EDITORIAL Keeping Track One of the interesting pieces of information about this week's Close-Up article, "Palestinian Pipeline," (page 24) is the lack of knowledge within Jewish communal agencies about 'Palestinian funds generated in the United States. The common cry within the Jewish community alleges that Palestinian funds raised in this country are used by the Palestine Liberation Organization to support terrorist activity. The Jewish News could find no direct proof of this allegation. Nor can we sup- port with certainty the Palestinian claim that all funds raised through their recognized, tax-deductible groups are used 'for the stated humanitarian purposes. Calls for information to the headquarters of the major Jewish organizations in New York and to the Israeli. Embassy in Washington provided no information on this subject, although they view it with some concern. We believe this subject deserves more attention from the Jewish community and the State of Israel. If improprieties are occurring, if humanitarian funds are being sidetracked to support terrorist ac- tions, then counter steps should be taken. The intifada in the territories has increased fund-raising by American Palestinians. The results of actions outside the law in the Middle East should be kept within the law in the United States. It is over such nations as Israel or Egypt that America and the Soviet Union may end up jousting. In its eagerness to again be in- volved in the Middle East, the Soviets may be willing to make cer- tain concessions to Egypt, with which it has held tenuous relations since 1972, when Anwar 'Sadat expelled Soviet military advisers. And Israel, in its desire to restore diplomatic relations with the USSR, which were broken during the 1967 Six Day War, may be per- suaded to come to a United Nations-sponsored conference. Both the United States and the Soviets are urging Israel to talk to the PLO, and one can sense the pressure building. But in the meantime, we are surely witnessing a new world — and a new momentum — in the Middle East. The United States is talk- ing to the Palestine Liberation Organization; the Russians are at least talking to the Israelis, if not outright recognizing them. Iran is coddling up to the Kremlin, which it had previously vilified as a bastion of godless communism. New relationships, if not alliances, are being formed before our very eyes. It is a time in which all the concerned parties should tread carefully. Peace may not be at hand in the Middle East, but the pathways to it may be subtly forming amid all this very busy diplomatic jockeying. Moscow On The Nile Ten days in the Middle East do not a groundswell make, but Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze's just completed swing through the region surely portends something else: The Kremlin is firmly committed to being a player — a very active, influential and perhaps indispensable player — in this most volatile of regions. Now that Soviet troops have finally pulled out of Afghanistan, the USSR can finally attend to the Middle East — and it seems to be making up for lost time with a vengeance. On his junket, Shevard- nadze met with just about everyone who was anyone: Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Arens, PLO chief Yassir Arafat, Iran's Ayatollah Kho- meini, and the presidents of Egypt, Syria and Iraq. Clearly , the Soviet Union has a different clientele in the region than does the United States, but according to our Foreign Correspondent Helen Davis, Moscow and Washington may be coordinating their Mideast peace efforts (see story, page 1). . _ LETTERS Murray Rosman's U-M Association In your article about Dr. Murray Rosman in the Feb. 3 issue, you failed to mention one critical fact about his presence in the greater Detroit area this semester. Dr. Rosman is a visiting professor in the Department of History and the Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan. He is teaching an undergraduate survey of the history of the Jews in Eastern Europe and an undergrad- uate colloquium on auto- biography in early modern European Jewry. We are happy to have Dr. Rosman with us this semester and believe that the Detroit 6 FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 1989 Jewish community should be aware of the kinds of courses we are now able to offer to students at the University of Michigan. Todd M. Endelman Director, Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies Rabbis Support Marrow Test The Conservative Rabbis of Metropolitan Detroit urgent- ly add their voices in support of the community-wide bone marrow blood test drive on Sunday, March 12, from 12 to 3:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center (Maple/ Drake). The purpose is to find perfect matches to help cure aplastic anemia, leukemia and lymphoma. In the future, babies with inborn abnor- malities of the blood and adults with arthritis may also be helped by a bone marrow transplant. When one has the possibili- ty of saving another's life, one must not shirk from that awesome religious responsibility. Rabbi David A. Nelson President, Conservative Rabbis of Metropolitan Detroit Society Killed Lisa Steinberg In your pious editorial about the Steinberg child abuse case (Feb. 17), you fail to understand the real tragedy of Lisa: the accep- tance by the trendy middle class of the destructive, outrageous drug culture of the young opportunists of the 1960s in the name of peace. There will be more Lisas as long as fashionable slimeballs and the media set our moral climate. Gita Raymer Huntington Woods Condemning Rosensaft One must express dismay at the attempt of Features Editor Elizabeth Kaplan to defend the intrusive and med- dling behavior of Menachem Rosensaft (Feb. 10) in dealing with the PLO on behalf of Israel's security, contrary to its declared policy. It is only fair to state at the outset that the issue is not the right to express a con- trary opinion, nor even the right to actively work for its cause, nor is the issue whether to deal with the PLO and under what circum- stances. But in this public set- ting the concensus of Jewish Continued on Page 10 Let Us Know Letters must be concise, typewritten and double- spaced. Correspondence must include the signa- ture, home address and daytime phone number of the writer.