UP FRONT
How Acute Is The Crisis
In MS.-Israeli Relations?
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent
T
here is a deepening
sense of crisis among
Jewish activists in
Washington, who are con-
cerned by the administra-
tion's increasing frustration
and anger with Jerusalem.
The news that the Israeli
government provided fun-
ding for the Jewish settlers
in Jerusalem's Christian
Quarter is but the latest in a
series of incidents that has
caused an erosion of trust
between the two govern-
ments.
In private conversations,
administration officials have
taken pains to indicate their
mounting frustration with
Israel's political paralysis.
And in recent days, they
have made it equally clear
that they vigorously oppose
what now appears to be the
likeliest outcome to the
government crisis in Israel
— a Likud-led coalition that
will back off from the Baker
peace plan and accelerate
the pace of Jewish set-
tlements.
Early this week, the State
Department issued its har-
shest criticism yet of the
Shamir government, in-
dicating that Shamir's posi-
tion on the Baker peace pro-
posal "will probably mean
losing an important oppor-
tunity to move the peace
process forward."
In the past, American ad-
ministrations have tried to
stay clear of Israel's internal
political wars. But in a
variety of ways, the Bush
administration is now mak-
ing it plain that U.S.-Israeli
relations will suffer if
"It's been a rough
period these past
few months.
Malcolm Hoenlein
Shamir forms a narrow
Likud coalition — and if
Shamir continues his ap-
parent backpedaling from
the Baker plan.
There is little talk these
days in administration
circles about the "special re-
lationship" of the Reagan-
Shultz years, or the strate-
gic partnership between the
two countries, the other
pillar of U.S.-Israeli diplo-
macy.
"One way or the other, the
administration is sending a
clear message," said one
tired official with a major
Jewish organization. "They
are putting Israel on notice
that the United States will
no longer look the other way
while Israel gives in to its
extremists. Unfortunately,
we have good reason to
doubt whether Israel is will-
ing to heed that message."
Another administration
action has added to the wor-
ries about a change in basic
Middle East policy. The
White House, according to
some observers, seems in-
tent on approaching once-
implacable enemies — a pro-
cess that could have serious
implications for Israel.
Recently, Sen. Robert Dole
(R-Kans.), whose comments
about Jerusalem provoked
howls of outrage, met with
Iraqi president Saddam
Hussein. Dole was repre-
senting President Bush; the
meeting, according to many
observers, signaled a new
effort to patch up relations
with the unpredictable Iraqi
leader only weeks after Hus-
sein had threatened to
unleash chemical weapons
in response to any Israel at-
Cop.,,, 1990 Guenvcc.r Outrtx.ied by las A,* Tro Sfndc.•
tempt to pre-empt his grow-
ing arsenal.
"We're seeing a definite
change in perception at the
White House," said
Shoshana Bryen, director of
the Jewish Institute for Na-
tional Security Affairs. "The
net result is that the ad-
ministration now feels it is
important to be nicest to the
people who have the greatest
capability of hurting our in-
terests."
Iraq, with its growing
arsenal of chemical weapons
and missiles, is such a
threat, Bryen said; instead
of working to isolate Hus-
sein and imposing stiff sanc-
tions to discourage his be-
havior, the administration is
seeking new approaches to
the unpredictable leader.
"It seems to me that this
leads to undermining your
friends — whether they
happen to be Chinese
dissidents, Lithuanians or
Israelis," Bryen said.
Jewish leaders caution
against panic in the fact of
the administration's evolv-
ing Middle East policy. But
there has been a significant
Continued on Page 12
ROUND UP I'
JTS, YIVO, USSR
Sponsor Program
New York — For the first
time in more than 50 years,
Jewish languages, history,
literature and culture will
be studied and researched
within the framework of
Soviet higher education.
The Moscow State In-
stitute of History and Ar-
chives (MGIAI), a Soviet
university with
undergraduate and graduate
programs, will sponsor a
program in Jewish studies in
cooperation with the Jewish
Theological Seminary of
America (JTS) and the YIVO
Institute for Jewish Resear-
ch.
The program, slated to
begin in the fall of 1991, will
be a combined Soviet and
American effort. Each year,
teams of professors from JTS
and YIVO will go to Moscow
for a semester or summer to
teach Jewish subjects.
MGIAI faculty will comple-
ment these with courses in
history and archival skills.
The Soviet students also will
ple. They held rummage
sales, food and art auctions
and movie parties.
Construction work on the
new facility, Temple Beth
Shalom, began three years
ago. Today, many who visit
the temple say it looks like a
replica of an ancient syn-
agogue in Toledo, Spain.
spend one year of the four-
year program studying at
YIVO and the JTS in New
York.
Graduates of the program
will be able to catalog the
numerous Jewish manu-
scripts now surfacing in
the Soviet Union and
make them accessible to
scholars.
How Rudy's Lounge
Became A Temple
Sanctuary of the new Temple
Beth Shalom in San Juan.
San Juan — For 22 years, a
group of 72 Reform Jewish
families in Puerto Rico
dreamed of having their own
congregation. Last month,
that dream came true.
Located at the corner of
San Jorge and Lofza streets
in the island's capital, the
temple formerly was a run-
down building that served as
the home of Rudy's 10th Inn-
ing Lounge, a popular
hangout. Today, thanks to
the efforts of the tiny con-
gregation, the building
houses a sanctuary, a social
hall, a kitchen, classrooms,
library and an office.
It all began in 1966 when
.six dozen young Jewish
families on the island got
together to discuss how to
provide their children with a
Reform Jewish education.
They began meeting in pri-
vate homes, hotels and
schoolrooms — wherever
they could find space.
In 1975, the group bought
the building that housed the
out-of-business lounge. With
no help from professional
fund-raisers or planners, the
men and women went to
work to raise funds to con-
vert the building into a tem-
B'nai B'rith
Files Suit
Los Angeles — The B'nai
B'rith Record, the 43-year-
old monthly publication of
the councils of B'nai B'rith
International and B'nai
B'rith Women in southern
California, filed suit last
month in superior court
against Howard Publishing
Co., Inc., its former advertis-
ing sales representative.
Howard Publishing was
the sales representative for
The Record for 10 years, en-
ding last November.
Among the claims leveled
in the suit are that Howard
Publishing used The
Record's confidential list of
billing records for a com-
peting paper and that
spokesmen for the company
told former advertisers The
Record had ceased to exist
and that it was no longer an
official B'nai B'rith paper.
And The Shekels
Came Rolling In
Tel Aviv — Oh, that ver-
satile credit card! Is there
any end to the wonderful
ways it can be used to make
your bill even bigger?
Apparently not. Now
tourists to Israel can use
credit cards at more than
150 Bank Hapoalim
automatic teller machines.
Foreign visitors to the coun-
try can obtain up to 1,000
shekels (about $500) any
time day or night using
Mastercard, Eurocard or
Eurocheque cards at ATM
machines located outside
Bank Hapoalim branches
throughout Israel.
Compiled by
Elizabeth Applebaum
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
5