EDITORIAL I
A Simple Test
Tay-Sachs disease is rare, but it is devastating.
As our Close-Up story on Page 22 points out, only seven high-
risk couples have been identified in Detroit since Tay-Sachs screen-
ings began in the early 1970s.
Yet our story explains that having a Tay-Sachs baby is a tragedy
of enormous proportions. Tay-Sachs guarantees the death of an af-
flicted child by the age of 4 or 5. It also is a heartwrenching family
burden that continues long after the child's death.
The tragedy today is that Tay-Sachs is avoidable. A simple blood
test, taken by anyone in their childbearing years, will disclose those
few individuals who are Tay-Sachs carriers. With proper counseling,
even high-risk couples have been able to produce healthy children.
Persons who were tested for Tay-Sachs more than five years ago
are urged to have the test again. Advances in technology make the
new tests more reliable.
Sinai Hospital of Detroit, the Dor Yeshorim organization in New
York, members of Detroit's Orthodox Jewish community, United
Hebrew Schools, the Jewish Community Centers and The Jewish
News have joined to make this relatively painless test highly accessi-
ble and free of charge to the entire community this Sunday.
The testing times and locations are listed on Page 4 and Page
23. The sponsoring organizations have joined together to eliminate
the cost. All that remains to eliminate a dreaded disease is your
participation.
veiled murder threat: "Any Palestinian who proposes an end to the
intifada exposes himself to the bullets of his own people - and en-
dangers his life. The PLO will know how to deal with him."
The very next day, Freij withdrew his suggestion, adding that
all such decisions are in the hands of the PLO.
Is this the Arafat who renounced all forms of terrorism? Is this
the way to work toward a peaceful solution to the conflict? As New
York Times columnist A.M. Rosenthal noted, the murder threat
"shows that the PLO still relies on terrorism, not only against Israelis
but against any Palestinian who dares step out of line." He added
that the threat "is totally in line" with PLO policy since it was found-
ed in 1964. "That is to ensure that no other organization or move-
ment has a chance to build support among Palestinians opposed to
Israeli occupation, but who might favor a solution not based on the
PLO and its covenant," which calls for the elimination of Israel.
Washington opted to take Arafat at his word of Dec. 15, 1988
that he is renouncing all forms of terrorism. Israel opted to take
Arafat at his word of the last 25 years that any hint of moderation
or negotiation must be met with murder, be it an Israeli or a fellow
Arab.
Until there is proof that Arafat has changed his ways as well
as his words, Israel's skepticism will prevail.
Arafat's Words
Why does Israel refuse to negotiate with the PLO? That's the
question the world is asking, and according to David Holzel, our cor-
respondent in Israel, it's being asked by establishment American
Jewish leaders as well (see page 14).
For an answer, let us take a brief look at a sequence of recent
events that did not receive much world attention but help explain
Israel's insistence that the PLO is still the PLO.
About two weeks ago, the mayor of Bethlehem, Elias Freij, sug-
gested a one-year halt in the intifada, the Palestinian uprising, if
Israel would release 2,000 political prisoners. Freij is a respected
Arab official and Israel took his proposal seriously, letting it be
known they were willing to pursue the plan.
Three days later, PLO Chairman Yassir Arafat broadcast a thinly
LETTERS
Slandering
The Rabbis
We are deeply disturbed by
the "Purely Commentary"
article (Jan. 6), which under
the guise of "humor"
presented a disgraceful por-
trayal of religious leaders who
are loved and revered by
millions of Jews throughout
the world.
We are sure that you would
not so villify any major
religious figures, be they
Jewish or not. Why, then,
have you no compunctions
about slandering Rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneer-
son of Lubavitch and Rabbi
Chaim Teitelbaum of Sat-
mar? These saintly rabbis,
who have dedicated their en-
tire lives to the service of Klal
Yisrael, have touched and
6
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 1989
bettered the lives of countless
Jews, and have served as a
source of inspiration for
millions.
When one attacks the
heads of Klal Yisrael, when
one profanes that which is ho-
ly, then the entire body of
Israel is diminished and de-
meaned. We believe that it
neither behooves nor befits a
Jewish newspaper to spread
this kind of viciousness.
Rabi Leizer Levin
Rabbi Chaskel Grubner
Council of Orthodox Rabbis
of Greater Detroit
Trip To Israel
Safe, Wonderful
I recently returned to
Detroit after attending a con-
ference in Israel. I am writing
to give my impressions to
those who are thinking about
going to Israel but who are
concerned about new reports
about the political unrest.
I found Israel to be as it
always has been, an
energetic, facinating and
vibrant society. I traveled to
and stayed in typical
"tourist" areas — Tel Aviv,
Eilat and Jerusalem — and
found them all to be peaceful,
quiet, and wonderful. I sur-
prisingly found that usual
concerns about crime an
danger to have largely disap-
peared as I walked around
peacefully, day or night.
While I certainly do not
want to minimize the
seriousness of what is going
on politically now in Israel, I
think that it is also important
to know that life in Israel
does go on, that Israel is a
wonderful place to see, and
that if one stays in the normal
tourist areas, one should be
fine . . .
Charles Silow
Farmington Hills
German Autos
And Chemicals
According to your article,
"Our Readers In The Driver's
Seat' (Jan. 6), "nearly 8 per-
cent of all cars owned by
Jewish News readers are
manufactured in Germany." I
have never understood why it
is necessary for some Jews to
buy German cars. When ask-
ed, their answer usually
focusses on engineering and
the idea that "that was then
and this is now."
Perhaps recent news items
will raise some doubts as to
whether the post-Nazi
generation of Germans are
"good Germans" after all. Ac-
cording to reports, the West
German company, Imhausen-
CheMie, was the main con-
tractor in the building of the
Libyan chemical wepons
plant. Even more disturbing,
the West German govern-
ment last week cleared
Imhausen-Chemie of any in-
volvement in the plant in a
whitewash of the entire
incident.
Given these shocking and
terrifying revelations, I would
hope that Jews considering
the purchase of German cars
(as well as other German pro-
ducts) will think again. There
Continued on Page 10