EDITORIAL

Fighting The Myth

Jews don't do drugs . . . Jews don't abuse alcohol ... Jews don't
beat their kids . . . Jewish husbands don't beat their wives. Myths die
hard. It is easier to deny than to accept that Jews are not insulated
from societal pressures.
Beginning this Wednesday, and for five Wednesday evenings in
March at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, a series of free
seminars will be offered, addressing Jewish concerns about alcohol and
drug abuse and ways to educate parents and children to recognize their
symptoms.
Make a commitment to attend at least one of the seminars. The
information you receive may help you to recognize and assist a family
member or a friend in need of treatment.

and the call by some in the ultra-right religious wing in Israel to
forcefully expel Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza.
Fundamentalism at its worst points up democracy at its best —
namely, the separation of church and state in a pluralistic society,
tolerance for minority viewpoints, and freedom of speech.
We commend Britain and the other 11 members of the European
Community for pulling their diplomatic envoys from Iran. The West
cannot stomach such insults to its values as the Ayatollah Khomeini's
call for Rushdie's murder. A united front may be the best — and,
perhaps, the only — force that the West can wield against extremism.
If so, it is high time the West got united and fully reasserted its best
and most decent values.

Saving Rushdie

Threats by Iran against the life of writer Salman Rushdie ap-
pall and stun. But they are indicative of a rise, especially in the last
decade, of religious fundamentalism.
This has not been peculiar to one religion or to one country.
Rather, it has occurred in all religions and virtually around the globe.
Just about everywhere, it seems — in America, in the Moslem world,
even in Israel — the message of fundamentalists has gained fresh
currency and, most frighteningly, new and significant political clout.
Be they Christian preachers, Moslem mullahs or some ultra-
Orthodox rabbis, there is a commonality of intolerance and rigid
spiritual certainty to these messages.
Perhaps, the greatest extreme of this stance has occurred in the
contract now out on the life of novelist Rushdie. But there have been
many lesser examples, including the rabid anti-abortionist ravings
and occasional anti-Semitism of some fundamentalist Christians,

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LETTERS

Jewish Day Care
Referrals Available

I am referral chairperson
for the Oakland County Child
Care Association and a
Jewish family day care pro-
vider. In response to the "Kid-
die Care" article in the Feb.
10 issue, I would like to cor-
rect some misinformation on
the availability of child care
in Jewish homes.
There are many licensed
Jewish day care providers in
Oakland County who cur-
rently have openings for in-
fants and older children.
Some of these day care homes
will provide kosher meals
upon request. Most of these
day care homes offer a
heimish atmosphere.
Mothers seeking a Jewish
day care setting for their child
can call me at 855-2482 for a
list of referrals .. .

Suzanne Egdish
West Bloomfield

UJA Campaign
Is Misplaced

The news item in your Feb.
20 and 27 issues regarding
the intention of a special
fundraising by the UJA to

6

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1989

help more Russian Jews come
to the United States disturb-
ed me greatly. I called an of-
ficer of the Federation and he
just reiterated The Jewish
News story. I told him I will
not honor my UJA pledge as
long as a single dollar goes to
help Soviet Jews come to the
United States.
The information I have is
that unfortunately, with very
few exceptions, Russian Jews
are practically non-existent
as far as the Jewish com-
munity is concerned. They
have taken and accepted
everything for free but they
do not contribute anything to
the Jewish community.
I think that most of your
readers will agree with me
that our scarce charity dollars
are more important and
should be channeled to
Jewish education for our
youth, who are assimilating
in disastrous numbers. We
must support Israel in its
forever difficult fight for
survival.
No money should be
diverted to bring in more
people who are already com-
pletely assimilated and have
nothing to do with Judaism.
Let them pay their own way.

I have no interest in where
they will live.
I wonder if the Federation
leaders have bothered to find
out how the majority of the
Jewish community feels
about this situation. In my
opinion, the facilities in Vien-
na and Rome should be mov-
ed to Israel immediately. On-
ly those Jews who want to set-
tle in Israel should be helped.
How is Israel going to sur-
vive when more people are
leaving than those coming in?
The UJA should launch a
special fundraising campaign
to absorb Russian Jews in
Israel, instead of bringing
them here, and to help all im-
migrants with their mortgage
problems to obtain decent
housing. For that purpose I
would be happy to make a
special contribution above my
UJA pledge.

David Kahan
Troy

Nathan Article
Was Appreciated

Philip Slomovitz wrote a
very gracious article about
Jacob Nathan, my Uncle
Jack, in the Feb. 10 Jewish
News. I remember his signing

all newspaper articles as Jack
Pickle Nathan. Pickle was
the family name in
Germany .. .
Uncle Jack and his family
lived on Atkinson and we liv-
ed on Clairmount. I was a
very young boy when he died.
My dad always talked about
his brother and his
accomplishments .. .
I always knew that he was
a respected writer of his day.
I was not aware of some of his
other wonderful ac-
complishments in our
community.
Thank you for a very
enlightening article.

Alan Nathan
Birmingham

Peace Must Wait
A Generation

When Anwar Sadat went to
Israel and initiated the talks
resulting in the return of the
entire Sinai Peninsula to
Egypt, he was the head of a
relatively stable and
established government. He
was, in short, able to deliver
peace for land.
As of now, no one else nor
any combination of known
others is in such a position of

being able to deliver a peace.
Even if Yassir Arafat says all
the necessary words about
recognizing Israel's right to
exist and about renouncing
terrorism, and even if an
Israeli government were to
negotiate a deal with him, he
could not deliver peace. He
might not even survive for
long after he signs any
deal . . .
How many men, women
and children does it take to be
trained in guerrilla warfare
and terrorism to keep up the
"holy" • war? Twenty thou-
sand? Two thousand?
As long as there are funds
from various sources intent
on backing such forces, they
will continue to exist.
On - the West Bank and
Gaza, the violence threaten-
ed and often carried out by
the hardliners against any
Arab who dares as much as
talk to an Israeli official is
well known .. .
A start must be made
toward a peace settlement,
and any discussion is good
news, but one should not be
deceived that a real peace is
obtainable now.

Kurt Singer
Southfield