An Open Letter
To Nelson Mandela
Dear Nelson,
I am one of a number of
Jews who claim you as a
friend. Our friendship started
some 35 years ago when I
became founding editor of
Post, South Africa's first mass
circulation tabloid Sunday
newspaper for non-whites.
At a meeting in my home in
Johannesburg (remember?)
you arranged for me to get
regular confidential briefings
about African National Con-
gress activities so that I could
publish accurate news about
the ANC without prejudice to
its security. My whiteness
was never an issue with you.
A few years later when you
were on the run with a price
on your head, you came,
disguised as a chauffeur, to
"I have to tell you
as an old friend
that my heart fell
when you
embraced Arafat."
Cecil Eprile
see me at my home — and
shortly before your arrest, you
got one of your aides to bring
me to your hiding place. You
did so, you told me, because
you trusted me.
Since those days I have wat-
ched you from afar with pride
and affection. I shared the joy
with many others when you
walked out of prison. During
your long years of captivity
you had assumed in my mind
the symbol of a Moses, echo-
ing the ancient cry, "Let my
people go!". Now you were set
to become a Joshua preparing
to bring your people into the
Promised Land.
But I have to tell you as an
old friend that my heart fell,
as many other Jewish hearts
must have fallen, when, in
front of the world's cameras,
you embraced the PLO's
Yassir Arafat as a comrade in
arms, saying, "Like us he is
fighting against a unique
form of colonialism and we
wish him success in his strug-
gle."
You have a right to embrace
whom you wish and to say
that the enemies of Israel are
not your enemies. I can
understand this. But Arafat
Cecil Eprile, now living in
southern California, was forced to
leave South Africa in the 1950s.
His daughter is married to the
son of Detroiter Fred Winkleman.
has been associated as a
leader with a cold-blooded
policy of murdering civilians,
including children — and you
and your closest colleagues
have long expressed aversion
to murder.
Your remark (after compar-
ing Arafat's struggle with the
struggle against injustice in
South Africa) that "If the
truth alienates the powerful
Jewish community in South
Africa, that's too bad" im-
plied an uncharacteristic un-
conern for people's feelings, a
coldness totally alien from
the image of you which I and
others have long carried in
our hearts.
I don't need to remind you
that although the "powerful
Jewish community" in South
Africa is, because of skin col-
or, a beneficiary of apartheid,
no other section of the white
population has been more
meaningfully represented in
the struggle against apar-
theid . . . that the Jewish
Helen Suzman was for years
the sole voice in parliament
to chastise the state for the
many injustices of the apar-
theid system.
If your Jewish friends seem
to over-react to certain areas
of criticism, I want you to
understand why. Some
American Jews, for example,
have not been able to forget
Jesse Jackson's "Hymie"
remark; few have forgotten or
forgiven Louis Farrakhan's
far more sinister denigration
of Judaism as a "gutter"
religion (his subsequent ex-
cuse that he was referring
only to "some" Jews did
nothing to soften the
bitterness).
Not because hard words
break any bones but because
centuries of persecution have
taught us the bitter lesson
that hostile words encourage
hostile deeds — just as the
disparagers who call a grown
man "boy" will almost cer-
tainly acquiesce in denial of
his human rights and the
shooting down of him and his
children if they rise in protest
against the denial .. .
I would not ask or expect
you to let friendship influence
your judgement. I do ask you
to examine all sides of the
issue.
As an urgent first step,
won't you give Jewish friends
like Helen Suzman an oppor-
tunity to present the complex
issues relating to Israel from
their perspective for your
consideration?
It comes naturally to you to
Continued on Page 10
Passover Coke
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Was it kosher
for the holiday?
26
CLOSE-UP
The New Age
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Some Jews are using the stars
to navigate the New Age.
32
ANN ARBOR
Mellow Age
SUSAN LUDMER-GLIEBE
An Ann Arbor shop
is on the ground floor.
56
EDUCATION
The Book Lady
32
SUSAN GRANT
A traveling library
encourages Jewish reading.
79
ENTERTAINMENT
Spotlight On • . •
WENDY ROLLIN
Nancy Gurwin takes center
stage in a new production.
111
TEENS
Matching Up
JUDY MARX
A program links new
Americans and old.
56
116
LIFESTYLES
On The Bench
CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ
Gerald Rosen steps up
to the federal bench.
DEPARTMENTS
24
35
43
46
49
58
96
Notebook
Inside Washington
Insight
Business
Community
Sports
Fine Arts
98
102
118
122
124
129
154
Travel
Cooking
Engagements
Births
Single Life
Classified ads
Obituaries
CANDLELIGHTING
116
Friday, April 13, 1990
Sabbath ends April 14
7:54 p.m.
8:58 p.m.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
7
ONTENT
CECIL EPRILE
15
DETROIT