EDITORIAL
Yielding To Temptation
The controversy surrounding the new Martin Scorsese film, The
Last Temptation of Christ, is confusing as well as troubling, because
there are several issues at play. Freedom of speech is at the top of
the list, or should be. Critics of the film have every right to protest
and urge people not to attend, but the producers have every right
to release the film and the let the public decide whether or not to
see it.
Fundamentalist Christian groups, upset at the depiction of Jesus
in human terms, have been emphasizing the morality of their deci-
sion to boycott the movie. But they undermined their cause im-
measurably by creating a "Jewish issue" when there was none. They
demonstrated in front of the Beverly Hills home of MCA Corpora-
tion chairman Lew Wasserman because, as a Jew, he was a conve-
nient target and scapegoat. Rather than directing their criticism at
the creator, director and writers of the film, who are Christians, they
focused on the MCA boss, who is far removed from the creative pro-
cess since MCA is the parent company of Universal, the studio that
is distributing the film.
Amidst all of the uproar over the boycott, there is a lesson here
for Jewish organizations who in their eagerness to embrace Chris-
tian supporters of Israel have ignored a disturbing side of some
evangelicals. It was Rev. Jerry Falwell who helped fuel the flames
by predicting that if the film was released, it would "create a wave
of anti-Semitism" because many Christians would blame Univer-
sal Studio's "Jewish leaders?'
Rev. Falwell confuses Jewish businessmen with leaders of the
Jewish community. And those leaders should be communicating their
feelings of resentment to the Christian leadership. As Julie Salamon
noted in the Wall Street Journal, "the Beverly Hills picketers are
the ones who are distorting Christianity far more than Mr. Scorsese,
and for a truly offensive and ignoble purpose!'
There are clear signs, however, that the PLO is still not playing
the same game as Israel. Arafat aide Abu Iyad this week spoke of
negotiations with Israel, not on the basis of internationally recogniz-
ed resolutions 242 and 338, but number 181.
This dusty old United Nations resolution is the legal basis for
the 1947 partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Israel
accepted the resolution; the Arabs rejected it.
Now, apparently, 1947 is beginning to look good to some in the
PLO leadership. But a claim_ to the Galilee — a part of Israel since
1948 — as well as the West Bank and Gaza is not the hand of peace
that Israel is looking for. Moreover, by looking back to a time before
Israel was born, the PLO once again neatly skirts Israel's existence.
Someone should tell the PLO that this is 1988, not 1947. The
Palestinians must see the present for what it is and look to the future
— a future that includes an Israel not willing to fritter away its
security or existence.
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Back To The Future
Events are moving fast in the Arab-Israeli conflict: the intifada,
King Hussein's renouncing the West Bank and this week's talk of
a Palestine Liberation Organization provisional government that
would recognize Israel.
LETTERS
Peres' Demise
Is Premature
Many of your readers, who
are striving to be as fair
minded as possible in trying
to understand Israel and the
problems of the Middle East,
might well be upset, as I was,
by the lead article on page
one of Aug. 12's Jewish News.
We read: "Hussein's About-
Face A Disaster For Peres?'
What was missing was the
statement by Peres that "any
prediction of my early demise
is strictly premature?'
Would it not be more fair to
wait until November and let
the voters in the Israeli elec-
tion decide the future of Peres
and the Labor Party?
Especially, when Helen
Davis, in the same article
writes: "So far, all the polls
have indicated that the 1984
stalemate, which denied a
majority to either of the two
major blocs, would be
6
FRIDAY AUGUST 19: 1988 ' '
repeated in the 1988 elec-
tion!'
Many authorities in the
Middle Eastern affairs have
not written of the Jordanian
option . . . The political situa-
tion in Israel is such that any
prediction as to its outcome is
speculative, conjectural and
confusing.
We should have hope in
Israel and the democratic pro-
cess. There is room in the
electoral process for the belief
that the Israeli voters will
remember the founders of the
State of Israel and the efforts
of their followers in building
the state for over three
decades and their dreams and
programs for the future.
Henry Faigin
Southfield
Was Bernard Shaw
An Anti-Semite?
Philip Slomovitz, the
distinguished editor
emeritus, asks in his column
of Aug. 12, "G.B. Shaw's
Cynicism: Was It Anti-
Semitism?" He then gives a
few relatively mild, vintage
show anecdotes relating to
Jews. None of them were of-
fensive to me. And yet Mr.
Slomovitz concludes that,
"Shaw's record is polluted
with prejudice" and even goes'
on to say, "His malevolence
was apparent?'
If these examples prove
Shaw to be anti-Semitic, then
I can establish that he was
anti-capitalist,
a nt i -
Christian,
anti-anti-ad
infinitum.
Has anti-Semitism become
such a rare bird that we must
carefully fine comb life
histories of literary giants
and label them posthumous-
ly anti-Semitic? Have we run
out of living unambiguous
anti-Semites? Is the famous
Jewish appreciation of wit
and humor declining?
Mr. Solmovitz tells us that
Shaw declined to attend a
Jewish gathering, and wrote,
"The meeting will inevitably
end in a discussion of the
Jewish question. I am not a
Jew and do not see how I
could be of any help if I were
to make a speech. In any case,
I am too old to attend any
more public meetings. I have
had enough of them. I am ap-
proaching a dottering, senile
condition, and prefer to stay
away?' Does this prove that
Shaw was anti-Semitic?
Dr. Emanuel Tanay
Detroit
How Strong Are
Black-Jewish Ties?
It was my good fortune to be
in Detroit recently visiting
my dear family and to have
the opportunity of attending
the National Urban League
convention .. .
The only official Jewish
presence was Rabbi Richard
C. Hertz of Temple Beth El.
Your editorial of Aug. 5 car-
ries the heading, "Out of
'Much." Where were represen-
tatives of the Michigan
Jewish organizations and par-
ticularly the Jewish Federa-
tion and the Jewish Com-
munity Council? Yes, your
comment that "very few of us
are in touch with the black
community of Detroit" is true
What a great opportunity to
demonstrate our desire to in-
volve ourselves realistically
in the problems they discuss-
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Continued on Page 10
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