-- 1OPINION CONTENTS The Moral Imperative Must Be Found ALFRED DOBLIN M y grandfather was born a Jew. A very prominent and in- fluential author in the Berlin of the 20s and early 30s, he did not practice Judaism. My father, as he tells it, was rais- ed Lutheran, and it was not until the rise of the Nazi movement that he became aware of his Jewish heritage as the family had to escape from their homeland. Both my father and grandfather, at different points later in their lives, converted to Catholicism. As a Catholic born in the late 50s, I never experienced the anti-Catholicism in this country that could seriously hamper say a Catholic can- didate for public office. Nowadays, papal loyalty by political candidates or public officials would be a novelty. Politicians don't want to "foist" their personal moral convictions on their consti- tuents. Everyone can believe what they want and do what they want — well, not quite. There are restrictions. But whose restrictions? In a socie- ty becoming increasingly lax on all moral imperatives, what is viewed as harm or destructive? Racism is still pervasive. Anti-Semitism runs just below the surface of even "enlightened" people's skin. Have a cocktail conversation about U.S. federal support of Israel and you'll be embar- rassed by some of the jokes. Last Monday, I happened by chance to be playing with the remote control for my televi- sion. I don't watch much television, especially in the early evening, but Fox's "21 Jump Street" caught my at- tention. Even I am aware that this program is aimed at a younger audience and from the little I know about it, it's standard teen television fod- der. But this particular episode dealt with the rise of white supremacist groups and skinheads. The show depicted the melding of two different white supremacist movements — one based com- pletely on violence and the other on cultural indoctrina- tion — both movements firm- ly rooted in hatred. The skinheads were stereotyped. The opposing protesters demonstrating for Alfred Doblin is editor of The Michigan Catholic where this piece originally appeared. American values of freedom for all were also stereotyped and had violent tendencies. There was even a yuppie Nazi. The point, though, the writers were trying to make was that there is a great danger in being carried away by hatred — hatred against any race, but also an even greater danger in hatred against the people who are perpetrating the hatred because then the cycle becomes self-perpetuating. I would have preferred more depth to the characters' moral dilemmas, but this was after all just a commercial televi- sion program. The most strik- ing part of the program, for me, was when a few characters let loose a tirade of racial, ethnic and religious slurs. I've had arguments with clergy about the use of cer- tain insulting words in news stories. My feeling is if it's im- portant to understanding the incident, the word must be us- ed or referred to with dashes in a way that the reader com- prehends exactly what was said. The reader should understand it, be struck by it and feel the pain of it. If we don't physically feel the pain caused by abhorrent slurs, if we don't recoil from them, we do not learn how to stop the hatred that causes the words to have been said. I still hear good Christians argue that Jesus wasn't a Jew or that God has to be white and a man. Small points? Perhaps. Unless you happen to be Jewish, black, Asian or a woman. There are moral im- peratives and they shape how we think and act. The older I become, the more I under- stand why the Jewish com- munity doesn't want their children to forget the destruc- tion of the Holocaust. Or why blacks shouldn't forget the riots or the Klan. Unless we constantly try to understand the painful experiences of the past, we will lack the vision to forge a different future. Many of us have been sheltered from this kind of hatred so we must reach into our past to find the common link — a cross borne by a father or great-grandmother. But it has to be found and remembered and told or their pain will not be a balm for their children but rather an incendiary device waiting to explode. My grandfather was born a Jew. 0 15 DETROIT Hands-On Match RICHARD PEARL The computer is bypassed to pair athletes and hosts. 22 CLOSE-UP Funny Girls WENDY ROLLIN Some funny Detroit ladies are making it in comedy. Cover photo by Glenn Triest 33 INSIGHT 45 Homeless Crisis ZE'EV CHAFETS The Soviet flood spawns tents, tension in Israel. 39 FICTION Angel MARIA POLLACK Be careful what you wish for; it may be yours. 45 SPORTS The Natural HOWARD ROSS George Maskin has a 40-year passion for kids, officiating. 53 LOOKING BACK 53 East Side Adventure Parents struggled, but Manhattan was an adventure for the kids. ENTERTAINMENT King(ston) Of Horror 65 STEVE HARTZ There's a new, blood-thirsty freak from Detroit. DEPARTMENTS 27' 30 40 64 76 Inside Washington Background Synagogues Fine Arts Cooking 86 92 94 97 126 Engagements Births Single Life Classified Ads Obituaries CANDLELIGHTING 65 8:47 p.m. Friday, July 20, 1990 Sabbath ends July 21 9:55 p.m. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 7