's background
and that of his antecedents are now provided in a 150-page
book, "The Fishers — A Family Portrait," by archivist
Phillip Applebaum, published by Harlo Press in Detroit.
The book is not a biography — which remains to be written
— but chronicles the history and genealogy of the Fisher
family going back to its roots in a small town in Lithuania.
Space does not permit to enumerate all of Max's
achievements. His personal chronology in the book runs to
10 pages showing that by 1981 he was involved in various
high finance activities, high American politics, very active
in humanitarian work and in Jewish life, and was the
recipient of honors and awards from numerous civic, cul-
tural and philanthropic bodies — local and national,
Jewish and general.
His record of Jewish activity goes back 30 years when
he was elected to the board of directors of the Jewish Com-
munity Center in Detroit, to the board of trustees of Sinai
Hospital, and to the chairmanship of the pre-Campaign of
the Allied Jewish Campaign.
Over the years Max was one of the generous con-
tributors to charitable Jewish causes and general
humanitarian causes. He started giving to the UJA when
he was a student at Ohio State University, from which he
graduated in 1930 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He
now holds honorary doctorates from nine universities and
is on the boards of colleges and universities and of impor-
tant financial institutions.

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civilians at the Shatila and
Sabra refugee camps in Be-
irut.
While rejecting any
suggestion of Israeli in-
volvement in the massacre
in which some 300 men,
women and children were
slaughtered, some leaders,
however, called for an in-
quiry by the Israeli gov-
ernment to determine the
facts surrounding the
events that occured at the
refugee camps.
"We join with President
Reagan and Premier
Menahem Begin in express-
ing our shock and revulsion
at the massacre of civilians
in Beirut," Julius Berman?,
chairman of the Conference
of Presidents. of Major
American Jewish Organ-
izations, said. "There can be
no justification for the
slaughter of innocents.
"We reject the idea of
any participation or in-
volveMent by the Israeli
Defense Force in this ter-
rible event. The history of
the Jewish people is too
full of massacres and
pogroms, and the injunc-
tions of Jewish law are
too powerful a force in
Jevirish consciousness, to
have permitted or even
countenanced a Jewish
role in this awful inci-
dent. Any suggestion that
Israel took part in it or
permitted it to occur
must be categorically re-
jected."
Maynard
Wishner,
president, American Jewish
Committee, said:
"Every step must be
taken by every party in-
volved, directly or indi-
rectly, including Israel, to
determine how this tragedy
occured and by whom these
crimes were perpetrated.
Responsibility must be
fixed and appropriate action
taken."
Henry Siegman, execu-
tive director, American
Jewish Congress, said that
while "I do not believe for a
moment that Israeli forces
were involved in the
tragedy in any way," Israel
must depart Beirut "if it is
not to be dragged into that
city's bloody fratricide."
Siegman also called for
_Israel to "sever all of its
ties with the murderous
forces" of Maj. Saad
Haddad's Christian
militia and other Chris-
tian militias "responsi-
ble for this outrage.
Otherwise, Israel will be
seen as an ally and sup-
porter of killers of inno-
cent men, women and
children."
Charlotte Jacobson,
chairman, World Zionist
Organization - American
Section, said "No one is
more shocked at the
great tragedy in Lebanon
than the Jews, and never
more so than at this time
of year when we em-

From a very early age, I
had imbibed the opinion,
that it was every man's duty
to do all that lay in his
power to leave his country
as good as he had found it.
—William Cobbett

phasize the sanctity of
human life and moral
conduct."
Alexander Schindler,
president, Union of Ameri-
can Hebrew Congregations,
said the tragedy in Beirut
demands "that those re-
sponsible be brought swiftly
.to justice."
Jack Spitzer, president,
Bnai Brith International,
said "This cold blooded
murder cries out for the re-
storation of order" in Leba-
non. Such restoration can be
achieved only by the estab-
lishment of a strong central
Lebanese government, the
dissolution of private armed
forces, and the pullout, "as
soon as possible," of all
foreign forces, Spitzer de-
clared.
Rabbi
Arthur
Schneier, chairman,
World Jewish Congress -
American Section, said
"there can be no justifica-
tion for this savage crime.
There is now an urgent
need,for a full inquiry to
establish the facts sur-
rounding these gro-
tesque events."
Paul Zuckerman of De-
troit, former national
chairman of the United
Jewish Appeal, cautioned
against quick accusations
against any party for re-
sponsibility of the mas-
sacre. "I think it would be
unwise to point fingers
haphazardly at any par-
ties," he said. "We should be
careful that this tragic act
does not create hysterical
conclusions, which could
lead to more tragedy."

Ivan Novick, president,
Zionist Organization of
America, said "What hap-
pened over the weekend was
not a premeditated blatant
act by Israel, although Is-
rael might have misjudged
the situation or been misin-
formed. It is not a reason for
a close friend and ally like
the United States to come
down hard on you."
Debbie Goldman, chair-
man, New Jewish Agenda's
national Middle East pro-
gram, said Israel is "at least
indirectly responsible since
Israel took upon itself to
guard the security of the
camps. These deaths are a
natural consequence of the
invasion of Lebanon."
Prof. Irwin Cotler,
president, Canadian Jewish
Congress, and Sam Filer,
chairman of its national
executive, said "We trust

.

that an independent coin-
. mission of inquiry will be
established in Israel so that
the true facts can be known
and justice done."
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