THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Rabbi her said that the Center's direct mailings are
"emotional, but they are as factual as possible." He add-
ed that "there are enough enemies of the Jewish people
to go around. No one group should have exclusive rights
to defending the Jewish people." Rabbi her justifies the
existence of a national Jewish institution like the Wiesen-
thal Center on the West Coast, asserting. "We shouldn't put
all of our eggs in one basket, with everything coming out
of New York. The demographics show that Jews are mov-
ing away from the East to the Sun Belt and we feel Jews
should be represented where they live."
As for the charge that the Wiesenthal Center is
duplicating the work of other Jewish defense agencies,
Rabbi her said that his Center did not want to be in a
position of asking other agencies for information. "We
don't want to beg, and besides, the difference is not in com-
piling data but in analyzing it. We have a real difference
in approach. The Establishment agencies move slowly and
try to keep things quiet. We don't believe in quiet
diplomacy. We react quickly and we're not afraid to speak
out." He added that it is better for Jews to be protected
by three organizations than one or two. "We are respon-
ding to a need. That's why we're successful. Believe me,
people know how to say_ 'no' when asked for money. They
say 'yes' to us because they like our approach."
That approach — to act quickly and aggressively — is
not limited to neo-Nazi causes. The most recent issue -of
"Social. Action Update," the Wiesenthal Center's eight-
page publication which claims a circulation of 240,000, con-
tains articles on the Center's involvement in a whole varie-
ty of issues and causes, including Ethiopian Jewry, human
rights in the USSR and Canada. "It's true that we have
evolved from a strictly research institution into much
more," said associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center
Abraham Cooper. A hard-working, diligent ordained rab-
bi in his mid-30's, he is Rabbi Hier's right-hand man, hav-
ing worked with him since the Vancouver days. "We're
not in competition with anyone else. We welcome every
Jew who wants to do his share."
Together, Rabbis her and Cooper travel around the
country and the world, meeting with Senators and Ad-
ministration officials in Washington, with French Presi-
dent Mitterand in Paris, with West German Chancellor
Kohl in Berlin, and even with the Pope in Rome. After a
Wiesenthal Center delegation had a Papal audience in
1983, Rabbi Hier, who led the group, noted that while they
were encouraged by the Pope's message of friendship and
trust, "we all felt something was missing. The tragedies
of the'past were noted and mourned but there was silence
about the anti-Semitism and prejudice of today."
If there is an anti-Semitic incident in Europe or the U.S.,
Rabbi Hier acts swiftly, often holding a press conference
to speak out in the strongest possible words against the
offense. "We act quickly because we don't have the en-
cumbering bureaucracy that other Jewish organizations
have," says Wiesenthal Center counsel Martin Mendel-
sohn. But a leader of a national Jewish organization
countered that "the Wiesenthal Center people are not
responsible to anyone, so they can and do shoot from the
hip. We feel it's more important to do our homework first."
Sometimes the Center's style is not appreciated by those
they defend. In December, 1983, Mexico's Minister of In-
terior made an anti-Semitic statement and the Wiesenthal
Center acted immediately to condemn it. But the leaders
of the Mexican Jewish community were upset at "the in-
dependent action" taken by the Wiesenthal Center, which
they said "can be detrimental in the long run" to Jewish
life in Mexico. "We protest against autonomous initia-
tives," they wrote in a letter to the Center, "without tak-
Friday, October 12, 1984 23
Rabbi Hier compares
Jewish vigilance to
baseball: "We've got
to be more protective
because we've got
two strikes against
us," he says. "One
more strike and we're
out."
ing into consideration the opinions of the ones involved
or without sufficient background data which would ensure
that the move does not backfire dramatically."
Rabbi Hier said that when he spoke by phone to the
Mexican Jewish leaders shortly after the Minister of In-
terior's statement, "in English, they were hesitant, but
they told us in Yiddish, 'do what you think is best.' And
we reject the notion of keeping quiet."
'It Takes Money To Make Money'
Perfecting the art of direct
mail fund raising
Clearly, many Jews across the country support the
Wiesenthal Center's methods and actions. Typically, a
middle-aged businessman from the South explained that
he contributes to the Wiesenthal Center because it is
action-oriented and bold. "I've never given to Jewish
organizations before but this one is different. I received
their letter and I like what they stand for. I feel that
they're looking out for me."
The Center's direct-mail campaign, with letters of
solicitation from Orson Welles, Glenn Ford and others, has
been extremely successful. "We started the direct mail
campaign in 1979, long before other Jewish organizations,"
explained Marlene Hier, Rabbi Hier's wife, who handles
the direct mail campaign for the Center. "We do this to
get members, not to make money," she said, "but we've
made money anyway." More than 200,000 people have con-
tributed to the Center — thus qualifying for membership
— with the average donation $25.
While a one percent return on mass mailings is con-
sidered "break-even," the Wiesenthal Center's response
has been between 1.5 and 2 percent. "Each year the pro-
fessionals tell us it's a fluke and it can't last, but each year
our success rate has continued," said Mrs. Hier. Com-