4 Friday, November 23, 1984 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS THE JEWISH NEWS CAPITOL REPORT Serving Detroit's Metropolitan Jewish Community with distinction for four decades. WOLF BLITZER Editorial and Sales offices at 17515 West Nine Mile Road, Suite 865, Southfield, Michigan 48075-4491, TELEPHONE 424-8833 PUBLISHER: Charles A. Buerger EDITOR EMERITUS: Philip Slomovitz EDITOR: Gary Rosenblatt BUSINESS MANAGER: Carmi M. Slomovitz ART DIRECTOR: Kim Muller-Thym NEWS EDITOR: Alan Hitsky LOCAL NEWS EDITOR: Heidi Press EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Tedd Schneider LOCAL COLUMNIST: Danny Raskin OFFICE STAFF: Marlene Miller Dharlene Norris Phyllis Tyner Pauline Weiss Ellen Wolfe PRODUCTION: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Dona- ld-Cheshure Lauri Biafore Cathy Ciccone Rick Nessel Curtis Deloye Danny Raskin Ralph Orme' Seymour Schwartz © 1964 by The Detroit Jewish News (US PS 275-520) Second Class postage paid at Southfield, Michigan and additional marling offices. Subscription $18 a year. CANDLELIGHTING AT 4:47 P.M. VOL. LXXXVI, NO. 13 Helms at the helm? Contrary to his promise to North Carolina voters to maintain his position as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, it seems increasingly likely that ultra-conservative Republican Jesse Helms will assume the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is said to prefer the Foreign Relations post and his senior aides are acting as though he will take it. Helms' record on Israel is the worst in the Senate. He has voted against aid to Israel, supports arms sales to the Arabs and, most distressing of all, publicly, called on President Reagan during the height of the war in Lebanon to break relations with Israel. It should be noted, though, that the majority of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is pro-Israel and that in four years with Charles Percy as chairman, supporters of Israel never lost a vote. Pro-Israel supporters are not the only ones in Washington disturbed by the prospect. The State Department, leading Republicans and Democrats are worried that Helms will use the position to disrupt future negotiations with the Soviets and U.S. diplomatic activities from Central America to the Far East. On a political level, Republicans fear that Helms will hurt this party's image and may lead to a Democratic Senate majority in 1986. The Reagan Administration and Senate leaders would prefer to see Richard Lugar of Indiana, who is the next ranking Republican, assume the chairmanship of Foreign Relations. Lugar is a respected leader and has a solid record on Israel. But the job is Helms' if he wants it and we'll find out next week if he prefers to champion his constituents' tobacco advocacy or grandstand on foreign policy. Reagan landslide victory mixed blessing forlsrael BY WOLF BLITZER The Jewish News Washington correspondent Washington — President Ronald Reagan's dramatic, landslide re- election potentially portends some mixed blessings for Israel. On the one hand, Reagan is clearly a proven and committed friend whose gut instincts toward Israel are almost always positive. On the other hand, he has won a truly impressive, personal mandate from the American people to try to implement his national agenda over the coming four years — both on domestic as well as foreign pol- icy matters. The President, therefore, will be in an unusually strong position to lean on Israel if he should so desire. Israeli officials in Washington and their American supporters are, of course, well aware of this fact. They were quietly expressing hope shortly after the election that Reagan and his foreign policy team will be tempered in pressing Israel too tightly into a corner. Walter Mondale's backers in the Jewish community had repeatedly warned over the past several months that a second term Reagan presidency would be in a position to impose all sorts of demands on Israel — economic as well as political — without worry of domestic political retribution. Certainly, the "moderate" Arab states, including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, are now hoping to see Washington embark on a new, get- tough policy toward Israel. They had privately sided with Reagan during the campaign, convinced that Mondale was simply too pro-Israel to ever ac- cept their concerns. But there is a prevailing sense in Washington that the Arabs are going to be in for a disappointment. This Administration — with George Shultz staying on as Secretary of State — is in no mood to overly antagonize the new national unity government of Prime Minister Shimon Peres. They view Peres as about as de- cent and forthcoming an Israeli leader as is realistically possible. They do not want to do anything to weaken his admittedly fragile position in Israel. If anything, they want to strengthen him, recognizing that other potential prime ministers could cause Washing- ton considerably more grief. There is also mounting despair in the U.S. capital over the entirecom- plex and seemingly endless sources of tension in the Middle East. The first Reagan term of office suffered re- peatedly and badly in the region, the disasters in Lebanon being only the climax of many other embarrassing setbacks. There is no great desire to jump back into that mess. This Administration — with George Shultz staying on as Secretary of State — is in no mood to antagonize the new national unity government of Shimon Peres. There are several other areas around the world where the Adminis- tration will be more inclined to under- take new diplomatic initiatives — arms control with the Soviet Union and easing overall East-West tensions being number one on the agenda. This should mount up to a general inclina- tion to avoid the grand Arab-Israeli arena as much as possible. As long as Reagan is President, the upward curve in American-Israel relations can be expected to continue. University crises Major among the victims of the economic difficulties in Israel are the universities. The pride of the nation, the creative, cultural force of a people whose chief aspirations are the advancement of its spiritual values, the reduction in means of continuing higher education aims is appalling. Symptomatic is the deplorable revelation-that Hebrew University in Jerusalem has limited means to carry on its vast program and may be compelled to close ranks or greatly reduce functioning in a matter of weeks. Tel Aviv University, Haifa University, the University of the Negev and the other important schools are seriously affected. Ben-Gurion University temporarily closed. Earlier, concern about its future functions was expressed by Bar-Ilan University. Technion similarly warned of the threats to the school, on a par with other universities in Israel. Partial solution to the crisis lies in the attitudes and interest of the Diaspora. Exemplary in generosity toward the schools is the response to the needs of the Technion and Bar-Ilan University in this community. While the bulk of the funds towards the enumerated schools comes from t, te Israel government, it is apparent that outside aid is an utter necessity. Therefore, assistance to Israel's universities, by Detroit Jewry and other Diaspora communities, becomes an obligation. - 1 ..- --. › •:41 41 . . . _, .... „ ,,,,,, . N lir' a_________- ..... • .a_ .