EDITORIAL Russia's New Anti-Semitism T here is a sad and tragic irony brewing regarding Soviet Jewry. A new record for Jewish emigration from the USSR was set last year — 71,196 Jews left for the West. This year's prospects for emigration look equally good, if not better. But many are fleeing not for the positive reasons of wanting to settle in Israel, or even in the United States. They are exiting because they are being made to feel increasingly uncomfortable in the Union of Soviet So- cialist Republics. Though government-sanctioned anti-Semitism has loosened, the liberalizing measures of glasnost seem to have unleashed the native anti- Semitism of the Soviet peoples. "Self-pity is the life juice of Russian patriotism," noted the cover story in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine. "In their self-pity, nationalists look for culprits and they usually find the scapegoats of history: Jews." In recent months, there have been 50 desecrations of Jewish cemeteries and 1,000 anti-Jewish rallies, and vitriolic hate leaflets in the thousands have been distributed everywhere. Russia's New Right, often demanding a return to the non-Communist days of the czars, is on the march everywhere. It poses a threat not just to Mikhail Gorbachev, whose relaxing of the Kremlin's authority has allowed the right to flourish as never before. But it also threatens the psychological and, maybe, the physical safety of the nation's Jews. Anti-Jewish pogroms have not occurred — yet. But if the violence against Armenians in Azerbaijan is an index, pogroms against minorities are not unimaginable. Gorbachev has achieved wonders in the five years since he became head of the Communist Party. But it is essential that he not be unnerved by what has been occurring among certain member nations of the USSR, or in the New Right. To date, he has not spoken out against anti-Semitism. This is something he must do to make his prize project, glasnost, authentic and valid. And here in America, we must not assume that Soviet Jews are safe because emigration has increased. Americans, citizens and statesmen, must not succumb to a false confidence that, with Gorbachev at the helm and with Jews leaving in record numbers, the Jews of Russia are now safe. The sense of urgency regarding Jewish emigration is very real; no one knows how long the gates will remain open. We must continue to pressure the Kremlin to allow even more Jews to leave the country, and to leave now. Christian Aid A group of Christians have taken a leading role in recent years in. building support for Israel in the United States. The National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel, with hundreds of followers in many denominations, has lobbied their fellow Christians and spurred travel to Israel. The group has boosted Christian travel to Israel, even at times of terrorist threats and worked hard to bridge tensions both in the Middle East and the United States. The NCLCI executive board meeting in Southfield last weekend presented an opportunity for Jews and Christians to reassess our efforts on behalf of Israel. It is a time for coalition building and a time to give support to those who support us. Forty Years N ext Wednesday will mark the 40th anniversary of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's assuming the leadership of the Lubavitch Chasidim. Rabbi Schneerson, known simply as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, is now in his late 80s and is no stranger to controversy. Most recently he was criticized for his active role in Israel's last national election and his support of passage of the Who Is A Jew amendment. But Rabbi Schneerson has never hesitated to ex- press his views, and Jews around the world are indebted to him, and his Chasidim, for their tireless efforts to promote the observance of mitzvot. 6 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1990 LETTERS Hadassah Story Is Out Of Context While selectively quoting Estelle Gilson's Moment magazine piece about Hadassah ("Media Monitor" Jan. 19), Arthur Magida ob- viously pulled those phrases which, out of context, support a conclusion he wanted to prove. Moment devoted nine pages to this Hadassah cover story. Anyone reading all of it, with its extraordinary pictures, would see a portrait of a con- temporary Jewish women's movement successfully adap- ting to changes demanded by today's volunteer world. If the author finds problems with the changing role of women in society, if he believes it is in trouble, it is irresponsible journalism to cloak that belief in a headline implying that Hadassah is in trouble. That was not the thrust of the Moment article at all. Moment couldn't say it because it isn't true. Arline Gould, President, Greater Detroit Chapter of Hadassah Funds Must Be Closely Monitored The anticipated immigra- tion of Russian Jews to Israel has begun and Israeli officials have asked American Jews to share in the cost of absorbing the newcomers. It would be a terrible tragedy, for Israel and the immigrants, if our efforts to absorb them fail. If we lose this opportunity, we may never get another. Because the present effort is so crucial to our future, I am pleading with American Jewish fund-raisers to carefully monitor how the money they raise is being spent. Simply turning the funds over to the Jewish Agency or the Israeli govern- ment is a recipe for disaster. Too often in the past, money given in this manner had a way of getting lost in our bureaucracy. American Jewish fund- raisers owe it to American Jews, to Israelis and most of all, to the Russian o/im, to en- sure that the money raised is used for the purpose it was intended. Dr. Robert Rockaway Herzlia Pituah, Israel Agenda Answers Its Critics The letter by Zionist Organization of America members Ezekiel Leikin and Louis Panush (Jan. 19) de- nouncing the activities of the Greater Detroit Jewish Coali- tion for Peace in the Middle East and particularly New Jewish Agenda (NJA) is a sad commentary not on those organizations, but on the writers' own views of the place of dissent in the Jewish communty regarding Israel. While we understand the reason for their concern that the world see the Jewish com- munity as united behind Israel, we do not feel that re- maining silent in the face of destructive policies of the pre- sent government is in the best interest of the Jewish com- munity or of Israel. The Jan. 19 letter states that the American Jewish Committee has "seen fit to publish" a fact sheet that lists 15 activities that would justify Agenda activists' "communal repudiation and ostracism," no less, by the Jewish community. For the record, this "fact sheet" was Continued on Page 12