1 EDITORIAL
Passover And Palestinians
At sundown tonight, the wine will be poured, the matzah will
be readied, the maror (horseradish) will be mixed, and the youngest
at the seder table will ask, curiously and perhaps, hesitatingly,
“whyr
Four "why's" there will be. And each "why" will delve deeper
into the purpose and meaning and traditions of Passover. Each "why"
will address the ultimate meaning of the holiday: The birth of nation-
hood for the Jewish people, the birth of a cohesive sense of identity
and destiny for a people who had come from slavery and into the
stage of world history, both politically before Pharaoh and theological-
ly before God at Sinai.
In recent years, new questions and rituals have been suggested
to augment the seder, ensuring the relevance of its meaning today.
Prayers are recited on behalf of The Fifth Child — the victim of the
Holocaust who cannot ask — as well as for Soviet Jews, still yearn-
ing for freedom. This Passover there is also the question of how Israel
can best deal with the pressing issues of morality, security and sur-
vival.
It is neither easy nor comfortable to think of the Passover themes
in terms of the plight of the Palestinians, but ease and comfort are
not necessarily the dividends of the freedom which the holiday repre-
sents. For the moment, at least, our freedom demands confronting
the issue. Perhaps from that personal ascent of our own inner Sinais
will come an answer to the turmoil which is threatening both the
integrity of Israel and the unity of the Jewish people — both of which
were delivered to us millenia ago at the Exodus.
public office to the consistent charges against him of opportunism
at the expense of truth and propriety. Throughout his career, as a
lieutenant in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian
Leadership Conference to his chairmanship of the group's Opera-
tion Breadbasket and his creation of his own group, PUSH, Jackson's
character and style have been the subject of controversy. Critics say
he has always allowed the spotlight to take precedence over
substance.
What Jesse Jackson has shown us, through his candidacy, is what
may be a critical flaw in the American political system — that we
focus more on style and rhetoric than experience and accomplish-
ment, more on personal charisma than on public policy. The success
of his candidacy has also exposed the weakness of his Democratic
rivals and their inability to convey an emotional message to the
voters.
Now it is time to take him seriously. The man who once embrac-
ed Yassir Arafat, who said he was "sick and tired of hearing about
the Holocaust and having Americans being put in the position of
a guilt trip," and whose PUSH organization received donations from
the Arab League, has hardly been challenged by his Democratic
rivals. Ordinarily fair game for scrutiny as a presidential candidate,
Jackson has been the one exception. He has been treated with kid
gloves because no one wants to alienate him or his black constituency
or open themselves up to charges of racism. But is it not reverse
discrimination to treat Jackson differently than the other candidates?
If he demands that we take him seriously, then he should be sub-
jected to the same probing in the press, and by his rivals, as anyone
else.
Take Jackson Seriously
The ascendancy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson in the presidential race
calls to mind the definition of The Jewish Telegram:
"Start worrying. Details to follow."
At what point are we to start worrying in earnest about Jackson's
claim on the Democratic Party? Too many of us have deluded
ourselves up until now into believing that no matter how strong
Jackson's showing in the primaries, he could not be the Democrats'
standard-bearer. In all likelihood that is still true, but it is time to
deal with the possibility, as well as that of his influence on the plat-
form and leadership of the party.
One need not be a racist to oppose Jackson's candidacy. It is not
only his position on the Middle East that is worrisome, though his
claims about Israel — that she receives too much favor from the
United States and is a primary obstacle to peace in the Middle East
— are cause enough for dismay and disapproval. There are other
issues to explore, from the fact that he has never been elected to
LETTERS
Soapy Williams
Had A Rabbi
It was gratifying to read the
article in the March 25 edi-
tion of The Jewish News
regarding G. Mennen
"Soapy" Williams. As his
Supreme Court law clerk
from 1977 to 1979, I came to
know him as a very special in-
dividual with deep personal
religious beliefs as well as a
keen belief in the value of
others' commitments to their
own ethnic and religious
identities.
Although the article
6
FRIDAY. APRIL 1 1988
beautifully depicted his par-
ticular role in opening doors
which had theretofore been
closed to Jewish candidates,
an anecdote which reflects
another dimension of his uni-
queness may be of special
interest.
At the time of his 1978
swearing-in ceremony at the
Supreme Court, he emphasiz-
ed his desire that not only his
own clergy be present, but
that "his rabbi," the late Dr.
Leon Fram of Temple Israel
with whom he had a
longstanding and warm rela-
tionship, attend and par-
ticipate. Consistently, he re-
quested that special transpor-
tation arrangements be made
to assure that Rabbi Fram
could be in Lansing for this
special occasion.
Indeed, Chief Justice
Williams was a true asset to
the Jewish community as
well as the community as a
whole. Although his loss is
certainly to be mourned, as
was emphasized at his
funeral, our mourning should
not overshadow the fact that
his life is something that we
can all celebrate with
gratitude and love.
Karen Colby Weiner
Bloomfield Hills
The Friends
And The Foes
For years, we have been in-
undated with pleas from well-
known liberal friends of Israel
to support the election or re-
election of other friends of
Israel against right-wingers
whose elction seemed to por-
tend ill for our interests.
Now comes an unexpected
denouement: thirty well-
known and respected political
figures, proven friends of
Israel write a letter urging
Prime Minister Shamir to ac-
cede to Reagan's proposal to
agree to an international con-
ference to determine the fate
of Israel.
Opposing the proposal came
forth right-wing, dyed-in-the-
wool conservatives, heretofore
stigmatized as dangerous to
our existence.
For my part, I shall fill my
wastebasket with future ap-
peals to help defeat this or
that right-wing ogre running
in other states. My money
will be better spent in con-
tributions to the Allied
Jewish Campaign.
Morton Hack
West Bloomfield