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The convent: an international incident over nuns at Auschwitz.

A Year Of

Blood And Ashes

On Rosh Hashanah, a look at the past year
including problems with the Catholic Church.

ELIE WIESEL

Contributing Editor

E

veryone knows what
Rosh Hashanah
signified in the past
and signifies still in our own
time: an effort, an attempt
at introspection. To conduct
a self examination. To take
stock of the year that has
just passed. To justify
words spoken or left unsaid,
actions undertaken or
miscarried. On the day of
Rosh Hashanah, the Jew is
alone with his soul, alone
with God whose judgment
can be discerned with the

soul's eyes. Let's take a look
at the past year. The traces
it has left are of blood and
ashes. They are still fighting
in Afghanistan. And wi
ll
Cambodia: The refugees will
be seeking a refuge for many
more years. A quarter of a
million Turkish men, women
and children from one day to
the next have become up-
rooted; Beirut has not com-
pleted its suicide. China has
once again become a prison.
Racial and ethnic murders
continue to inflame cities

and countries. Drugs are
ravaging the youth especial-
ly; famine and misery are
provoked by fanaticism and
hate from the left as well as
the right; verbal violence
translates itself into active
hostility; terrorism contin-
ues to ridicule world leaders:
one must look hard to dis-
cover, here and there, some
real and lasting sparks of
hope.
In our own Jewish world,
the situation also leaves a
lot to be desired. Most cer-

tainly, we have recorded
successes if not victories in
important areas. The conch-
don of Soviet Jews has im-
proved. Israel is somewhat
less attacked in the media.
The anti-Israeli leftists re-
main a small minority that
hasn't succeeded in seri-
ously affecting the commu-
nity: despite the noise that
surrounds it, the tiny pro-
Palestine Liberation Orga-
nization group has little
power because it acts only
on the fringes of the large

organizations that make up
the majority of American
Judaism.
We would, however, be
wrong to rejoice too much.
The episode of the hostages
shows us the fragility of our
position. At first, the kid-
_ napping of the head of the
Hezbollah was poorly re-
ceived by public opinion. At
the White House and in
Congress dissident voices
made themselves heard. The
terrorists had to commit the
error of showing the odious

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

139