1111=1 ■ 1111_ NEWS We need your help to feed the hungry Anti-Semitism Study Finds A Down-Turn ALIZA MARCUS Special to The Jewish News I is \ Food Bank of Oakland County YES! I/we want to help provide nutritious food to the needy of my community. I/we have enclosed: J $:5 CI $10 D $25 I/we prefer to contribute $ Please send additional envelopes. U $50 D $100 D Other each: ❑ month, ❑ quarter. Name Address City/State/Zip Checks should be made out to Food Bank of Oakland County All gifts are tax deductible. 120 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1990 Thanks for your support. t is an issue that has been subjected to much heated debate, incorporating everything from the lyrics of popular rap groups to statements on the status of Palestinians made by prominent politicians. But what have been miss- ing from the polemic over black anti-Semitism are statistics about its extent in the United States, which a new study by the American Jewish Committee has tried to rectify. The study, titled "What Do We Know About Black Anti- Semitism?" was written by AJCommittee research analyst Jennifer Golub and released in late October dur- ing the organization's na- tional executive council meeting in St. Louis. One of its chief findings was that anti-Semitic at- titudes among both blacks and whites have declined in recent years, but less rapidly among African Americans. The latest available data included in the study showed that in 1981, 37 percent of blacks and 20 percent of whites scored as anti- Semitic; in 1964, the figures were 47 percent among blacks and 35 percent among whites. David Singer, director of research at AJCommittee, who presented the study's findings at the meeting in St. Louis, said there are "clearly elements that are of concern" in the findings. "There are more negative views of Jews from blacks rather than whites, but still," he said, "anti-Semitic feelings have declined. To some degree, how you read the data depends where you stand." The study also found that the more educated people are, the less anti-Semitic they tend to be, though this was less true among blacks than whites. "It's silly to, say, give peo- ple an education pill, but it's true well-educated people have a broader liberal outlook, and people with broader liberal outlooks have a more positive perspective on Jews, which explains why anti-Semitism Linda Matz Mantle, executive editor of the St. Louis Jewish Light, contributed to this report. has been on the decline since the 1970s," said Mr. Singer. Yet while the youngest whites were found to be the least anti-Semitic, this did not hold true for the black population. That should be of concern to Jews, because "anti- Semites rarely change their minds," said Mr. Singer. "So how does change take place? They die and are replaced by a better group of people." Still, the study appears to show that anti-Semitism among blacks is less preva- lent than generally believed by Jews, who were found in previous surveys to think "most" or "many" blacks were anti-Semitic, the AJCommittee study said. According to Milton Morris, director of research There are more negative views of Jews from blacks rather than whites, but still anti-Semitic feelings have declined. at the Joint Center for Polit- ical and Economic Studies in Washington, there is a tendency to overemphasize the extent of black anti- Semitism, which has "contributed to some deteri- oration" in the relationship between Jews and blacks. Mr. Morris, who addressed the St. Louis conference, also said there was a tendency to overuse the term "anti- Semitic." "Anti-Semitic is a term applied not only to those ex- pressions of hate and in- tolerance, but increasingly to almost any expression of disagreement or disapproval of the view, preferences and behavior of Jews or the State of Israel," he said. While the report fills a gap in understanding relations between blacks and Jews, Mr. Singer points out fur- ther research on the subject is needed, particularly given the changing world events, such as nationalism and the influence of Islam, since the latest figures were gathered in 1981. ❑ Jewish Telegraphic Agency