2 Friday, January 20, 1984
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
Lessening Opportunities
for Peace Accord With
Accumulating Suspicions
For all too long, it has been an unhappy relationship
between friends of Israel and the media, and between
negotiators over issues involving Arab-Jewish disputes. It
is urgent that there be an end to bitterness and animosities.
Several instances of an antagonistic nature continued
in recent weeks to add to the tensions, and they are regret-
table.
Evidence of successes in bringing Arab spokesmen
closer to negotiating -possibilities have been undermined,
and the concern lest they stemmed from threats is espe-
cially serious.
Especially aggravating are disputes like those that are
currently fanned over Anthony Lewis' charges, in his
NYTimes articles, that major Jewish organizations
(AIPAC and ADL) have taken statesments by Arab aca-
demicians out of context in charges of prejudice. Lewis had
introduced an Arab scholar as an advocate of peace, while
the critics accused him of endorsing the terrorists.
The details are immaterial in the consideration of the
basics in all cases involving such disputes. This matter
may, in the ultimate, be based on interpretation. In the
totality of tackling issues involving the Arab-Israel con-
flict, there is an urgency to eliminate suspicions and to deal
with facts. The responsible Jewish agencies can not be
faulted, especially when dealing with Anthony Lewis and
his associates who have maligned Israel. Nevertheless,
there must be emphasis on the compelling urgency to pre-
sent facts so firmly that Israel's case should not be harmed
-
An Urgent Need to Eliminate Suspicions and to
Strive for Cooperation in Quest for Mideast
Peace . . . Unnecessary Hysteria on Missionaries
and approaches to amity are strengthened.
A sample of media involvement was presented in a
series of articles by David K. Shippler in the New York
Times. Quotations from Arab sources were aggravating,
and those by Israelis represented in the presentations must
surely have irritated Arabs. As means of approaching the
task for a possible accord, even the harmful toward Israel
must be treated with seriousness if a cooperative possibility
is to be attained.
Often, suspicions are more damaging than misrep-
resentations, and the latter stem from the former. There-
fore, the urgency for caution so that resort to suspicions
that fan hatreds can be avoided and not encouraged.
Proselytizers' Panic
and Unwarranted Hysteria
Much is being touted at this time over the activities of
missionaries in Israel who are accused of conducting a
proselytizing campaign. Some instances of violence have
been condemned in Jewish ranks and there is a growing
sentiment, ridiculing the fears, that challenges the Jewish
community to be traditional in its treatment of such "dan-
gers."
Are they "dangers" to Jewish existence? Many must be
puzzled that such hysteria should have developed, in of all
places, Israel. Could, or should, anyone imagine that the
major Jewish community in the world is endangered from
proselytism because missionaries have the freedom to dis-
tribute their New Testaments and therefore encourage be-
lief in Jesus? Is the Jewish home and the Jewish school
system in Israel so weak that even a handful could fall prey
to such propagandistic religious activities?
Proselytizing Over-Blown Problem in Israel
By CARL ALPERT
HAIFA — It is true that
there is Christian mission-
ary work in Israel. Pro-
selytizing among the Jews
is nothing new. British
evangelical societies have
operated among the Jews of
Palestine for more than 150
years. The work of the mis-
sionary groups in the
United States is well
known. We are on the mail-
ing list of several of them.
We do not see indication
of any unusual increase in
this ongoing missionary ac-
tivity in Israel. What has
increased is the anti-
missionary publicity.
New organizations and
public relations activity of
certain individuals give the
impression that there has
been a sudden spurt in pro-
selytizing. The spurt has
been in the counter-
missionary activity, leading
to the impression that terri-
ble things have been hap-
pening.
The various • missionary
groups here carry on their
activity against very great
odds. The occasional and
rare conversions to Chris-
tianity are exaggerated so
that the impression is given
of a great wave of receptive-
ness among the Jews. That
encourages the financial
sources back in the U.S. to
send more money to save
more souls. We wonder to
what extent the alarmist
exaggerations of the -anti-
missionaries have the same
purpose?
Has anyone thought of
pointing out that, on the
other hand, the number of
Christians who convert to
Judaism in Israel runs to
several hundreds each
year? This would be only
natural, since the environ-
ment is Jewish, and there
are sound cultural, intellec-
tual and social reasons for
such change of faith.
In the other direction,
CARL ALPERT
there will always be people
who may decide to abandon
Judaism, whether out of
conviction, or because they
are weak-minded, gullible
or crackpots seeking easy
solutions, religious or other,
to some of their own
psychological problems. To
cite these as indication of a
great and menacing wave of
missionary activity is to re-
nder a terrible disservice in
that it condemns every
Christian who may express
an honest "love" for the
Jewish people.
If that is part of their reli-
gious feelings we would be
guilty of the worst kind of
prejudice if we were to bar
them from Israel, as some
zealots request.
It is true that missionary
activity is not illegal in Is-
rael. This is a democratic
country and Christians are
free to propagandize for
their faith just as Jews are
free (with much greater
success) to propagandize for
their faith. What is illegal is
to offer money or other tan-
gible inducement to change
one's religion.
Some of the Christian
evangelical groups operate
small hotels or hostels to
which they bring ever-
increasing numbers of
Christian pilgrims. This is
their Holy Land, too, and we
are anxious to encourage
this kind of tourism. Such
hotels create a religious at-
mosphere for their guests,
both in decorative sym-
bolism and in public prayer
services.
Panic-stricken foes of the
missionaries have de-
manded that Jews be
banned from entering such
places. How ironic it would
be if, in the state of Israel, a
law compelled these hotels
to put up signs reading: No
Jews allowed!"
Much more serious in Is-
rael is the trend toward
cults among the youth. The
young Jews who have fallen
victim to these number in
the hundreds. A few leave
the country. Some crack up
(one committed suicide not
long ago); the remainder
come to their senses after
awhile. American Jews
have a similar problem.
In summary: there is mis-
sionary work here; it is oc-
casionally successful, but
the only real upsurge is in
the renewed public rela-
tions program of the Jewish
religious groups which
combat the missionaries.
There is a place for anti-
missionary activity, espe-
cially in promoting Jewish
education. So long as it does
not succumb to hysteria,
such educational efforts
merit support.
By Philip
Slomovitz
It is difficult to believe that many have responded to
the missionaries, other than to treat them courteously and
rejectingly. The highest claim of Jews having converted is
2,000, and in most instances the number was in the very
few hundreds. Wherein lies the danger?
There were times when Jews converted to acquire
status and academic positions. Heinrich Heine said in
1869: "The baptismal certificate is the admission ticket
into European civilization." Even to acquire such certifi-
cates only a handful abandoned Judaism.
Taking the issue closer to home, have those who have
yielded to the hysteria in Israel over missionary presence
considered, as an example, Oak Park, Mich? There are
missionaries here in the Michigan community as well. Has
anyone panicked? As in Israel, are they denied the freedom
to spout their views? Isn't the Oak Park community truly
strong in ignoring the attempt at proselytizing? Aren't the
Lubavitcher laughing up their sleeves over the presence of
"meshumadim" in their vicinity?
There is on the record a very famous statement by the
Baal Shem, the Shem, the founder of Hasidism, in "Shibhe
HaBesht: "Every Jew is an organ of the Shekhina. As long
as the organ is joined to the body, however tenuously, there
is hope; once it is cut off, all hope is lost."
Not only the followers of the Baal Shem Tov but all
Jews are aware of the danger and they also take into ac-
count the admonition in Jeremiah 17:13: "All that forsake
Thee shall be ashamed."
A strong Jewish community, rooted in tradition, dedi-
cated to learning, need have no fear, and hysteria is not to
be tolerated where there is dedication, understanding,
knowledge. Where there are weaknesses and such strength
is lacking, there is cause for shame.
The fact, based on actual analyses, is that proselytizing
is so minute that time wasting over it should be regretted
and hysteria avoided.
The Passing of Saad Haddad
and a Long Record of
Israel-Maronite Friendship
Israel mourns the death of Saad Haddad for many
reasons.
The cordiality that developed between this Maronite-
Lebanese leader and the Israelis led to military accommo-
dations. The battle against PLOism had Haddad's collab-
oration. Israel loses a friend, the Lebanese an able leader.
Major Haddad's death serves to recall the many years
of Maronite leanings in support of Israel, which was in the
main quiet and was a secret, except in the Lebanese Chris-
tian contributions toward preventing the kind of animosity
toward Israel that existed for three decades on all the other
borders of Arab states. Haddad was the most outspoken
advocate of friendship with Israel and he became an ac-
tivitist in such a movement.
No wonder, therefore, that in the death of Saad Had-
dad, Israel feels bereaved for a devoted friend.
Bedouin Leaders Discuss Problems at HU Meeting
JERUSALEM — A meet-
ing between Israeli Bedouin
leaders and academic and
public figures was held last
month on the Mount Scopus
campus of the Hebrew Uni-
versity to discuss problems
faced by the Bedouins in ad-
Efforts Against
Boycott Lauded
NEW YORK — The
American Jewish Congress
has given high grades to the
U.S. Department of Com-
merce for its enforcement of
legislation designed to
counter the Arab boycott of
Israel.
The anti-boycott pro-
visions are contained in the
Export Administration Act
(EAA). During the past
year, civil penalties totaling
$1,375,000 were imposed on
53 companies according to
the January 1984 issue of
"Boycott Report," published
by the AJCongress. Among
the major companies
charged with violating the
anti-boycott provisions and
penalized were Bank of
America, Citibank, the
Chrysler Corp. and Dravo
Corp.
justing to the circumstances
of modern Israeli life.
The meeting, sponsored
by the Martin Buber Insti-
tute for Adult Education
and the Israel Interfaith
Association, was the first of
its type hosted at the uni-
versity and was reciprocal
to one hosted earlier this
year by Bedouin notables in
their tent homes in Israel's
Negev desert.
Among those meeting
with the visitors were
Binyamin Gur-Arye, ad-
viser to the prime minister
on Arab affairs; Prof. Zwi
Werblowsky, professor of
comparative religion and
the history of Jewish
thought at the university
and chairman of the Israel
Interfaith Association; and physician.
Moshe Ben-Haim, head of
Dr. Abu-Rabia and other
the Moslem Department of Bedouin spokesmen told of
the Israeli Ministry of Reli- the problems facing the Be-
gious Affairs.
douins in the Negev, includ-
ing the difficulty of trying to
Among the Bedouin adjust to a new village way
guests were two tribal of life, the lack of sufficient
sheihs, who came in their farm and grazing land, in-
traditional dress, and Dr. adequate schools, and the
Younis Abu-Rabia, a challenge of preserving Be-
graduate of the Hebrew douin heritage and tradi-
University - Hadassah tion in the face of changes
Medical School and the brought about by a modern
first Israeli Bedouin society.
Education Poll
NEW YORK (JTA) —
Jewish lay leaders, respond-
ing to a nation-wide poll,
indicated satisfaction with
the Jewish schools their
children attend but indi-
cated also they were less
than happy with Jewish
education generally. The
poll was conducted by the
Jewish Education Service of
North America.
4'•
Two Bedouin sheiks make their way around the
Hebrew University's Mount Scopus campus in
Jerusalem. The sheiks were part of a Bedouin delega-
tion which spent a day at the university last month.