OPINION

rCONTENTS

24

CLOSE-UP

Door To The Secret

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

Author Anton Shammas unveils
a world of agony and beauty.

Cover photo by Michael Hough

Iron Lady

A Horrible Offense
As Political Fodder

ALFRED DOBLIN

A

tragic part of history
appears to be resur-
facing in a way that
continues to pull at the
already tenuous relationship
between the Catholic/Jewish
community.
On the site of the former
Nazi concentration camp at
Auschwitz in Poland sits a
convent of Discalced Car-
melite nuns. The convent has
been the scene of recent
violence against Jewish pro-
testers and may force the
Vatican into an embarrassing
situation.
The convent was establish-
ed in 1984 as a place of prayer
for all the victims of the
Holocaust. However, Jewish
leaders view the presence of a
Catholic convent at the site of
a predominantly Jewish mas-
sacre as an attempt to Chris-
tianize the Holocaust. They
also believe that the most ap-
propriate response to such an
abhorrent event in the
Holocaust, as was the
Auschwitz camp, is one of
distance and silence. Accor-
ding to an adviser to Cardinal
Macharski of Krakow, Jewish
tradition calls for the
disassociation from a site of
criminal acts. lb Jews the
convent is a symbol of nor-
malcy at a marker of grotes-
que violence.
Certainly, this is a valid ob-
jection on the part of Jewish
leaders and there was an
agreement reached in 1987
calling for the relocation of
the convent. This has yet to
occur.
But while the nuns may be
slow in leaving, the Jewish
response has not helped the
situation but only exacer-
bated it. Statements in-
dicating that the actions of
these nuns will affect all
Catholic/Jewish dialogue is
not realistic. There is little to

Alfred Doblin is editor of
`The Michigan Catholic,'
where this first appeared.

be gained in closing off all
communication because of a
single problem. And one can't
help but wonder if the calls on
the Vatican to force the nuns
to leave is not attached to an
older resentment from what
some perceived as a lack of
Vatican assistance against
the Holocaust or the Vatican's
reluctance in recognizing the
State of Israel.
Either way, the site of a
horrible offense against God
is becoming political fodder.
The Jewish loss at Auschwitz
was staggering, but while we
should not attempt to Chris-
tianize their pain, we cannot
and should not forget all
those who were persecuted
and killed. Auschwitz was
more than an affront to Jews
or to Christians, but to all
humanity.
The current problem,
though, is not one of theology,
but geography. Can the nuns
pray for the soul of everyone
killed at Auschwitz some-
where else? Yes. Should they
move their convent? Yes.

The Discalced sisters
perhaps should take a lesson
from St. Paul who wrote in 1
Corinthians on the subject of
eating food that had been of-
fered as part of idol worship.
He stated that it is not impor-
tant if eating the meat is sin-
ful or not, if it gives offense to
your neighbor, you should
abstain.
The good that may come
from the nuns' prayer is being
diffused by the hatred their
presence at Auschwitz is caus-
ing. In the end it is not a mat-
ter of who is right or wrong,
but who is being helped or
hurt.
The convent is causing
great pain in the Jewish com-
munity — that's a fact. The
convent may be endangering
future Catholic/Jewish
dialogue — that would be just
another sad chapter in the
sad history of Auschwitz.
For the good of all Jews and
Catholics, the nuns should
move. ❑

52

SPORTS

The convent at Auschwitz: "If it gives offense to your neighbor, you
should abstain."

MIKE ROSENBAUM

Amy Alcott brings
great golf to Michigan.

57

57

FITNESS

No Sweat!

KIMBERLY LIFTON

Devra Wagner will join the first
USA-USSR fitness competition.

ENTERTAINMENT

Master Of Malaprops

63

RITA CHARLESTON

Norm Crosby gets laughs
butchering the English language.

82

GENERATIONS

Give Us A Break

RICHARD PEARL

63

Detroit's Jewish singles
benefit from summer breaks.

86

LIFESTYLES

Bar-Ilan Booster

CARLA SCHWARTZ

Les Goldstein puts his goals
and ideals into practice.

DEPARTMENTS

42
46
50
78

Synagogues
Education
Business
For Seniors

80
88
95
122

For Women
Engagements
Births
Obituaries

CANDLELIGHTING

82

8:22 p.m.
August 11, 1989
9:28 p.m.
Sabbath ends Aug. 12

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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