EDITORIAL
Self-Betrayal?
The desecration of a Brooklyn synagogue last weekend sent shock
waves through the American Jewish community.
The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith annually publishes
a summary of anti-Semitic vandalism and threatening incidents
throughout the country, but nothing removes the U.S. Jewish com-
munity from its insular cocoon more quickly than vandalism of the
magnitude of the Brooklyn desecration.
Richard Lobenthal, Michigan regional director of the ADL,
reports no significant local incidents in recent months. That is en-
couraging, but hardly a reason for complacency.
A more somber note is the reaction of some individuals, including
Jews, to the new movie Betrayed, which closely parallels the FBI
investigation of the murder of Alan Berg, a Jewish radio talk show
host in Denver. A group of white supremacists was convicted of Berg's
murder. The movie's glimpse into white supremacy, the everyday lives
of Americans who harbor murderous hatred, the suggestion of a na-
tional network of hate groups — is frightening because of its basis
in fact.
At a recent Detroit showing of Betrayed, a number of movie-goers
walked out, incensed by the "Jew bankers" dialogue and the violence.
Unfortunately, those who left missed the most salient point of the
movie: This is a struggle from which we cannot walk away.
Has the United States responded cooly to Iraqi attempts at
genocide for the same reason that it showed little outrage when Iraq
sank the USS Stark, killing more than 30 Americans? Is America
willing to overlook Iraqi atrocities because it supports Iraq in its
conflict with Iran and because it seeks improved relations with Sad-
dam Hussein's police state?
This policy clearly is immoral. Jews and Americans must strongly
condemn Iraq and must urge the international community to punish
Iraq for its genocidal intentions. Jews know well what it is like to
be abandoned by the world.
In addition, an international conference should be convened to
address the Kurdish problem. Such a conference would be the first
step toward an autonomous or independent Kurdish homeland.
But first, the murder must end.
zip
•
Stop The Murder
The world has reacted mostly in silence to reports that the Iraqi
dictatorship is using chemical weapons to crush the Kurdish na-
tionalist movement. Thousands of Kurds — mostly civilians — are
said to have died in what one Kurdish fighter called an Iraqi attempt
to wipe out the population.
Some 20 million Kurds live in a homeland that covers parts of
Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and the Soviet Union. Kurds make up 20
percent of Iraq's population.
LETTERS (-
`Waning Loyalty'
Is Questioned
In response to your article
"Quest for Survival" (Sept. 9)
I would like to protest
statements written without
listing sources.
You have indicated that
"critics suggest Detroit
Medical Center's purchase of
the Woodland Medical
Centers, formerly a leading
referral service for Sinai,
shows waning loyalty by
Jewish physicians to Sinai!"
I feel this innuendo casts a
dispersion on the loyalty of
Sinai physicians of Woodland
Medical Centers. As a former
chief of staff at Sinai
Hospital, 1975 through 1978,
being a tenure of the ex-
ecutive vice president, Julian
Priver, M.D., and a member of
the Woodland Medical
Centers, I strongly resent the
singling out of Woodland
physicians as disloyal.
You have neglected to men-
tion that: 1) A large majority
of non-Woodland physicians
who admit patients to Sinai
Hospital also admit patients
to other area hospitals. 2) The
6
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1988
majority of hospital admis-
sions in internal medicine
come through the emergency
room and current patient and
family preference results in
admission to other local area
hospitals.
Despite these facts, I still
hospitalize the majority of my
patients to Sinai Hospital
because it provides superb
medical care to my patients.
As one of the early house staff
trained at Sinai Hospital and
as a member of the Detroit
Jewish community with
strong commitments, I resent
your suggestion of "waning
loyalty of Jewish physicians
to Sinai Hospital!'
Dr. Lloyd J. Paul
Woodland Medical Centers
Jews, Not IRS
Keep Out Funds
Leaders of the Allied
Jewish Campaign and Jewish
National Fund discriminate
against Jews living in Judea,
Samaria, Jerusalem's Old Ci-
ty and Gaza. Donations are
collected to help Jews
everywhere — except those
that live in the heartland of
our Land of Israel.
For 20 years now, our
American Jewish fund-
raisers refused to allow con-
tributions to Israel to be
spent in the territories cap-
tured during the 1967 Six-
Day War. They claimed the
IRS would disapprove using
American tax-exempt dollars
in those territories. TD do so,
they said, would jeopardize
their tax-exempt status.
But all kinds of Moslem and
Christian groups, many with
PLO connections, have been
funneling IRS approved, tax-
exempted contributions into
those territories.
Do our fund-raising leaders
really believe American law
would allow Jewish groups,
just because they are Jewish,
to be denied the same right?
Mrs. Hadassha Marcus, a
New York JNF contributor,
raised this question. The
answer came back loud and
clear from the IRS — the
organizations are free to
determine where the funds
go. Yes, in America, Jews do
have rights.
Our long-entrenched fund-
raising leaders not only fail-
ed to ask that question all
these years, but they refuse to
accept the IRS answer. Those
running the show decided a
long time ago that, as much
as possible, Jews should be
kept out of Judea, Samaria,
Gaza and Jerusalem's Old Ci-
ty. Their idea is that will
make it easier to eventually
surrender that territory to
the Arabs . . .
Humie Cutler
Chairman, Michigan
Committee for a Safe Israel
Ernai Israel
Membership
We of B'nai Israel should
like to commend you on the
outstanding performance of
gathering together the com-
munity's synagogue statistics
(Sept. 9).
We are, however, unaware of
where you obtained the par-
ticular numbers for our
synagogue, as they are incor-
rect. Our membership is at
present just under 200
families .. .
Sherman P. Kirshner, Rabbi
Dr. Alan Feldman
Political Insight,
Not Torah Portion
Some months ago at Con-
gregation B'nai Moshe, I
heard Rabbi Meyerowitz's
personal political
philosophy/insights. Now I
read it all in the Jewish News
"Torah Portion" (Sept. 2). And
the "Torah Portion" is cer-
tainly not the appropriate
place to print it.
Jim Mills
Traverse City
Letters Speak
For Themselves
Two letters that appeared
in The Jewish News recently
show a marked contrast in
outlook and awareness of cur-
rent events. The articulate,
informed, and relevant com-
ments of • Debbie Schlussel
speak for themselves. The
other letter, by Eve Garvin, is
marked by misinformation as
well as poor interpretation. To
assume that being a loyal
American is not compatible
with support for Israel
manifests a baseless bias.
As to the true friends of
Continued on Page 12