PURELY COMMENTARY

Never Shred Fact, Memory: Gordis Branding Waldheim

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor Emeritus

While recoiling from the contempt
aroused by abuses of citizenship in the
recent shredding of government
documents, a sacred duty must be at-
tached toward protecting truth and re-
tained memories about human
obligations.
This applies to all obligations for
the advancement of higher values in-
volving relationships with fellow be-
ings. It relates to the duty to join in the
battle against racism. It means that
when one fights prejudice, anti-
Semitism included, it must be done
without fear or hesitation.
The recent condemnation of the
Nazi guilt of Kurt Waldheim, who won
his election to the presidency of Austria,
proved the hypocrisy of some elements,
of some nations, who ignored the revela-
tions about Waldheim and kept exten-
ding a friendly hand to him.
Long before the 1986-1987 exposing
of the Waldheim guilt, there was one
man who condemned him as an anti-
Semite and stated it in a letter to the
New York Times. It was the fearless act
of Dr. Robert Gordis, in 1981, when the
NYTimes ignored his condemnation
and refused to publish the letter.
It's a pity that many sets of cor-
respondence get lost, that some impor-
tant documentaries are shelved. One
such set showed up this week —
miraculously, if the designation will be

Dr. Robert Gordis

permitted. It was an exchange of letters
with my friend Robert Gordis.
The fact that several years ago, in
that exchange, Dr. Gordis branded Kurt
Waldheim an anti-Semite lends impor-
tance to these letters. Under a date of
Feb. 27, 1981, he wrote to me:
When the January 15th issue
of The Jewish News, in which
you reprinted the letter I had
written back in 1975, came to my
attention, I experienced a shock
compounded both of pleasure
and of pain. I will confess that it
was a pleasure to find that you

still remembered a letter that I
had written six years ago. It was
a modest effort to rouse the con-
science of Jews and non-Jews
alike against the mounting tide
of anti-Semitism in the councils
of the United Nations, which
was being converted into the
world headquarters of anti-
Semitism. My pain stemmed
from the sad recognition that
the United Nations has persisted
in its evil course to destroy the
State of Israel and bring about
the extinction of the Jewish
people.
Recently, Dr. Kurt Waldheim,
secretary general of the UN,
enhanced his reputation for
anti-Jewish prejudice in a par-
ticularly crass manner. When he
visited Jerusalem, he was taken
to see Yad Vashem, the
poignantly moving memorial to
the six million Jewish victims of
the Holocaust. When asked to
cover his head in the memorial
chamber in respect to the mar-
tyrs, he refused. However, when
he visited the Mosque of Omar,
he removed his shoes — as he
properly should have — in
deference to Muslim practice.
Can impartiality and even-
handedness go any further?
It occurred to me that you
might find interesting the letter
I sent to the New York Times,
which they did not believe "fit to

print." Possibly you might
disagree with them and I am
enclosing a copy of that text.
The copy of the letter Dr. Gordis wrote
to the New York Times, which he at-
tached to the personal one to me, follows
in full:

In his letter to the Editor
(Jan. 13, 1981), Steven S. Orlow
calls attention to the unabashed
pro Arab partisanship being
displayed by Kurt Waldheim,
secretary general of the United
Nations, in permitting two West
Bank Arab mayors to use the
precincts of the United Nations
for a political demonstration.

In another incident, Mr.
Waldheim recently enhanced
his reputation for blatant pro-
Arab bias by his callous insen-
sitivity and down right
discourtesy to his hosts. When
visiting Jerusalem he was taken
to Yad Vashem, the impressive
memorial building honoring the
memory of the 6,000,000 Jewish
men, women and children
murdered by the Nazis in the
Holocaust. Mr. Waldheim
categorically refused the re-
quest to don a skull-cap in the
memorial chamber as a symbol
of respect, in accordance with
traditional Jewish practice. This
procedure visitors of every faith

Continued on Page 30

Definitive Jewish Humor

Wry Without Vulgarizations

Are Jews lacking in humor? Does tions and together with authoritative
Israel need humor for survivalism? Is contributing writers gives informative
the vulgar factor being rejected guidelines and exposes the appalling
properly?
negatives that have dragged humor in-
Many books have been written on . to filth.
the subject. Ephraim Kishon is famous
Prof. Cohen's introductory essay
in Israel. Nathan Ausubel enriched the and a complementary one on "The
anthological. Samuel Felix Mendelsohn Unkosher Comedienne" prove much
wrote extensively on the subject. Im- merit in her role as editor of the ac-
manuel Olsvarger's Roite Pomerantzen cumulated essays.
remains unmatched in value.
Noted writers like Irving Howe
There are blessings in the newest assist in giving weight to the subject
compilation on humor. Under the title under consideration.
Jewish Wry — Essays on Jewish Humor
Jewish Thy has the quality of in-
(Indiana University Press), Sarah dicating that the Jew can laugh at
Blacher Cohen, associate professor of himself, that humor is a self-defensive
English at State University of New weapon. It also is the means of ex-
York at Albany, provides her own defini- coriating the stage Jew who resorted to
vulgarities in self-portrayals. It should
be remembered that the Anti-
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
(US PS 275-520) is published every Friday
Defamation League was founded not
with additional supplements the fourth
only to fight anti-Semitism, to mobilize
week of March, the fourth week of August
against the venom of Ford, Coughlin,
and the second week of November at
Hitler and their ilk, but also to
20300 Civic Center Drive, Southfield,
Michigan.
repudiate the vulgarities that were cur-
rent in the first decades of this century
Second class postage paid at Southfield,
in the abuses of the entertainment
Michigan and additional mailing offices.
world.
Postmaster: Send changes to:
Prof. Cohen adds immensely to an
DETROIT JEWISH NEWS, 20300 Civic
understanding of the humor trends in
Center Drive, Suite 240, Southfield,
Michigan 48076
Jewry. Her introductory essay makes
use
of the most appropriate stories. In
$24 per year
fact, every essay in her edited work
$26 per year out of state
utilizes the suitable tales.
60' single copy
In her introductory essay to her col-
Vol. XCI No. 25
August 14, 1987
lected works, Prof. Cohen inspires her

readers by asserting:
Jewish humor has helped
the Jewish people to survive, to
confront the indifferent, often
hostile universe, to endure the
painful ambiguities of life and to
retain a sense of internal power
despite their external im-
potence. The following anecdote
illustrates the Jews' comic vi-
sion which enables them to cope
with their impending doom:
"An Englishman, a Fren-
chman, an American and a Jew
are in the midst of a philosophic
discussion. The problem is pos-
ed how each would act when it
became unmistakably clear that
they had only a few hours to live.
They hypothesize the situation
in which a flood inundates the
land, there is no means of
escape and they are awaiting
the inevitable end. The
Englishman speaks first: 'I
would open my best bottle of
port. Sit and enjoy every sip.
Think of the life I've lived, the
experiences I've had and let the
waters come and take me.'
"The Frenchman says, 'I
would drink a great Bordeaux,
prepare a coq au vin, make love
and let the waters overwhelm
me thus:
"The American is next: He

2

FRIDAY, AUG. 14, 1987

Sarah Blacher Cohen

would eat, drink, make love, try
to improvise a raft and finally
swim until his strenth gave out,
and he drowned, 'fighting to the
end."
"The Jew says: "I would do
all you have described and
when the water got over my
head, I guess I would have to
learn how to live underwater: "
The Jews refuse to succumb
to the dire circumstances. Aban-
doning the stance of tragic
heroism, they create an alter-
native to an ennobling death.
They learn to fashion their own

Continued on Page 30

