THE JEWISH NEWS Serving Detroit's Metropolitan Jewish Community with distinction for four decades. Editorial and Sales offices at - 20300 Civic Center Dr., Suite 240, Southfield, Michigan 48076-4138 Telephone (313, 354-6060 PUBLISHER: Charles A. Buerger ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Arthur M. Horwitz EDITOR EMERITUS: Philip Slomovitz EDITOR: Gary Rosenblatt CONSULTANT: Carmi M. Slomovitz ART DIRECTOR: Kim Muller-Thym NEWS EDITOR: Alan Hitsky LOCAL NEWS EDITOR: Heidi Press STAFF WRITER: David Holzel LOCAL COLUMNIST: Danny Raskin ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Lauri Biafore Randy Marcuson Judi Monblatt Rick Nessel Danny Raskin OFFICE STAFF: Lynn Fields Percy Kaplan Pauline Max Marlene Miller Dharlene Norris Phyllis Tyner Mary Lou Weiss Pauline Weiss Ellen Wolfe PRODUCTION: Donald Cheshure Cathy Ciccone Curtis Deloye Joy Gardin Ralph Orme c 1986 by The Detroit Jewish News (US PS 275-520) Second Class postage paid at Southfield. Michigan and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: 1 year - S21 — 2 years - S39 — Out of State - $23 — Foreign - $35 CANDLELIGHTING AT 8:15 P.M. VOL. LXXXIX, NO. 25 Get Tough With The Source America prides itself on taking action against countries threatening the lives of our citizens, with the bombing of Libya the most recent example. But there are countries in South America that help contribute to the deaths of more Americans than all terrorist groups combined and we not only take no action against them but seek large foreign aid increases for them. We're referring to countries like Bolivia, Columbia and Peru, from which huge quantities of deadly and illegal drugs, primarily cocaine, are shipped to the U.S. While President Reagan went on television to declare that the drug epidemic in America is "a threat to our national security," his Administration has not sought a linkage between American aid and cooperation to reduce the export of illegal drugs. Certainly the issue of narcotics cannot be the only factor in determining the U.S. policy, but it seems inconsistent to deplore the growing danger of drug imports while advocating aid increases for countries that lead in drug-trafficking. Bush Talks The Jewish News was honored to be one of only five American Jewish newspapers to be invited to a White House interview with Vice President Bush last week upon his return from a 10-day visit to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. (See story, page 32). As Editor Gary Rosenblatt reports, the interview, like the Vice President's trip, may have been more symbolic than substantive, but itreflects the increasingly important role of the Jewish press in this country in reporting on and interpreting major events affecting the Jewish community in the U.S., Israel and around the world. The Vice President took the opportunity to seek to convey to the American Jewish community his support of Israel and his analysis of the Mideast problems. What is significant is that he recognized the value of reaching such an audience through the Jewish press, and we hope he and other key officials of the Administration, including the President, will continue to recognize this important medium. OP-ED `Star Wars' Agreement: No Blessing For Israel? AMIRAM EFRATI ft n recent weeks, the governments of Israel and the United States signed an agreement to cooperate in re- search related to President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, the so- called "Star Wars" program. Within most of the American Jewish press an impression has been generated that all of Israel supports this agreement, that Star Wars cooperation - will be to the benefit of Israel, etc. But, is this really so? Participation in Star Wars re- , search and development would entail the long-term commitment of some of the best and brightest of Israel's scien- tific talent to the needs of the U.S. military-industrial-governmental complex. It would also mean that, for the first time, the State of Israel would be directly involved in a program that posed a major threat (real or implied) to the other superpower, the Soviet Union. Obviously, this would seri- ously exacerbate Israel-Soviet ten- sions, thereby raising a possibly deci- sive barrier to Israeli-Arab peace negotiations. At the same time, such heightened tensions between the Soviet Union and the State of Israel could seriously compromise the posi- tion of the approximately two million Jews now living in the USSR. At a time when many leaders of America's biggest allies remain un- committed, at a time when Western public opinion is increasingly dubious of the logic behind Star Wars, why must Israel's leaders rush to commit themselves and their country to this program? I Amiram Efrati is the political representative of Mapam (the United Workers' Party of Israel) to the United States and Canada. Even in the United States, this remains a very controversial program. One does not have to read Ncuclear Times; it is in the pages of any major American newspaper. Many of Israel's staunchist supporters oppose Star Wars, arguing that it is a stupend- ously expensive escalation of the arms race, which would leave America's se- curity diminished, rather than in- creased. Why should Israel risk : Zs Heightened tensions between the Soviet Union and Israel could seriously compromise the two million Jews living in the USSR alienating many of her strongest sup- porters in the United States by this agreement? Numerous analysts, both in the United States and in Israel, are con- cerned about the nature of the rela- tionship between Israel and the United States, and its effect upon Is- rael's freedom of action. The indepen- dence of action and policy that the State of Israel needs to guide .herself through the rough waters of Middle East diplomacy may be hampered by the warm embrace of her friend in the West. At the same time, Israel's policies will be increasingly dictated, not by the needs of Israeli security and regional peace and stability, but rather by one side in the East-West conflict. In the long run, Israel may not gain as much as some Israeli officials — or friends of Israel abroad — think. It remains to be seen what the incom- ing Likud-led "National Unity Gov- ernment" will do with the SDI Agree- ment signed by their predecessors. .