THE JEWISH NEWS (USPS 275-520) Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with the issue of July 20, 1951 Copyright © The Jewish News Publishing Co. Member of American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, National Editorial Association and National Newspaper Association and its Capital Club. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Postmaster: Send address changes to The Jewish News, 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Second-Class Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and Additional Mailing Offices. Subscription $15 a year. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ . CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ - Editor and Publisher ALAN HITSKY News Editor Ais is forskno'hg *the enemy Business Manager HEIDI PRESS Associate News Editor DREW LIEBERWITZ Advertising Manager Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the 13th day of Adar, 5743, is Ereu Purim and the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Exodus 27:20-30:10, Deuteronomy 25:17-19. Prophetical portion, I Samuel 15:2-34. Sunday, Purim Pentateuchal portion, Exodus 17:8-16. Book of Esther is read Saturday night and Sunday morning. Monday, Shushan Purim Candlelightins, Friday, Feb. 25, 6:00 p.m. VOL. LXXXII, No. 26 Page Four Friday, February 25, 1983 PURIM AND THE HATE VIRUS Purim will never lose its lesson, either for the Jewish people or for mankind. It is one of the oldest, if not the very oldest, tale about hatred, its perpetrators and the victims. It invites con- tinuing narration and study, specifically in the manner in which the hate is repetitive. It is so very evident in this age. In spite of the enormity of barbarism in this crucial period in history, with so much to learn from the Holocaust, yet we witness the revulsions that mark a continuity of sick-mindedness in some areas. True: those who would repeat the barba- rism are not numerous, but they remain exemplary of the bias that outrages civilized humanity. There was a shocking reverberation of the venom when Klaus Barbie was returned from Bolivia to France to stand trial for mass murder of French-Jews during the resistance to Nazism. On a wall at Boussy-St. Antoine a sign ap- peared: "No to the Jews, yes to Klaus Barbie." That's how inbred is the prejudice! But the French people and the courts will surely know how to judge such resorts to hatred. Many judgments will be expressed on Bar- bie and other issues. Some of the recollections of the tragic era of Hitlerism are not pleasant. In the judgments expressed there is one that is noteworthy. Upon the announcement of Barbie's return to be judged anew, Rev. Lucien A NEW Chaisse, a priest in Lyons, the area that named Barbie the "Butcher of Lyons," stated: "In 1944, there were 40,000,000 resistance fighters. But in 1940, there were 40,000,000 Frenchmen who supported Vichy." Himself a resistance fighter, Rev. Chaisse must be viewed as speaking with authority. Does the past have a lesson for the present? Is the repetitive Haman mentality lost on fu- ture generations? Fortunately there are also the Mordecais who do not bend to oppression or silence their voices when protest is vital, and there are the Esthers who understand the ad- monitions that if they are silent the scourge intended for their kinfolk will strike them as well, even if they attempt to conceal their iden- tity. Thus, if the Book of Esther had a lesson for the non-Jewish world, it also has one for the Jew,-in the language of remembrance and cour- age not to hide from realities. So, Purim remains in the calendar as an admonition, while celebrating and rejoicing over past triumphs, to remain aware that the battle for justice is mankind's, that when the Jew defeats anti-Semitism he also paves a road for libertarianism wherever it is being trekked. It is not limited to one people or one area in the world. It is a quest for mankind; and the lesson of Purim is for just road-paving in the totality of the human spirit. Hon NETS S Warnings of erosions in American-Israel relations gained credibility in recent weeks and attained a new aspect endangering a long- experienced amity between nations. Only a few weeks ago, speaking as Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Moshe Arens was emphatic in his evaluation of the firmness of the amenities between the two nations. Now, soon to be on the road to Jerusalem to assume his post as his nation's Defense Minister, the man who is abandoning diplomacy to head his nation's mili- tary services deplores signs of an apparent an- tagonism that has emerged on the issues involv- ing the Middle East. While leading members of the U.S. Cabinet have been selected for criticisms of directions that have been taken on the American policies in the Middle East, the President himself emerges as the chief target. Israel's defenders now see President Ronald Reagan as the per- sonal creator of a policy that is viewed as an- tagonistic to Israel's security and as damaging to negotiations for peace agreements. While such concerns are yet to be tested for the extent of the criticisms and their validity, the appearance of renewed threats to Israel's very existence from revived PLO boastings and the uncertainties in the solving of the Lebanese problems in no sense provide comfort in the reports that emanate from Washington. Recog- NEST nizing the importance and validity of assertions that Jordan's King Hussein must play a leading role in negotiations for peace, very little has been attained in that regard more than the rhetorical which stems more from outside than the closest American sources. Ambassador Arens, speaking for Prime Minister Menahem Begin, made it clear that direct talks with Hussein would be welcomed, that the Prime Minister would welcome Hus- sein to Jerusalem or would himself go to Amman to speak with the Jordanian monarch. How much pressure = since there is such fre- quent talk about "pressures" — has been exerted by this government upon Hussein to participate in direct talks with Israelis? The rumors and the suspicions which have led to the belief that American-Israel relations have eroded are creating a new hornet's nest. They have not added to the aims for peace. President Reagan has a direct responsibility to reduce the negative allusions to the policies he is personally directing, to reaffirm the friend- ship with Israel that has great significance for this nation's role in the Middle East. Such reaf- firmations can not come too soon, else a great tradition for a great friendship, a close relation- ship very much older than reborn Israel herself, will be tragically and - unnecessarily polluted. From Holt, Rinehart, Winston `Purim' Beautifully Recorded for Children's Bookshelf Purim is treated as the most joyous of all Jewish festivals. An occasion for rejoicing, in homes and synagogues, the theme dealing with the rescuing of Jews from threatened disaster in Persia therefore lends itself as a topic not only for carnivals and exchanges of gifts but _ also as material for books especially for children. The newest of the Purim books is "Purim" (Holt, Rinehart and Winson) by Howard Greenfeld. The exceptional value of this book is the simplicity with which the story is related. It is detailed in all its aspects and it is so thoroughly recorded that it has merit not only for children but also for adults who wish to share it with the youth in the family. The artist, Elaine Grove, caught the spirit of the historic tale. The cast of characters, Esther and Mordecai, King Ahasuerus, Vashti and Haman, are delineated in impressive characterizations. So, also, are the scenes which give emphasis to the historic record in the Book of Esther. Beautifully printed, lending credence to story and pictures, "Purim" by Greenfeld and Grove is certain to fascinate young readers and the elders who read the story with them. Its size, nine inches in width , six inches high, adds to its attractiveness. This adds a welcome to the attractive work for the children's bookshelf. New Volume from Ktav Rabbi's 'With Perfect Faith' Draws on Ancient Scholars Drawing upon the teachings of the most distinguished Jewish scholars, an impressive study of Jewish philosophy is provided by Rabbi J. David Bleich in his voluminous work, "With Perfect Faith" (Ktav). With emphasis on Maimonides' "Thirteen Principles of Faith," this work is structured on the works of medieval Jewish philosophers. The great scholars whose works are defined and their philosophic concepts delineated include Saadiah Gaon, Yehuda Halevy, Ab- ravanel, Bahya, Ibn Daud, Nahmanides, Gersonides, Crescas and others in their sphere. Dogmatic principles in Judaism are outlined and each section, relating to the works and concepts of the eminent scholars, is intro- duced by Rabbi Bleich with an explanatory comment. "With Perfect Faith" is an excellent textbook for students of history, Jewish ethics and philosophy and serves well as a guide for teachers. Rabbi Bleich is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University and a professor of Jewish law and ethics at Cardozo School of Law. His highly informative work provides the admonition: "One widespread misconception concerning Judaism is the no- tion that Judaism is a religion which is not rooted in dogma. The view that Judaism has no dogmas originated with Moses Mendelssohn and subsequently gained wide currency. In some circles this idea has been maintained with such vigor that it has been somewhat jocularly described as itself constituting the 'dogma of dogmalessness.' Never- theless, even a superficial acquaintance with the classical works of Jewish philosophy is sufficient to dispel this misconceived notion."