a:
2 Friday, October 22, 1982
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
A Newspaper Duped and Its
Editorial Stupidities
Attention was called last week to the FORUM OF
SHAME published in the Detroit News. The editors of that
column now provide proof they have not only blundered and
sinned: they failed to judge decently and honorably and
have added insult to injury.
First they published a letter signed fictitiously by a
Jewish-sounding name. That was bad enough. Pursuing
the guilt, under an admission of having received an ava-
lanche of protests, they quoted again in the already dis-
graced Saturday FORUM excerpts from letters from Jews.
The editors of that disgraced page and its title could have
enumerated the protests, telephonic and mailed. Perhaps
they might have listed the number of subscription cancella-
tions, and possibly advertising cancellations.
What was necessary was an apology from the news-
paper that must do penance. The Detroit News editors
failed to do so. Instead they added insult to injury by adher-
ing to the assumption that it was a mere exchange of views
of readers writing and others differing.
And the Detroit News failed to publish letters from
non-Jews who condemned the Forum's hyocrisy.
Under date of Oct. 12, the eminent Michigan Catholic
dignitary, the distinguished scholar Dr. Carol Rittner,
wrote a letter to the Detroit News. It could and should have
made the Oct. 16 FORUM page. Instead of printing ex-
cerpts apparently intended for a whitewash, the following
should have been a MUST as part of the newspaper's pe-
nance:
Editor
Detroit News
615 West Lafayette
Detroit, Michigan 48231
Dear Editor:
Angry, that's what I am, purely and simply
and clearly angry! After all that has been in the
media these past weeks — Jews, only because
they are Jews, murdered and maimed in Vienna,
Brussels, Paris and Rome; the hearing and depor-
tation of Archbishop Valerian Trifa here in De-
troit — why would the Detroit News print an in-
flamatory, historically false, libelous letter from a
person in Elkins Park, Pa., alleging that "the ex-
termination of six million Jews by the Nazis was
legally justifiable and necessary?" Such irres-
ponsibility on the part of the Detroit News is noth-
ing short of stupid and morally repulsive.
Do not tell me that "the letter was printed in
error . . . by mistake." After you received the letter
and read it, did you "by mistake" fail to rip it up
and throw it in the wastecan? Did you "in error"
pass it on to the person who selects the letters that
will be printed? Did that person "by mistake"
pass the letter on to the linotyper who "in error"
passed it on to the proofreader who "by mistake"
found no errors in the letter?
Not only have you achieved no communal
good by providing the fictitious "Myron Silber-
man" with a forum for his demented and twisted
views, but you have dishonored the memory of the
Six Million Jews murdered by the Nazis during
the Holocaust, demeaned the deaths of millions of
non-Jews who also perished at the hands of the
Nazis, and insulted and slandered the Jewish
community in Detroit and worldwide. More, you
have disgraced the American tradition of a free
press that is also a responsible press.
You owe the entire Jewish community a pub-
lic apology, all of us an assurance that such jour-
nalistic irresponsibility by the News will cease
immediately, and yourselves a remedial lesson in
what constitutes responsible journalism in a free
society.
Sincerely,
Sister Carol Rittner, R.S.M.
Sisters of Mercy
29000 Eleven Mile Road
Farmington Hills, MI 48018
The eminent Catholic nun expressed anger under-
standably. Her sense of justice was horrified.
That's how the editor of guilt should have been self-
judging.
Both Detroit newspapers have much to learn from each
other on the matter of glorifying correspondents.
Sister Carol teaches a good lesson.
* * *
A Cartoonist's Message
Media aren't all evil; neither are all cartoonists brutal.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer carried a four-column-
wide cartoon with the message: "Jews Protesting Israeli
Involvement in the Beirut Massacre," with a large crowd
carrying a placard that reads: "Begin Must Go." Under-
neath it are the following: "Arabs Protesting 1972 Olym-
Adding Insults to Stupidities: How Decencies Are Dragged
Into the Gutter by Journalistic Stupidities ... The Lessons
in Fair Play Provided by an Eminent Catholic Dignitary
pies Massacre . . ." with a blank space; then "The Maalot
School Massacre," also followed by a blank space; "The
Jerusalem Bus Bombing," . . . with a blank space.
The contrast is evident. That's how this history lesson
is recorded.
* * *
The Vatican Has Its Own
Critics ... Most Heartening
Evidence of Fair Play
Interfaith relations are so vital in this modern age that
when there is the merest disruption it is painstaking.
Jews and Catholics have a common accord as fellow
humans; in this country as fellow Americans. That accord
was ecumenically strengthened in recent years. It was
harmed a bit by the Papal embrace with Arafat.
Any wonder that Italian Jewry was additionally out-
raged by such cordiality to a terrorist when it was followed
by the dastardly act which occurred at the synagogue in
Rome?
The protesting by Jews over the blunder by Pope John
Paul II created heartache — that the resentment became a
necessity. That is why it was so vital that Catholics should
do the protesting. In some communities, nuns and priests
wrote protesting letters to their newspapers. The top role in
such an expression of protest goes to Monsignor Joseph G.
Bailey of Madrid, N.Y. He commented on letters defending
Pope John Paul II and his reply, under the title "Pope Pius
II and the Holocaust: A Damning Appraisal," appeared in
the NYTimes Oct. 12 and must be quoted in its entirety in
the best interests of Vatican-Jewish relations:
As a Catholic priest, perhaps I should be in-
clined to applaud the effort of Virginia Offer (let-
ter Oct. 1) to defend Pope Pius XII against the
charge that he failed to help the Jews in World
War II. But in view of the historical evidence now
available, I can only say she distorts the record
and whitewashes Vatican diplomacy at the time
of the Holocaust.
The case against Pius XII did not originate
with Rolf Hochhuth's play "The Deputy." It began
with churchmen close to the Pope himself. That
Pope John Paul's audience with Yasir Arafat
should have provoked a renewal of the accusa-
tion on the part of the Israeli Cabinet official is
unfortunate, but it may suggest that we Catholics
have some long-overdue soul:searching of our
own to do even while Jews are going through
their present spiritual agony.
Miss Offer refers to the recently published
"Acts and Documents of the Holy See Relative to
World War II," which she is convinced lays to rest
"the myth that defames Pius XII."
Would that the record were as simple as that.
John Morley, a priest and historian at Seton Hall
College, has drawn a very different conclusion in
his recent book, "Vatican Diplomacy During the
Holocaust." Surely Father Morley had no reason
to initiate a polemic against the leaders of his
church. His appraisal- is very sober and re-
strained. But it is also damning.
He first sets forth the aims of Vatican diplo-
macy as stated by papal diplomats themselves.
His final conclusion is that Vatican diplomacy did
not live up to those aims.
"It must be concluded that Vatican diplom-
cay failed the Jews during the Holocaust by not
doing all that it was possible for it to do on their
behalf. It also failed itself because in neglecting
the needs of the Jews, and pursuing a goal of
reserve rather than humanitarian concern it bet-
rayed the ideals that it had set for itself."
During World War II, the Vatican had nuncios
in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal,
Romania, Spain and Switzerland (the Nazis expel-
led those in Belgium and the Netherlands before
the war ended). So there is no doubt that the Vati-
can had its own men on the scene who knew what
was goihg on.
But Morley concludes: "This study of the Vat-
ican and Jewish sources has revealed little evi-
dence that the nuncios manifested any consistent
humanitarian concern about the sufferings of the
Jews during the years 1939 to 1943. This research
has indicated that the Vatican diplomats only
rarely acted on behalf of Jews as Jews, and this
usually only for specific individuals."
The nuncios continually intervened on behalf
of baptized Jews. In fact, the Vatican was gener-
ous in helping converted Jews financially and ar-
ranging for their emigration. The nuncios re-
peatedly complained about the racial laws as they
affected baptized Jews, "but there is no evidence
to show that they attacked the basic injustice that
motivated this legislation."
What. about Pius XII? There is no doubt that
the actions and decisions of the nuncios were di-
By Philip
Slomovitz
rected by the Pope himself. He can hardly be
exonerated from complicity in the official silence:
"An attitude of reserve and prudence, joined
with a desire to offend no nation, particularly
Germany, placed a straitjacket on Vatican diplo-
macy and made it little different from the dip-
lomatic practices of civil states."
In this the Pope "failed not only the Jews but
also members of the Church who suffered brutal
treatment from the Germans. Moreover he caused
Vatican diplomacy to fail by forcing it to make a
mockery of its claims that it was an ideal form of
diplomacy dedicated to justice, brotherhood, and
other similarly exalted goals, when in practice it
made little attempt to work toward any of them."
So perhaps we Catholics should be on our
knees during this time of Yom Kippur rather than
sounding off in self-righteous anger about the bad
will of our accusers.
Such sentiments must be treated as leading to
strengthened Vatican-Jewish relations. Truth must serve
as the best weapon for that purpose.
* * *
The Morality of It
Israel's, inter alia Jewry's, morality has been ques-
tioned.
Israel suffered miserably from the Lebanese operation,
undergoing tragedies commensurate with the other vic-
tims of terrorism.
Surely, there will be enough people of decency to con-
firm that Israel's policies were and remain to avoid and
prevent harm to innocent people, to protect women and
children. While adhering to it, Israeli soldiers were war
victims.
American Friends of Israel had a message to the world
on the morality matter, under the title, "The Real Israel"
in a paid advertisement in the New York Times (Oct. 11).
Sadly, such messages reach the public only in such fashion
— -by means of expensive advertisements. That message
contained the following:
The fact that the world was shocked by the
possibility that Israel might not have done its ut-
most to prevent the massacre in the refugee
camps demonstrates the high moral standard that
the world attributes to Israel.
The more sincere the shock, the more clearly
was demonstrated the level of expectation from
Israel — because Israel is expected not to permit,
under any circumstances, what other nations of
the world freely allow: the bloodshed of inno-
cents.
The criticism leveled against Israel was,
paradoxically, a demonstration of faith in Israel's
moral standing, a public acknowledgement that
the moral standards of Israel are higher — far
higher — than those of other nations.
This fact Israel has been proving since its in-
ception. In all its wars. In its most recent war.
This is the real issue: the world expects more
from Israel.
In launching an investigation into its own
conduct, Israel has taken upon itself the chal-
lenge that its own high level of morality demands.
There is morality, decency, humanism — all put to
test.
Hopefully, the appeals for justice and sensible judg-
ment will not fall on deaf ears.
Ancient and Modern
in the Hills of Galilee
The ruins of the Crusader castle of Judin are
shown in western Galilee with Kibutz Yehiam. sur-
rounding it.