I PURELY COMMENTARY]

United Jerusalem And Mayor Kollek

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor Emeritus

C

onfronting challenges as seri-
ous as the current, it is impor-
tant for Israel's government of-
ficials and world Jewry's spokespeople
to be as calm and as rational and as self-
controlled as possible. Losing tempers
could be dangerous to the situation.
Fortunately, a unity government in
Israel eliminates the threats of
fanaticism that have caused so much
aggravation since the Nov. 1 election.
Jerusalem is a major factor in the
position occupied by Israel and in the
admonitions to the world powers who
have been giving so much glory and
comfort to Arafat. The Holy City as the
capital of Israel is not negotiable.
Fortunately also, the chief
spokesman for Jerusalem is its Mayor
Teddy Kollek.
In the inviting title "Sharing
United Jerusalem," his essay in the
winter 1988-1989 issue of Foreign Af-
fairs, Mayor Kollek proposes "func-
tional division of authority, for internal
autonomy of each community and for
functional sovereignty." This outlined
ideal for Jerusalem is urged by Kollek
as the first step in planning for an
accord.
Conceding that new approaches are
necessary, he suggests greater
autonomous regulations for the Arab
community, all within the framework of
a united Jerusalem.
This first-step explanation is so
vital that the first portion of the Kollek

article must be read in its totality. In
his explanation he maintains:
The world's perception of
the Arab-Israeli conflict and, in-
deed, much of its substance
have been significantly altered
by recent events in the West
Bank, the Gaza Strip and
Jerusalem. Eleven months of
unrest and King Hussein's sever-
ing of the links between Jordan
and the West Bank, have created
a new and fluid situation. These
events are focusing the world's
attention on the need for new
policies after twenty years of
waiting in vain for Arab govern-
ments or Palestinian represen-
tatives to come to the peace
table.
Thinking about new policies
for Israel's relations with the
Arab states and with the Palesti-
nians should start with
Jerusalem. On one hand, there
is wide agreement that
Jerusalem must be the last item
on the agenda of any negotia-
tions, because whatever is
decided to be the fate of the West
Bank will affect arrangements
in Jerusalem.
On the other hand,
Jerusalem's importance is such
that no negotiations can even
begin as long as any one of the
parties is persuaded that there
is no possible reconciliation of
the various interests concerning
Jerusalem. After 21 years of ad-

Jerusalem's Temple Mount and the Dome of The Rock.

ministering Jerusalem as one ci-
ty, we know that all com-
munities, but in particular the
Arab one, need a much larger
measure of self-administration,
autonomy or functional
sovereignty. The municipality
needs much more of the authori-
ty now vested in the government
of Israel so that it can share this
local authority with the com-
munities and the
neighborhoods.

Our law on local govern-
ments is essentially the one we
inherited from the British: in-
troduced in Mandatory
Palestine in the 1930s, it is bas-
ed on the nineteenth-century
municipal code of British India,
designed to grant a minimum of
authority to the "natives" and a
maximum to the central
government.
Changes are long overdue.

Continued on Page 38

Some Leaderships In Galgenhumor Category

ews have never been without
humor — especially in time of
need. Often, it was galgenhumor
— of the gallows. Out of it always
emerges a feeling of courage, defying
obstacles.
This is certainly a time for more
humor. There are many threats to our
reconciliations with cccurrences on the
American front as well as in Israel. In
a lighter vein, we'll acquire the
calmness needed for action.
In most instances of challenge on
both fronts there is the reoccurrence of
the testing of leaderships. In Israel the
extremism of ultraism may be on the
road to solution. Re-creation of a

j

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Vol. XCIV No. 19

2

January 6, 1989

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1989

cooperative concession for dual ad-
ministrative commitments by the domi-
nant parties may put an end to the
demands for obstructing common sense
on the Law of Return. It's regrettable
that it took an intifada to restore
leadership coordination.
Perhaps the violence and the
American concessions to the terrorists
operating under Palestinianism will
also induce a leadership improvement
for American Jewry. The record of cur-
rent experiences is already filled with
criticism of the manner in which the
deifying of Arafat has received media
endorsements and recognition of some
self-appointed who acted as "leaders."
Reaction of such self-anointing needs
emphasis to avoid its continuity.
On this score a bit of galgenhumor
won't hurt. Rabbi Mark Liebhaber,
editor and publisher of the American
Jewish World of Minneapolis, Minn.,
did it in a column he entitled "The
Jewish Cabinet in the Diaspora." It is
welcome as an application to ridicule of
self-appointiveness. He commenced his
column with the introduction of these
chief actors in the leadership drama:
Mazel-Tov. Even before the
PLO state will announce its
government in exile Jews will
have a government in Diaspora.
The Jewish Diaspora Cabinet is
now in formation: Menahem

Mendel Schneerson from
Lubavitch is being considered
for the minister of internal af-
fairs, Rita Houser from
Washington, D.C., who recently
met with Arafat in Sweden, will
become the minister of foreign
affairs, R'Hayim Teitelbaum
from Satmar residing in
Brooklyn will lead the disloyal
opposition, other candidates
will soon be announced.

It is rumored that Yosef
Rosensaft, who heads the
organization of the children of
the survivors will assume the
post of minister of propoganda.
There is an acquaintance with these
names in the sensationalism of Israeli
and Palestinian discussions. Mention of
them incites the emphasis on the im-
portance of proper selection of people
recognized to represent us.
The abuse of such an obligation is
in the humor of the criticism by Rabbi
Liebhaber.
With all the glory attached to the
personalities exposed by him, the need
for it becomes a necessity in quest of
responsible leadershp. Rabbi Liebhaber
asserted in his outline of the proposed
cast of characters for a Diaspora drama:
Are we going to have a
shadow Israeli government in

exile? Are we seeing a process of
a Diaspora government being
organized, a government of peo-
ple who never served in Israel's
armies, who will never defend
Israel's borders, a government
of actors from the right of
Lubavitch, the center of Rita
Hauser, the left of Yosef Rosen-
salt, who without any respon-
sibility for their actions and
words intend to interfere in the
affairs of sovereign Israel?
Dear Lubavitcher Rebbe,
dear Rita and Yosef! Please
speak, write, gather us in
assemblies, in farbrengen,
preach, organize, take your opi-
nions to the op-ed pages, to the
talk TV shows but do not
itnerfere with deeds in the inner
workings of Israel.
American Jewry should not
and will not stand for treachery
and anti-Israeli propaganda us-
ing our name, authority and
funds.
Is humor necessary in search for
responsibility in spokesmanship for us,
in Diaspora and wherever world Jewry
seeks or has a voice?
If it is necessary to attain realism
for dignified Jewish action, let it be
Galgenhumor.