Friday, July 15, 1983 3
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Max M. Fisher, at 75, Has An Optimistic Message
sense of interdependence of
Israel and the Diaspora. If
you have any doubts that
American Jewry under-
stands this, consider the
probability that we will
reach the $600 million
mark for the 1983 United
Jewish Appeal campaign,
an increase of $25 million
over 1982!:
3
My -fellow Detroiter,
Marty Citrin (president of
the Council of Jewish Fed-
erations), predicted the pos-
sibility of increased Cam-
. What about Jewish edu- paign income, and you may
cation? Is there sufficient be sure this is based on the
motivation in this country? understanding and appre-
It is very very strong, . ciation of American Jewry
both here and abroad. There of Israel's needs.
Are you satisfied with the
is a realization developing
that something must be cooperation of the Israel
done, and I notice that the government relative to ad-
Reform and Conservative vancing the Diaspora-Is-
movements, as well as the rael partnership?
American Jewish Commit-
There have been ups and
tee, have been conducting downs in the Jewish Agen-
important dialogue on this cy's relationship with the
issue.
Israel government. In the
As you know, Jewish edu- areas of greatest concern to
cation was a central issue of the Agency — aliya and
the Jewish Agency Assem- rural settlement, Jewish
education and the quality of
7 bly. Through our (Louis)
Pincus Fund, we have been life in Israel — there must
carrying out invaluable be clear definition of gov-
programs throughout. the ernment and 'Jewish
Diaspora by strengthening Agency responsibilities.
teacher training, raising
The Caesarea Commis-
the standards of our school
sion
on Aliya recommended
systems and, most impor-
the
closest
collaboration be-
tant, giving children the
tween the Agency/ World
benefit of the Israel experi-
Zionist Organization and
ence.
In your role as chairman the government in the work
of the Jewish- Agency, and of aliya and absorption.
in your constant quest for And, in fact, as part of the
support for Israel, have you ongoing organized commu-
met with any antagonism nity responsibility of
Ameiican Jewry, you can
from American Jews?
On the contrary. The expect to see a greater local
trauma engendered by the involvement in the work of
threats to Israel in the aliya.
But if you're looking for
Six-Day War and the Yom
, Kippur War reinforced the an example of improved
(Continued from Page 1)
We hear so much gloom
and doom from those who
feel that assimilation would
destroy the Jewish people. I
don't believe this at all, and
I think we will gain added
strength with the involve-
ment of young leadership.
They ask penetrating ques-
tions and are not satisfied
with "pat answers."
I notice, for example, that
they identify with the cause
of Jewish education in all its
facets.
.
(-
1 7
cooperation between the
Jewish Agency and the Is-
rael government, I would
point to their coordination
on Project Renewal.
Can you expand on that?
Working relations be-
tween the government,
Project Renewal neighbor-
hoods and their twinned
communities abroad are
really excellent. Detroiters
who have visited Ramla can
attest to the genuine out-
pouring of affection from
the neighborhood residents.
When Project Renewal
was initiated five years ago,
there appeared to be many
questions, even an-
tagonism, among the Is-
raelis.
I have not found this to be
the case because people on a
local level are making deci-
sions and moving Project
Renewal ahead. Time will
show that this great
humanitarian undertaking
has pushed our relationship
with the Israelis a great
- step forward.
tively rechart their direc-
tion in life. And knowing
this, their parents show a
new excitement and op-
timism.
have you met with any
Arab leadership? Any Hope
in this area?
I have not had much occa-
sion to meet with Arab
representatives. However, I
did spend time with (Egyp-
tian) President Mubarak
and several members of his
cabinet which I think has
been very useful.
I am hopeful that conver-
sation is possible in the fu-
ture, and only by setting up
dialogue can we eliminate
some of the antagonism.
Dialogue of a different
sort: How do you judge the
New Jewish Agenda and the
Jewish Defense League? Do
you favor welcoming these
movements into organized
How accurate is the pic-
ture portrayed in the press
of severe divisions between
Sephardi and Ashkenazi
Jews in Israel? Will Project
Renewal have any impact
on alleviating this divisive-
ness?
.
The situation is not as bad
„ as portrayed. Education, of
course, is the answer. And
here is where Project Re-
newal shines. People who
had no hope now speak of
the future. And most of
these people are of Sephardi
origin.
If you take children who
were a step behind when
they started school and give
them a head start on their
education, you can effec-
Daily—Hospital
Sympathy
FRUIT
BASKETS
Jewish ranks?
They represent two ex-
tremes in a pluralistic
society. I don't believe they
represent a potent force in
Jewish life.
In advancing Israel's
cause and needs, what is
your impression of the level
of understanding among
non-Jews? How serious is
the occasional, but well-
publicized, anti-Israel re-
sponse?
To a great degree, I have
found non-Jews to be sup-
portive of Israel. Although
with the Lebanese situation
last year we did run into
some negative feeling, I be-
lieve that as time has gone
on this response has tended
to change.
pealed the lower court deci- AJCongress filed a friend-
of-the-court brief in support
sion.
The Seventh Circuit of the 'IRS position.
Redlich said the Al-
Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia over- liance's principal publica-
turned last June 28 the tion, "Attack!" published in
lower court order, ruling newspaper format, contains
that the Alliance did not stories, pictures and edito-
meet requirements , set up rials alleging that "non-
by the Alliance did not meet whites" principally
requirements set up by blacks = are inferior to
Congress for tax exemption white Americans of Euro-
because Alliance materials pean ancestry, and are ag-
were not "educational" gressively harmful and
under "any reasonable in- dangerous, and that
"Jewish control" of United
terpretation" of that term.
The stated purpose of the States governMent policy is
Alliance is "arousing in - harmful to the interests of
white American of Euro- white Americans of Euro-
pean ancestry an under- pean ancestry..
The appeals court deci-
standing of and a pride in
their racial and cultural sion declared that "even
heritage and an awareness under the most minimal re-
of the present dangers to quirement of a rational de-
velopment of a: point of view,
that heritage.
Redlich said that deci- National Alliance mate-
sion, if upheld on any , rials fall short.
If the Alliance imple-
further appeals, would
ments
plans to appeal, the
insure that American
taxpayers would not be Jewish Telegraphic Agency
forced to subsidize the- was told, it has two options.
publication and distribu- It may ask for a re-hearing
tion, under the guise of of the case by the Court of
educational activities, of Appeals or it may seek a
crude anti-Semitic and Supreme Court review of
the appeals court ruling.
other racist materials.
Redlich, who is dean of The JTA also was told AJ-1
the New York University Congress officials do not;
law school, said the appeals have information on when
court decision did not in any the Alliance will appeal the
way endanger First circuit court ruling or which!
option it plans to choose.
Amendment rights. The
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KEREN K ',NEMETH LEISRAEL
Ways To Drive
A New Oldsmobile
- From Glassman
Appeal Sought by Group on Tax Ruling
NEW YORK (JTA) --
The National Alliance, de-
scribed by the American
Jewish Congress as an
openly racist group, plans to
appeal a federal appeals
court decision denying it tax
exempt status, the AJCon-
gress said.
A ruling which over-
turned a lower court deci-
sion upholding tax exemp-
tion for the Alliance was
hailed by an AJCongress of-
ficial as a major step in clos-
ing a tax loophole used , by
such organizations as the
Alliance to finance virulent
anti-Semitic and racist
propaganda.
Norman Redlich, co-
chairman of the AJCon-
gress commission on law
and social action, said this
was the first known decision
denying a federal tax
exemption to a group whose
program consists of issuing_
racist propaganda.
The Alliance, a Virig-
nia corporation with its
office in Arlington, had
a rgued_ that it was
entitled to tax exemption
because it served an
"educational function."
The federal district court
for the District of Columbia,
had ordered the Internal
Revenue Service, on May
27, 1981, to grant the
exemption. The IRS ap-
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