CONTENTS OPINION 24 CLOSE-UP Royal Revival DEBBIE L. SKLAR Downtown Royal Oak is making a comeback. 38 SPORTS '80s Men MIKE ROSENBAUM Jewish athletic directors are keeping high school athletes in the game. 44 LIFE IN ISRAEL Civil rights leaders Roy Wilkins, James Farmer, Martin Luther King Jr. and Whitney Young met with Lyndon Johnson at the White House in 1964. Blacks, Jews Need New Leader For Martin Luther King's Legacy MITCHEL BARD s the nation celebrates the birth- day of Dr. Martin Luther King, it might be instructive to consider how he would have viewed the current political situation in Israel and the United States. - Dr. King was a man who believed in dialogue and reconciliation. He would no doubt have approved of the U.S. decision to make contact with the PLO, but he would also have shared the State Department's condition that Yassir Arafat back up his words with deeds. As a man who preached non-violence, Dr. King could never have been a supporter of the PLO when it was taking credit for terrorist actions. He also is not likely to have looked favorably on the Palestinian uprising. He would speak out against in- justices suffered by Palestinians, where he saw them, but he would also have counsel- ed against the violent demonstrations that have been the hallmark of the intifada. He would have viewed the proposal of Bethlehem Mayor Elias Freij for a ceasefire as a positive step toward advancing the peace process and denounced Arafat's threat of assassinating proponents of such views. Dr. King never accepted attacks on Israel's legitimacy and would not have been fooled by the resolutions of the Palestine National Council which refer to "the true image of Israel as a racist, fascist, settler state based on the usurpation of the Palestinian territory and the extermina- tion of the Palestinian people." The PNC failed to repudiate its charter, which calls Dr. Mitchel. Bard is a foreign policy analyst in Washington, D.C. Zionism "an illegitimate movement." Even Arafat's acceptance of U.N. Resolution 242 was done only in the context of all U.N. resolutions, including the infamous 1975 "Zionism is racism" resolution. Dr. King's answer to such formulations was clear: "Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism." As dismayed as Dr. King would have been over attacks on Israel, he would doubt have been more concerned about tension between the black and Jewish com- munities. The 1988 presidential campaign would have been painful for him to watch as Jesse Jackson's candidacy divided peo- ple who he had known to be political allies. While there may have been justifica- tion for New York Mayor Ed Koch's state- ment that Jews would be crazy to vote for Jackson, Dr. King would have been disap- pointed by the resulting polarization of the communities. He would be working now to heal the rifts creatd last year, to reassem- ble the coalition that fought for civil rights in the 1960s so that the battles of the 1990s could be joined by a united liberal front. Dr. King was not a man to retreat in the face of difficulty. He would not aban- don Israel while it struggles to free itself from the burdens of occupation. He also would not turn his back on American Jews while we wrestle with our divisions. He would not allow differences between blacks and Jews on issues like affirmative action to overwhelm our common interests in civil rights. While we celebrate Dr. King's memory, we also mourn the loss of his vision and courage. Perhaps his legacy will yet be a generation of people who will live peaceful- ly in a society free of racism or anti- Semitism. For now, we could use another leader who will step forward to bring Jews and blacks together to continue Dr. King's work toward fulfilling his dream. Mental Anguish EDWARD SEROTA Ethiopian immigrants still yearn for their families. 54 HOLIDAYS Respected Blessing DVORA WAYSMAN Judaism has a high regard for trees, a heavenly gift. center Our family section looks at Tu B'Shevat and trees. 65 ENTERTAINMENT Wild Swan SUSAN LUDMER-GLIEBE Fairy tales and fantasies are brought closer to children. 85 FICTION Tears on the Window STEPHEN GOLDMAN Illness tests a family's strength .. . and growth. DEPARTMENTS 32 43 46 52 60 82 84 90 97 98 100 126 Synagogues Business Education Crossword Youth For Women On Campus Engagements For Seniors Births Single Life Obituaries CANDLELIGHTING January 20, 1989 5:12 p.m. 6:16 p.m. Sabbath ends Jan. 21 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 7