EDITORIAL

Double Coverage

The camera never lies.
After all, with our own eyes, we were
witnesses to arson, crack house raids, a
tearful mother who lost her son to random
violence, a white Warren resident who
portended terrible things if blacks moved
into his community and Detroit Mayor
Coleman Young spewing a stream of
vulgarities.
City leaders, elected, appointed and self-
anointed, have ridiculed the ABC net-
work's recent broadcasting of a segment on
Detroit during "Prime Time Live." Some
even picketed ABC headquarters in New
York, demanding a more balanced ap-
proach to its future coverage of Detroit.
Why, they ask, did the cameras focus on
Mayor Young's seconds of bluster when the
cutting room floor must have been covered
with film showing the mayor as erudite,
charming and witty? Why, they ask, did
the cameras not show the positive aspects
of life in Detroit? Its good neighborhoods?
Fire prevention patrols? Decent, hard-
working, honest people? Again, there was
plenty of footage taken, but none used.
How ironic that some of the same people
who cry "foul" over the "trashing" of

Detroit by "Prime Time Live" and ABC
unrelentingly pummel Israel over its deal-
ings with Palestinians and the intifada. An
Israeli soldier is seen on camera kicking a
Palestinian teenager. Terrible, for sure.
But the footage showing the series of con-
frontations leading up to the kicking also
finds its way to the cutting room floor, cer-
tainly ending up in the same garbage pile
as an unprovoked Coleman Young.
Following the airing of the ABC pro-
gram, local newspapers tracked down
many of those featured. Most claimed they
had been manipulated or misled. However,
one young adult who showed the cameras a
stockpile of weapons to protect his property
from nearby drug dens claimed that he had
concocted his story — and that the weapons
really weren't his. All he wanted to do was
get on television.
We hope the next time these community
leaders see television footage from
Jerusalem, Gaza or the West Bank, they
remember their own outrage over the
coverage given to Detroit and realize most
of their criticisms of Israel are based on
what they see on television. After all, they
know the camera never lies. Right?

Repeal U.N. Racism

-

Fifteen years ago this month, the United
Nations passed Resolution 3379 describing
Zionism as "a form of racism and racial
discrimination." That despicable act,
describing the national liberation move-
ment of the Jewish people as immoral, has
encouraged attacks on Israel and justified
violence against Jews.
It is difficult to assess the depth of the
negative impact the U.N. resolution has
had. Clearly its legacy has been one of
creating double standards and legitimizing
hate. There have been attempts to prohibit
Jewish students at San Francisco State
University from running for campus office
on the grounds that they are Zionists, and
therefore racists. Most dangerous has been
the international attitude toward Israel,
where her very existence is deemed il-
legitimate and her actions immoral.
Recent U.N. resolutions condemning
Israel regarding the Temple Mount inci-
dent, and Israel's refusal to be party to a
U.N. investigation, did not come about in a
vacuum. Israel has long been the focus of
one-sided U.N. criticism. In this instance,
first came the condemnation, then the call
for an investigation — from a world body

Dry Bones

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that has never criticized the killing of a
single Jew.
American Jewish organizations, most
notably the American Jewish Committee,
have called for Resolution 3379 to be
revoked. At a time when the U.N. has
shown glimpses of fulfilling its purpose,
particularly regarding Eastern Europe and
the Persian Gulf crisis, it is imperative
that she act to redress her past biases and
increase her moral authority as well as
position herself to play a constructive role
in the Mideast.
What is particularly disturbing is Wash-
ington's relapse on this issue. Last
December, Vice President Dan Quayle
committed the administration to the repeal
of Resolution 3379. But the U.S. announc-
ed recently that it would not press for the
repeal at this year's session, no doubt be-
cause the administration fears jeopardiz-
ing her fragile coalition of Arab states in
response to Saddam Hussein.
Now is the time to act forcefully to cor-
rect past wrongs, not be a party to them. As
long as Resolution 3379 is on the books, the
U.N. cannot be viewed as meriting respect
or having a positive Mideast influence.

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'Breaking Silence'
Was A Service

B'nai B'rith Women of
Metropolitan Detroit is to be
commended for presenting
the very informative pro-
gram, with Jewish Family
Service, on domestic violence
and child abuse within the
Jewish community. It does
happen in the Jewish
Community.
"Breaking Silence" is a film
that everyone should see.
Susan Lasker, a very bright
young Jewish woman, should
be heard by all. Telling about
her young life as an abused
child in a "nice Jewish home"
brought home the reality of
this growing problem.
I am very proud to be a
member of B'nai B'rith
Women. This organization
builds a better world for today
by its involvement in the
issues of today.

Ida Nathan
Birmingham

Mother Proud
Of Yavneh Choice

I am impelled to write in
response to your article (Nov.
2) about Yavneh Academy. I
am the proud mother of one
student attending Yavneh.
As carefully and conscien-
tiously as you care for your
family as it matures, almost
everyone says to themselves
of at least one decision that
you make along the way, "If
I had to do it over again, I
would . ." Well, I have two
teenage daughters in high
school and now I have a little
one, Joshua. So, in a sense, I
do have it to do over again
and have chosen a religious
day school, Yavneh.
We consciously have chosen
many aspects of our life and
the environment that we

create for our children
(neighborhood, home, sports,
temple affiliation, and
schools). Religiously, Yavneh
fits our nuclear family the
closest. We have been willing,
led by Joshua, to be a bit
more observant and to share
his enthusiasm of learning
Hebrew and religious
observances.
The small number of
children currently enrolled is
a definite advantage to my
first-grader. The flexibility
and individual attention
maximizes his learning in all
areas. The environment is ex-
tremely rich and stimulating.
Hebrew remains his favorite
class.
Josh has made the same
number of new close friends
and playmates at Yavneh that
he's always had. It doesn't
seem to matter how large the
group my son is in. He
befriends one or two very nice
children and wants to be their
friend forever.
I do hope that more families
consider Yavneh.

Mrs. Nancy Garber
Huntington Woods

Bishop Criticizes
`Clergy' Article

I write to express my sur-
prise and concern about the
article "Critical Clergy" in
the Nov. 2 issue of The Jewish
News. While' the article
features several pictures of
me and reports briefly on a
trip two dozen southeastern
Michigan residents made to
Israel and the occupied ter-
ritories this past July, it
lumps our visit with others it
characterizes as either anti-
Israel or, worse yet,
anti-Jewish.
The group was unusual in

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