EDITORIAL
A Delicate Balance
Many people have been groping for the cause of the affair. Sure-
ly, the Administration's allegiance to the contras and Mr. Reagan's
compassion for the hostages helped inspire the arrangements that
Lt. Col. North and others fomented. But the President's reputed
management style — loose, "hands-off," disengaged — was a key fac-
tor. We have surely reached a unique era when the Secretary of State
has to reassure a congressional committee that "the President is
a very strong and decisive person." When testifying on Capitol Hill
last week, George Shultz also said that one of Reagan's "outstan-
ding attributes is his capacity for judgment."
"Decisiveness" and "judgment" are sine qua nons of the presiden-
cy. One should not have to convince members of Congress that these
are qualities of an incumbent in the White House.
The Presidency has been diminished by a foreign policy fiasco
based on deception and deceit that began with our enemies and car-
ried over to our allies, the American people, and our nation's
lawmakers.
There is an inherent tension in the relationship between the lay
and professional leaders of an organization, but recent problems in
several national Jewish organizations have called into question the
nature of the relationship itself.
Several months ago, in an ugly episode, the executive vice presi-
dent of the American Jewish Committee, Dr. David Gordis, was fired
by his lay president. Word had it that the president wanted more
direct involvement in the affairs of the Committee, including a voice
on the staff salary negotiations. It marked the fourth time in as many
years that the Committee was without an executive vice president.
Now comes word that Dr. Daniel Thursz is stepping down in
December as executive vice president of B'nai B'rith International.
Despite official denials, insiders say that Thursz was the victim of
a power struggle with lay president Seymour Reich over similar
issues.
The truth is that the relationship between lay and professional
leaders can vary, depending on who is at the helm on each side at
any given time. Some professionals feel their job is to lead with a
strong hand; others feel that their primary role is to serve as a
catalyst and help the lay leaders assume responsibility and make
major decisions. What is essential, though, is that the roles and
responsibilities of the CPO (chief professional officer) and the CVO
(chief volunteer officer) are spelled out clearly from the outset so that
confusion and confrontations can be avoided. Ideally, this would lead
to a true partnership and a merging of talents rather than
divisiveness at the highest levels of national Jewish organizations.
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Oval Office Roulette
Regardless of one's politics or one's assessment of Ronald Reagan,
it is not too difficult to recognize that something peculiar has been
going on during the Reagan presidency. This presidential oddity
relates, of course, to Oliver North, John Poindexter, William Casey
and all the others implicated in the Iran-contra affair. Whenever the
executive branch tries to make an end run around Congress, which
is what much of the arms for hostages/cash for the contras business
was about, there is a disturbing lack of what democracy is supposed
to be all about.
LETTERS
Tale-Bearing
There is a fine line between
R'chilut or L'shon Ha-ra
("Tale-bearing") and news
reportage. Your article "Tem-
ple Beth El Membership In
Dispute Over Its Rabbi" (Ju-
ly 10) crossed that line, going
from the latter to the former.
It was a low point for The
Jewish News and for our
community.
Rabbi Lane Steinger
Temple Emanu-El
Jewish
Cemeteries
Your article in the July
17th issue concerning the
Jewish cemeteries in the
Detroit metropolitan area
("Now and Forever") was in-
deed a tribute to the Jewish
pioneers in the Detroit area
6
FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1987
who had the foresight and
dedication of their beliefs.
However, with regard to
Beth-Olem Cemetery, your
article stated that Shaarey
Zedek is now the sole owner,
which is untrue. Cong.
Shaarey Zedek along with
Cong. B'nai Israel are joint
owners of the grounds. We
sincerely enjoyed your article
but thought you would ap-
preciate this information.
A. M. Phythian
Superintendent,
Clover Hill Park Cemetery
In your report of Jewish
cemeteries it seems that
every cemetery that was in-
terviewed volunteered infor-
mation about its operation,
existence, background, pur-
pose, etc., and no mention of
Machpelah. Why?
Could it be that Machpelah
refused to be interviewed?
Could it be that the operators
of Machpelah are ashamed to
discuss the origin of that
cemetery, or how they became
the operators, or as trustees
whom do they represent, or
who elected them?
Could it be that all that my
father has been fighting for
the past 28 years is true, and
only now is beginning to
surface?
Chayim Silverstein
Southfield
Editor's note: The dispute over
Machpelah's ownership has been
resolved in the courts and has
received adequate coverage over
the years, including this year.
Machpelah's owners were
interviewed for the article.
Vilification
Of Haredim
In "Purely Commentary" of
July 17, Mr. Slomovitz calls
the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox)
"extremists who threaten the
very existence of Israel in its
immorally inhuman anti-
Jewish and anti-democratic
principles."
We object to this diatribe
against the so-called five per-
cent Haredi minority. It
depicts hundreds of
thousands of devout, devoted
Jews who give their sweat
and blood to establish the
Jewish Yishuv in all Israel as
malcontents and dangerous.
The Haredim are today in the
forefront of aliyah and settle
in the border towns of Chat-
zor near Syria, Emanuel in
Samaria and Arad in the
Negev. These industrialists,
businessmen, educators and
farmers all abhor the violence
and subversion with which
Mr. Slomovitz associates
them all.
We protest this vilification
of such an honorable, moral
and dedicated section of
Israel's society.
We feel that this is a disser-
vice to the unified communi
ty in our city as it fans hatred
to all who are and appear to
be Haredi.
Rabbi Leib Bakst, Dr Saul We-
ingarden, Rabbi Chaim Bergs-
tein, Michael Drissman, Rabbi
Reuvan Drucker, Reuven Singal,
Rabbi Samuel E. Cohen, Rabbi
Eliezer Cohen, Larry Horowitz,
Rabbi Nochum Eisenstein, Er-
win Cohen, Rabbi Edward
Garsek, Rabbi Elimelech
Goldberg, Abraham Selesy, Rab-
bi Leo Y. Goldman, Sam Kraiz-
man, Rabbi Aharon V. Golds-
tein, Rabbi Chaskel Grubner,
Rabbi Naftali Deutsch, Rabbi
Yosef Gourarie, Rabbi Samuel
Irons, Rabbi Yitzchak Kagan,
Rabbi Leizer Levin, Rabbi
Ernest Greenfield, Rabbi Dov
Loketch, Erwin Cohen, Rabbi
Moshe Schwab, Rabbi Yoel
Sperka, Meyer Levin, Rabbi
Continued on Page 10