EDITORIAL

Let George Do It

On the good news-bad news front: while there was no discerni-
ble progress made between Jerusalem and Washington during Israeli
Prime Minister Shamir's visit here last week, there was also no
discernible cooling in the warm relations between the two allies.
Indeed, Shamir and the Administration spoke of the "unshakable
friendship" that exists between the U.S. and Israel. The fact that
there were no tangible negative repurcussions in spite of Shamir's
virtual rejection of George Shultz's peace plan is a testimony to the
Secretary of State's equanimity, and empathy for Israel.
Shultz understands the difficulty for Jerusalem in endorsing a
plan, however well-intentioned, when the Israeli government itself
is divided. He has been patient in all of his dealings with Israel's
leadership, and while reportedly offering economic incentives to the
Jewish state for accepting his peace proposal, he has gone out of his
way to state that the U.S. will not seek to "punish" Jerusalem in
terms of economic aid or political pressure. This is an enlightened
approach, particularly for those who remember the deep fears caus-
ed by the Ford Administration's "reassessment" of U.S. policy towards
Israel when Jerusalem resisted Washington's pressure to return land
captured in the Yom Kippur War.
On a human, as well as diplomatic, level, Shultz must be disap-
pointed, for he has worked tirelessly on the plan and staked his per-
sonal reputation on it by meeting with leaders in the region.
Despite widespread pessimism, Shultz plans to visit the Mideast
again soon and continue his efforts, an indication that he believes
there may be a chance for progress. Whether or not one agrees with
the specifics of his proposal, American Jews and the Jerusalem
government owe the Secretary a debt of gratitude for the manner
in which he has conducted himself. We wish him well in his ongo-
ing efforts.

may become complacent. Some may even resort to disparaging com-
ments like "The candidates are all the same" or "I'm tired of hear-
ing about the elections?'
Tomorrow, five presidential candidates will be competing for 138
delegates in the Democractic caucuses here. The once overflowing
list of contenders for the Democractic slate has been reduced to five,
and after tomorrow may shrink even further.
Members of the Jewish community who do not observe Shabbat
have a special obligation to cast their ballot tomorrow. The
Jewish community has a long history of participation in political
campaigns — a tradition we today must uphold.
It's an age-old phrase, but one which cuts through the political
rhetoric being thrown from every corner: Your vote does count.
The Jewish News urges our readers to consider very carefully
the platforms of the five Democratic presidential candidates. Where
do they stand on issues that will directly affect the Jewish communi-
ty, such as the Middle East and prayer in public school? What are
their positions on other issues that will direct the future of the United
States, such as health care, the federal deficit and relations with the
Soviet Union?
But don't stop there. Once you have made an educated decision,
cast your vote. Otherwise, prepare to face the future — and decisions
with which you vehemently disagree — with silence.

Cast Your Ballot

Back in the old days, politicians preached their messages from
gazebos in the parks. Bands played, lemonade was served and
children, garbed in their finest attire, had their cheeks pinched.
Today, political candidates usually broadcast their positions
through the media. There are debates, the obligatory appearance
on "Meet the Press" and long newspaper interviews, sometimes
couched in the most innocuous terms so no one will be offended.
Faced with a barrage of such political publicity, certain voters

LETTERS

The Daily
'Body Count'

One can see on television,
hear on the radio and read in
the news the detailed daily
"body count" of Palestinians
who died in the three-month
rioting in the West Bank and
Gaza. Every human life end-
ed violently and untimely is
a small world destroyed, but
when civilians shower
soldiers with rocks and raise
barricades, death and
destruction are unavoidable
consequences . . .
According to a UN report,
there are in 26 countries, civil
wars, revolutions or other in-
ternal armed struggles going
on, some of them with the
overt or covert support of the

United States. In these con-
flicts hundreds of people
perish daily, yet there is hard-
ly any mention (of them) in
the media, nor are there any
daily "body counts."
Perhaps there is a sinister
purpose in the media to
publish the daily report only
on the Palestinian casualties
in the Israeli unrest, to
discredit the only country
which gives the media the
freedom to make such reports
and accounts available .. .

Charles Lucacs

Southfield

After The Fire
At Beth Abraham

Thank you so very much for
caring about Beth Abraham
Hillel Moses.

It was a great honor to see
my synagogue as part of The
Jewish News (Feb. 26). I
remember the day it burned
down and I thought that
never again would it be a
synagogue. But because of all
the people who cared in bring-
ing it back, it is what it is to-
day and it's possible to have
a beautiful synagogue once
again.
Thanks again for caring so
much.

Brooke Slavik

I am a student at Beth
Abraham Hillel Moses. I am
in the seventh grade. I am
glad you did an article on the
fire at the BAHM synagogue.
You gave it good coverage.
I really liked the part where
you placed the articles of the

students in Kitah Hey (my
class). The articles that you
chose were really good. Keep
up all the good work.

Jason Kleinberg

Editor's note: These letters, as
well as the original articles ac-
companying 'After The Fire,"
are part of a Jewish News
class project at Beth Abraham
Hillel Moses.

Identifying With
The Criminals

I was moved by the op-ed ar-
ticle by my friend and col-
league, Dr. Emanuel Tanay,
"Is There Honor Only After
Death for Survivors of the
Holocaust?" (Feb. 28).
But as the days pass, think-

ing about the article, I
wondered: Notwithstanding
the Heroes and Martyrs
Authority (in Israel), who,
Jew or non-Jew, looks upon
those who perished in the
camps as heroes? Even in
Israel, I have heard time
beyond count: "Why did the
Jews go to their death like

Continued on Page 10

Let Us Know

Letters must be concise,
typewritten and double-
spaced. Correspondence
must include the signa-
ture, home address and
daytime phone number of
the writer.