CONTENTS
The Asuchwitz Debate:
Time To Go Forward
CARDINAL SZOKA
t the beginning of
September, in this
country and in coun-
tries throughout the western
world, religious observances
marked the onset of World
War II.
That cataclysmic war which
began with treachery and lies
was to end only six, long,
terrible years later after the
almost unimaginable loss of
50 million lives and untold
suffering and sorrow.
In the midst of our solemn
commemoration of these
events, the Jewish and
Catholic communities have
been saddened and
bewildered by the controver-
A
We must strive to
bring extraordinary
openness and
sensitivity to
comprehend that
meaning.
sy involving the Carmelite
convent at Auschwitz in
Poland.
I have visited Auschwitz.
Inside the compound I prayed
and tried to udnerstand the
enormity of the evil that took
place within its confines. The
hideous and diabolical pain,
torture and death inflicted
there on the innocent was and
will forever remain
unspeakable.
There are places and events
within our human experience
which have religious, na-
tional and ethnic dimensions
and meanings that are uni-
que in history. To fully com-
prehend such meanings, we
must necessarily be of a
specific religious practice, na-
tional or ethnic identity.
Auschwitz, with its infamous
history, is such a place and
such an event to both Jews
and Poles.
When, as an American of
Polish descent, I visited
Auschwitz, I was able to begin
partially to enter into the
reality of what that camp
meant to those who sufferd
and died there and what it
Cardinal Szoka is Catholic
Archbishop of Detroit. This
statement was made Monday
following the announcement
that Cardinal Josef Glemp of
Poland had cancelled his
planned visit to the United
States following his criticism
of the agreement to move the
Auschwitz convent and of the
Jewish community.
means to those living today.
Nonetheless, I clearly realize
that my understanding can
never be as complete as that
of one born and raised in
Poland. But I also realize even
more clearly that I cannot ful-
ly absorb the meaning which
Auschwitz has for Jewish peo-
ple throughout the world.
It is an undeniable and
historical fact that Hitler and
his Nazi regime specifically
identified the Jewish people,
as the did no other, to be
eliminated from the face of
the earth. They deliberately
set out to murder every man,
woman and child of Jewish
ancestry. In a frenzy beyond
sanity, they nearly succeeded.
Auschwitz, more than any
other concentration camp, is
the symbol to Jews of that
holocaust — the Sho'ah.
Although we can only know
in a limited way the meaning
Auschwitz has to those who
are Jewish, we can fully know
that we must strive to bring
extraordinary openness and
sensitivity to our efforts to
comprehend that meaning.
Implicit in such sensitivity is
the importance of understan-
ding how those who are
Jewish would, out of their
religious convictions and
tradition, commemorate and
memorialize such a place as
Auschwitz. Equally impor-
tant for us as Catholics is an
understanding of how our
own religious commemora-
tion and memorialization
could, unintentionally and
without malice, cause hurt
and offense to Jews.
It is my hope and prayer
that those involved in the sad
and painful situation of the
Carmelite convent will enter
into respectful and patient
dialogue to resolve the
disagreement which has
arisen and to find a satisfac-
tory solution, including the
movement of the convent as
soon as possible, from its pre-
sent location to one outside
the campsite.
As Christians and Jews,
there is something we must
not do: we must not con-
tribute one more word, one
more thought or one more
deed that would reverse, or
even momentarily delay, our
cooperative progress toward a
more moral, more just, more
compassionate society and
world. We must not permit
the current controversy at
Auschwitz to destroy the
great progress we have made
in our dialogue over so many
years.
All the victims of the bar-
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24
CLOSE-UP
Soviet Jews, Israel
ROBERT GREENBERGER
A major shift in Washington policy
will force more Soviets to Israel.
PROFILE
41
Of Maus And Men
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
The second book of his father's
life begins in Nazi Germany.
41
BUSINESS
Jews Still Stalled
In Corporate America
52
ELAINE DEROSA
A new book says there's been
a return to the gentlemen's agreement.
ENTERTAINMENT
Behind The Scenes
(f)
77
F-
Li]
STEVEN M. HARTZ
Val Sklar works on the other side
of the camera for Hollywood stars.
MITZVAH PEOPLE
SPARCing Visitors
O
107
SUSAN SALTER
77
Senior isolation is being attacked
by government and volunteers.
116
OUTLOOK
The Jewish Way
Of Adoption
ANITA DIAMANT
New ceremonies are being created
to welcome adopted children as Jews.
DEPARTMENTS
45
54
92
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104
110
Community
Sports
For Seniors
Cooking
Here's To
Teens
112
122
123
124
129
154
Engagements
Births
Single Life
For Women
Classified Ads
Obituaries
CANDLELIGHTING
September 15, 1989 7:25 p.m.
Sabbath ends Sept. 16 8:30 p.m.
107
Cover photo by Richard Lobell
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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