THE JEWISH NEWS
SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY
THIS ISSUE 60cP
OCTOBER 14, 1988 / 3 CHESHVAN 5749
Stella Denies Knowing
GOP Unit's Nazi Ties
ELIZABETH KAPLAN
Staff Writer
Detroit businessman Frank
Stella, honorary chairman of the Na-
tional Republican Heritage Groups
Council, this week rebutted charges
in a published report that he ignored
the presence of Nazi sympathizers
within the group, saying "If I knew so-
meone like that in the Council, I'd be
the first one to expose him."
Stella was responding to charges
against the Council — a Republican
National Committee ethnic unit —
which are contained in the recently
published report, "Old Nazis, the New
Right and the Reagan Administra-
tion." The report, written by Detroiter
Russ Bellant, was published by the
Political Research Associates, an in-
dependent research institute in Cam-
bridge, Mass., that collects and
disseminates information on right-
wing political groups.
"We've considered the report,"
said a spokesman for the Republican
National Committee, who asked to re-
main anonymous. "And we consider
it to be patently ridiculous and ab-
surd."
The report, Stella said, is "full of
errors" and allegations specifically
against him are "all wrong."
The report states that the Na-
tional Republican Heritage Groups
Council, which Stella chaired from
1981-1983 and from 1985-1987, "ap-
pears to have consciously recruited
some of its members — and some of
its leaders — from an Eastern Euro-
pean emigre network which includes
anti-Semites, racists, authoritarians
Continued on Page 16
Sinai To Reconsider
Shapiro's Decision
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
Is Jewish
Philanthropy
Declining?
At a recent national conference on
the subject, the experts agreed that
Jewish fund-raising is facing a crisis
In a telephone call last week from
Italy to Sinai Hospital Board of
Trustees President Bruce Thal,
hospital administrator Irving Shapiro
said he wanted to reconsider leaving
the institution when his contract ex-
pires in October 1989.
Thal confirmed the call, which
came just days after Shapiro notified
the board that he would leave the in-
stitution when his contract expires.
Shapiro has been with Sinai since
1970, serving as associate ad-
ministrator, administrator, executive
vice president and president.
Shapiro's contract requires that
he give one-year notice of a decision
not to renew his contract.
The board is expected to decide
Shapiro's fate during the monthly
trustee's meeting on Monday. Shapiro
is on vacation, but plans to return to
Michigan for the board meeting.
Thal said the meeting agenda in-
cludes discussions on an undisclosed
set of recommendations for the
Shapiro matter. He declined to com-
ment further on Shapiro's status un-
til after the meeting.
"We are in the process of sorting
through all of the alternatives;' Thal
said. "We haven't arrived at any deci-
Continued on Page 19
HONOR
TH
cHiLbReN
Talk Show
Host
Speaks Out
See Story Page 50
See Contents Page 7
See Story Page 24