SECOND CLASS
THE JEWISH NEWS
THIS ISSUE 60(P
SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 9, 1990 / 14 SHEVAT 5750
Bigotry Protest
For Farrakhan
RICHARD PEARL
Staff Writer
J
ewish students at
Michigan State Uni-
versity, reacting to the
scheduled campus ap-
pearance Feb. 18 of the Rev.
Louis Farrakhan, are
organizing an anti-bigotry
rally to precede Farrakhan's
address.
The rally's goal will be "to
promote ethnic and racial
harmony in support of in-
dividual freedom," accor-
ding to Mark Finkelstein,
executive director of the
sponsoring Hillel Student
Center on the MSU campus.
Farrakhan, leader of the
Chicago-based Nation of
Islam, has made numerous
anti-Semitic statements,
calling Judaism "a dirty re-
ligion" and saying Hitler
was "a great man."
Jeff Block, a junior from
West Bloomfield, said about
20 students, Jewish and non-
Jewish, attended an organiz-
ing meeting at Hillel Feb. 4.
Another rally planning
meeting is scheduled for 7:30
p.m. Feb. 11 at Hillel.
The students, operating
under the acronym SOBAD
— Students Opposed to
Bigotry And Discrimination
— are circulating a petition
opposed to "racial and ethnic
hatred" and "the advance of
(Farrakhan's) minions at the
expense of other groups."
The petition supports,
however, Farrakhan's
"message of empowerment
and self-esteem that is im-
portant for enfranchise-
ment."
SOBAD is seeking dona-
tions to publish the petition
and signatures in the cam-
pus State News prior to Far-
rakhan's appearance.
Finkelstein said
organizers are attempting to
get Gov. James Blanchard
and others to speak at the
rally. They hope to have 300-
500 pickets on hand, but said
earlier this week that re-
sponse from other campus
groups has been slow.
Finkelstein said Hispanic
and Asian student groups
"want to participate in the
rally, but are leary of com-
mitting themselves." He
Continued on Page 14
Levin Circulates
M.E. Aid Letter
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
A
letter sent to Presi-
dent George Bush on
Wednesday, signed
by about 70 senators, sharp-
ly criticizes Sen. Robert
Dole's recent proposal to
reduce foreign aid to its
largest recipients.
Drafted by Michigan Sen.
Carl Levin and signed by
some of Israel's staunchest
supporters, the letter urges
the president to oppose rec-
ommendations by the Senate
minority leader that the
United States reduce by 5
percent financial aid to
Israel, Egypt, Pakistan,
Turkey and the Philippines.
According to the proposal,
any money saved in such
reductions would be shifted
to communist countries
within the Eastern
European bloc now undergo-
ing major political reforms.
A White House spokes-
woman said she hadn't seen
the letter on Wednesday and
could not comment.
"It is vital that the United
States act, and act vigor-
ously, to reinforce the dem-
ocratic trends in the nations
of Eastern Europe," the
letter states. "However, we
should not and need not pro-
vide this support in ways
which damage other foreign
policy or security interests of
the United States.
"In the Middle East, we
should reaffirm the support
of the United States for
upholding our foreign
assistance commitments to
Israel and Egypt," the letter
says. "We must realize that
our historic and geopolitical
interests in that region are
promoted by this assistance.
Continued on Page 14
How local women
are turning homemade dishes
into recipes for success.