2 Friday, November 26, 1982
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
Hussein as the 'Key Holder'
Who Keeps on Obstructing
Hussein's Role as an Imaginative Controller
of Peace Aims and the Delusion Exposed by His
Numerous Associates in the Anti-Israel Ranks
continuing negotiations. For success in such efforts, it has
been assumed that Hussein must be a participant, else the
entire effort remains a hopeless one.
While the eyes of the world are on Amman, and King
Hussein is glorified as the major factor in a peace effort, the
Jordan monarch quite evidently refuses to repond and is
subject to the influences from the Arab countries whose
emissaries accompany him everywhere, with the PLO as an
active partner in the Hussein responses to the expressions
of hope for a soluble end to the conflict.
Thus, hopes are stymied, and the Hussein image is
hardly one of peace-making.
By Philip
Slomovitz
prejudice but defends people's rights to speak their minds.
It is because so many minds are poisoned, and -students
come to universities with their ideas deeply rooted in their
minds, that university officials, like supervisors in the
media, have much to challenge them in efforts to erase
bigotries. Fortunately, the bigots are in the minority.
Therefore, the hope that Dr. Adamany and his fellow liber-
als in academia will be able to reduce the venom that
threatens American life.
Dr. Adamany has expressed a desire to advance cul-
tural values which include the sharing of knowledge with
the cultured of all faiths and all nationality backgrounds.
Aware of the courses in Judaic studies which already have
a record of notable achievements on the WSU campus, and
being fully informed on the progress attained in that direc-
tion by the sister university in Ann Arbor, the aspiration to
advance such aims is commendable. He will surely have the
cooperation of all elements in Michigan's population, with
the Jewish communities cheerfully and cooperatively re-
sponding to it.
Amman is as much in focus now as are Washington and
Jerusalem, and King Hussein is demonstrated as holding
the key to the solution of the Israel-Arab issue. His latest
statements, especially those in Paris after he and other
Arab'chieftains met with Francois Mitterrand, offer little
hope for early action by the sovereign who was singled out
for solution in President Reagan's Sept. 1 proposals for
Middle East peace.
Background material dealing with Hussein's Middle
East role may be vital to a discussion of the current in-
volvements. In a lengthy editorial in New Republic, its
editor, Martin Peretz, writing under the title "The Man Dr. Adamany's Challenges
Who Wouldn't Be King," concluded:
Are Michigan's and Mankind's
Timidity is Hussein's most enduring char-
Dr. David Adamany is now in the forefront of Michigan
acteristic. Ever since he took over his kingdom in
personalities who are tackling the problems of the age.
1952, he has sought to hide in the interstices of the
As president of Wayne State University he is con-
Arab world's murderous conflicts. Early in his
fronted with the educational problems that are so seriously
career Hussein decided to avoid the fate of his
affected by economic pressures that less well-rooted schools
grandfather, King Abdullah, who ruled before
of learning and presiding officials with jitters might not
him and who tried to reach accommodation with
survive.
The Yiddish Renaissance
Israel. Abdullah had been secretly negotiating a
For the new WSU prezy the challenge spells duty, and
Exciting cultural attainments are on the world Jewish
compromise with Israel and was assassinated by
his facing up to it already has an indication of stick-to- agenda. They especially relate to the interest in and devo-
Palestinian extremists for precisely that reason.
itiveness and acceptance of realities.
tion to the Yiddish language.
Hussein learned his lesson well.
This, of course, is most vital to the needs which are
Departments in the Yiddish language are now func-
During his whole tenure he has displayed
actually carbon copies of all that is at issue for all univer-
tioning successfully at two universities in Israel — Bar-
boldness only once. On June 5, 1967, convinced by
sities and in matters affecting the nation at large.
Ilan University in Ramat Gan and the Hebrew University
false assurances from Mr. Nasser that Arabs were
in Jerusalem.
Dr.
Adamany
and
winning their war with Israel, he decided to join
Wayne State University
Yiddish is becoming a craved-for tongue among many
the war even though Israel had urgently and
have to contend with such in American universities, and at Columbia it is an espe-
explicity assured him that it had no desire to fight
vital cuts in state and fed- cially inviting subject for impressive enrollments.
Jordan. Hussein decided to risk an attack and
eral allocations for the ad-
At the same time, there is excitement in the Yiddish
lost.
vancement of learning that ranks in New York where the 100th anniversary of the
Seven years later he lost the West Bank again,
the academic ills force lead- Yiddish Theater is occasion for enthusiastic celebrations.
this time at the 1974 Arab Summit at Rabat, where
ership into an embittered
At the Museum of the City of New York on Fifth Ave-
authority to reclaim the West Bank was awarded
atmosphere
and
conditions
nue
and
103rd Street, an exhibition is in progress tracing
the PLO as the "sole representative of the Palesti-
that spell unhappy moods that history, reproducing placards, sheet music, manikins
nian people." Since then, both the United States
for all.
portraying famous actors. It is an old world brought to life
and moderate forces in Israel, particularly in the
again.
Dr.
Adamany
has
much
Labor Party, have been frying to give Hussein
more
to
be
concerned
with.
In 1882, a name that became great was the attraction
back at least most of what he had thrown away.
He now directs the destinies in the first of the theaters to present Yiddish productions.
But Hussein's timidity had reasserted itself. He
of a great university whose Boris Thomashevsky retained his fame for decades and was
decided to lie low and try to wait out the storms of
student enrollment in- the admired of the generations to come.
the Middle East.
cludes students from many
Other famous names are recalled, including the sensa-
It won't Wprk. Jordan is now — with Egypt
DAVID ADAMANY
lands.
There are represen- tional acting of Jacob P. Adler, whose portrayal of Shylock
appeased, Lebanon freed, and Syria stymied —
tatives from the Middle in the Yiddish version of "The Merchant of Venice" was the
the center of the Arab-Israeli dispute and the key
East, the Far East and perhaps also a sprinkling from
means of indicating how the brutal on the English stage
to its solution. As long as King Hussein blocks a
behind the Iron Curtain.
could become a man of honor and courage in the Yiddish
solution, the Middle East will not have peace.
In such an atmosphere, there are frequent confronta-
interpretation.
Neither will he. As one Jordanian official has
tions. Propagandists creep in and they resort to pam-
Molly Picon remains the darling of the later genera-
said, Hussein has the choice of going to Jerusalem
tions.
phleteering and to exhibits which have at times breathed
or going to Switzerland.
hatred.
Music that remains imperishable is a legacy from the
In view of such experiences in the area that so seriously
Dr. Adamany faces up to these issues as a highly- Yiddish theater's creativity. There are no longer the seven
affects negotiations for a possible peace, it is vital to the trained academic in the democratic way of life. He disap-
nights a week with two matinees af_. additions in the func-
issue to refer to an analysis of the situation by Bernard proves of the hatreds and would like them eliminated. He
tioning Yiddish theaters of this age in New York. There are
Gwertzman in the New York Times (Nov. 18):
shares the view of never suppressing freedom of speech and
few if any throughout the land: But a production is brought
An Administration official said the failure of
of communication. It is on this score that he is a mere
to Detroit for the annual Book Fair, and there is a craving
the Palestinian talks to make progress over the
counterpart of American society, whose sufferings from elsewhere for the Yiddish/productions.
last three years indicates the virtual impossibility
hatreds are apparent in the press and on public platforms,
Yiddish is alive and vibrant. It needs more adherents.
of finding a solution if Jordan does not take part.
and he seems to echo the principles of the American Civil
Perhaps the new ones are arriving — in the process of its
But King Hussein is so far unwilling to join the
LibertieS Union whose platform certainly does not endorse renaissance.
talks if he does not have a mandate from most of
the moderate Arab countries, such as Saudi
Arabia, Morocco and Tunisia. The Arab League
has said it will not endorse a Jordanian role un-
less the PLO authorizes the Jordanians to enter
Israel Interior Minister Jerusalem's status as Is-
the negotiations.
D. Dan Kahn, who
Yosef Burg, here on an rael's capital is not negot-
presided and gave an
The PLO, however, seems badly split, Ad-
overnight visit to meet with iable, Dr. Burg recalled
elaborate report on the
ministration officials said. There still is no sign of
top local Israel Bond lead- his comments on the mat-
economic and industrial
an early meeting of the Palestine National Con-
ers, Monday evening, at the ter to Egyptian leaders
projects advanced in Is-
gress. One American official said today that he
home of Spencer and Myrna and in Washington. He
rael with Bond dollars,
did not expect the Palestinians to meet anytime
Partrich in Bloomfield had emphasized that the
presented the award to
soon. This would mean, he said, that when King
Hills, stated that the Sept. 1 claim of the inter-faith
Sam Rich, listing his de-
Hussein comes to Washington to see Mr. Reagan
proposal for a Middle East character of the city must
votional services. The
on Dec. 21, there is little likelihood of any drama-
solution was filled with be treated historically,
tic results.
presentation was in ab-
menacing aspects.
Jews dating the eternity
sentia due to Rich's ill-
Dr. Burg, who is also of the city in some 3,000
But on the same page of the Nov. 18 NYTimes there is a
ness.
report on the Hussein-Mitterrand meeting by Henry Tan- Minister of Police and also years while it begins with
ner, who reported from Paris: "The King (Hussein), accom- Minister of Religious Af- a zero mark of Year 1 on
David Holtzman intro-
panied by cabinet ministers from Saudi Arabia, Syria, fairs in Israel, and who was the civic calendar and the
duced the guest speaker and
Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, as well as by Farouk Kad- the chief negotiator with Seventh Century for
Partrich expressed the wel-
donmi, head of the foreign affairs department of the Pales- Egypt on autonomy plans, Muslims.
come
to the guests.
DR. YOSEF BURG
tine Liberation Organization, met with Francois Mitter- said the Reagan plan con-
He said he had indicated
David Hermelin, as asso-
rand and other French officials . . ." That group plans, tained so much softening in to Muslims who ask for rul- ness especially in relation to
according to the Tanner report, to meet with officials in behalf of Arabs that it ership in the city that they Beirut, and declared, with ciate national chairman of
London, Moscow and Peking. This clearly indicates the would give Israel's enemies look to Mecca, while for emphasis on the importance Israel Bonds with Sam
alignments that are combined in their opposition to Israel, bargaining ploys leading to Jews the holiness is of Israel Bonds for Israel's Rothberg, gave a brief re-
and the influence sought appears certain to poison the even greater pressures on Jerusalem. While economy, that "a strong Is- port on national accom-
atmosphere rather than create amity.
Israel from enemy sources.
Jerusalem is mentioned 660 rael will assure justice for plishments. Acclaiming the
pledged high-mark begin-
Tanner quoted Hussein as accusing Israel of holding
times in Holy Scriptures Israel."
Dr. Burg was especially
up the peace negotiation process in the Middle East by shocked by the Reagan
nings for 1983 locally, an-
there is not even a single
The meeting at the Par- nounced at the Partrich
continuing to build new settlements and by delaying pro- treatment of the
mention of the- city in the
trich home was occasion for gathering, Hermelin said
gress by refusing to concur in the Reagan peace initiative Jerusalem matter, hav-
Koran.
recognition of the services
and the eight-point plan by Arabs at Fez.
there is an assurance that
ing called for "negotia-
Dr. Burg commented on
There is a continuing adherence to the Hussein anti- tions" on the Holy City's- existing problems in Israel, to Israel, to the Technion, the 1982 results will sur-
Israel Bonds and other pass the best in earlier
Israel attitude, and it is a factor that relates to the need for future. Because
conceded growing serious- causes, by Sam Rich.
years.
Minister Burg Deflates Reagan's Proposals
1
(