OPINION

CONTENTS

20

Zionist Elections

DAVID HOLZEL
Conservative and Reform slates
made the most gains in the American
segment of the world Zionist
elections.

AIPAC Rebuttal

JAMES DAVID BESSER
Leaders of AIPAC deny allegations of
wrong-doing or undue influence in
American elections and on Capitol
Hill.

CLOSE-UP

Ethiopian Absorption

Sinai Hospital's Robert and Cynthia Steinberg greeted Coretta King last year at Sinai's dedication
of the Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Center.

Time To Restore The Partnership
Between Blacks, Jews, Civil Rights

THEODORE ELLENOFF

Slowly, but inexorably, the dramatic
images of Jews and blacks, marching arm
in arm down Selma streets in the face of
snarling police dogs and blasting water
cannons, are fading in the memories of
most Americans as the decade 'of the 1980s
begins to wind down.
By the end of 1989, it will have been
some twenty-five years since those
dramatic days when non-violent protest by
blacks and whites forced America to come
to grips with a discrimination policy that
fouled our Constitution and our Bill of
Rights. The televised images of marching
people who had nothing more- in common
than a burning desire to end the scourge
of racism in our nation helped create the
climate for change unseen since the conclu-
sion of hostilities between the North and
the South.
There was an unmistakable sense of
purpose and mission during those years.
There was a clear-cut understanding of
right and wrong, a moral bond between
blacks and whites, Christians and Jews;
people who saw evil and were willing to lay
down their lives, if need be, to make a dif-
ference in this country.
Regretfully, shamefully, that spirit
seems to have been confined to the history
books as events including Vietnam, the
energy crisis and the Yuppie generation
overtook and smothered the ongoing strug-
gle to end de facto segregation.
What is particularly troubling is that
the new generation of leaders in the black
and Jewish communities has no collective
memories of the alliance forged in the heat
of the southern summer. There is little

Theodore Ellenoff is president of the
American Jewish Committee.

understanding of the bonds created bet-
ween individuals and how that translated
into a united, committed front that was
able to change the attitudes and opinions
of an entire nation.
There are still so many wrongs that
need to be addressed, so many issues that
speak to basic human rights in this nation
that have been swept aside during the past
eight years. From decent housing to ap-
propriate medical care to quality education
and an opportunity to build a career of
one's choice, these are issues that cannot
be faced by any one group or individual. We
need, o restore that effective coalition bet-
ween the Jew and black that made such a
difference to the future of this nation a
quarter of a century ago.
As the black community finds its
political voice in men such as Jesse
Jackson, David Dinkins, and a number of
outstanding mayors throughout the coun-
try, we should not ignore the continued
need to create strong and committed allies
in the fight against injustice and racial and
ethnic discrimination. Let us realize that
there are, and will continue to be, some real
differences between the black and Jewish
communities. We need to address those dif-
ferences and, in fact, the American Jewish
Committee, through our representative
Marc Tanenbaum, has begun to do exactly
that. It was only several weeks ago that he
had a public discussion with Jesse Jackson
to air a variety of issues that are on our
mutual agenda.
But the overwhelming fact is both
black and Jew understand full well that the
end result of bigotry is the destruction of
basic human rights and the creation of an
atmosphere where midnight lynchings and
mass graves become society's answer to
those not in the majority.

Reprinted from the Amsterdam News.

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22

24

CHARLES HOFFMAN
Have the black Jews of Ethiopia been
absorbed easily into Israel or is a
notorious bureaucracy recreating the
immigration nightmares of the 1950s?

INSIDE WASHINGTON

The Bork Nomination,

32

JAMES DAVID BESSER
Jewish groups are expressing grave
concern over the nomination of a
conservative judge to the United
States Supreme Court.

49

FICTION

Tenting Tonight

SUSAN WEINGARDEN
A nightmarish episode of summer
camp blues has some unexpected
long-term implications.

ENTERTAINMENT

Miss First Nighter

ROBYN KLEEREKOPER
Opening night at the theater makes a
great stage entrance for radio host
Valerie Nilsen.

SINGLE LIFE

Tunnel Of Love

44tt

59

85

ALAN ABRAMS
Cross-the-border dating is part of the
scene for Jewish singles in Windsor.

DEPARTMENTS

32
36
43
48
54
55

Inside Washington
Synagogue
Business
Youth
Seniors
On The Air

59
72
76
78
82
108

Entertainment
Cooking
Women
Engagements
Births
Obituaries

CANDLELIGHTING

July 10, 1987

8:51 p.m.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

7