EDITORIAL
Answering The Call
•
Now the hard work begins.
Jewish Welfare Federation officials and
volunteers are elated with the results of
the Dec. 2 Super Sunday phonathon. Some
3,010 contributors gave an average of 11
percent more than last year despite — or
maybe because of — the specter of tough
economic times ahead. In addition, some
350 volunteers manned the telephones and
worked as clerks to record pledges of more
than $860,000.
With the 1991 Allied Jewish Campaign
half way to the goal of $28.5 million, the
Detroit Jewish community can con-
gratulate itself. But we must also be con-
cerned that the easiest part of Campaign is
behind us and the more difficult part lies
ahead.
Fortunately, Detroit's Jews are respon-
ding. They are concerned about Israel,
about the tremendous cost of rescuing and
resettling the Soviet Jews and, hopefully,
the Ethiopians, and the growing caseloads
of our Jewish agencies. An economic
downturn will only make these needs grow
greater.
Sunday's response, both in dollars and
volunteer effort, was a signal that the
community is willing to respond and these
Jewish needs can be met.
Shamir Meets Bush
Logic suggests that the upcoming
meeting in Washington on Tuesday bet-
ween President Bush and Israeli Prime
Minister Shamir will be a difficult one.
To begin, there is no personal warmth
between the two leaders. On the contrary,
each harbors hard feelings against the
other. Mr. Bush views Mr. Shamir as a
stubborn man and a hindrance to peace
between Arabs and Jews. And Mr. Shamir
believes that Mr. Bush is insensitive to
Israel's sense of security. The Israeli leader
sees his country as a long-standing ally
shoved aside by the United States as it
woos a coalition of Arab states.
Mr. Shamir comes to Washington with
requests for increased U.S. aid to help
Israel bear the burden of resettling up to a
million Soviet Jews in the next several
years. And he is worried about the prospect
of a Mideast war that would directly affect
his country but which he cannot control.
The decision rests with Mr. Bush, and
Israel must take a back seat while prepar-
ing herself for battle.
Israeli leaders believe that if the United
States ultimately backs down from
Saddam Hussein, coming to a diplomatic
agreement that would leave him in power
to continue to develop chemical and
nuclear arms, it would have been better for
the U.S. not to have entered the Gulf at all.
Israelis do not want war, but they feel that
it is inevitable, now or in a few years, and
that the odds are better now than later.
Mr. Bush, for his part, is worried about
Israel acting on its own in the Gulf crisis.
And he sees Israel's intransigence as a
major obstacle to progress on negotiations
with the Palestinians. He opposes Israeli
settlements in the West Bank, questions
Israeli authority over east Jerusalem, and
is unhappy with Israel's tactics in keeping
a lid on the intifada.
It is hoped that the two leaders will be
able to recognize the common interests
they share and work together to confront
Saddam Hussein and bring peace to the
Mideast. Surely the United States knows
that Israel stands ready to fight with the
United States and that Jerusalem's army
and military intelligence are a key to
success.
On the long-standing Arab-Israeli
dilemma, Mr. Bush should recognize that
linkage is critical. Not a linkage between
Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait and Israeli
withdrawal from the territories, which
would only further empower Saddam Hus-
sein, but rather linkage between Israeli-
Palestinian negotiations and the Arab
states agreeing to recognize Israel's right
to exist. As long as the Arab states refuse,
and continue their four-decade-long war
with Israel, there can be no peace.
Mr. Shamir must be willing to pursue his
own peace initiative, a Palestinian election
that could lead toward negotiations. He
needs to be more sensitive to U.S. concerns,
particularly in the style and manner in
which he operates.
George Bush and Yitzhak Shamir are
savvy men who know how to deal with
enemies. If they remember that they are
allies with shared ideals as well as prac-
tical goals, their meeting could be a critical
success.
Dry Bones
‘SRAEL CAN
BECOME
1146 BRIDGE
To BRIE
AMERICA
-
6
AND -114E
Soviet (Pore&
tr.ito EvElo
CCOseR
cooFeRA-nCYJ.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1990
wkle Lb
goo ski.?
11A-r?
BEcAoSE
IF TrIE
MASSIVE
AL NA
Kg-PS uP...
_sow.)
AS - rig-gfr
wILL ARE ISRAets
86 as mckwy IVOJG IN
AmeRtcA.
S
AtQfro
l'u
t.ivsist..11 G
IsRAEC,.
I LETTERS
Kahane Comment
Was A Travesty
The Purely Commentary
Nov. 23 on Rabbi Meir
Kahane's assassination was a
travesty. Even after Rabbi
Kahane's death, the article
demonstrated a complete lack
of understanding by Philip
Slomovitz and the Jewish
Establishment as to what
Rabbi Kahane's life was all
about.
For example, the first brief
paragraph stated that Rabbi
Kahane's death was tragic.
Yet, the article couldn't resist
the snide remark that "more
assembled at his death than
in his lifetime." Not only was
this inclusion malicious, it
was false. Israeli polls had his
political party, Kach, third in
popularity, not to count the
thousands of his followers
here in the United States .. .
"There was much to study
and learn about Rabbi
Kahane," said the.article. But
readers of The Jewish News
had to struggle through 28
column inches and still never
learned of Kahane's ac-
complishments. Instead,
readers got 13 column inches
of what Meir Kahane could
have made . . . could also have
been . . . should have done.
We also were treated to an
incredible 15 column inch
quote of hatred against Jews
and Israel by the Islamic
Resistance Movement. The
quote, however, merely prov-
ed the correctness of Rabbi
Kahane's words. "We have a
choice," he said, "of beating
the Arabs, killing the Arabs
or sending them out to live
with their cousins in their
own states. I say, 'Send them
out! "
Not once was there mention
of Meir Kahane's being one of
the greatest defenders of the
Jewish People since Ze'ev
Jabotinsky.
Not once until Rabbi
Kahane established the
Jewish Defense League could
older and other defenseless
Jews walk safely in their own
neighborhoods.
Not once until Rabbi
Kahane had any other rabbi
or "professional" Jew brought
the plight of the Russian Jews
to the front pages and forced
our "leadership" to become
active .. .
Yes, there was quite a lot to
write about in Rabbi Meir
Kahane's life for someone
who was willing to be honest.
An honorable tribute could
have been written for an
honorable man.
Harriet Drissman
President, Detroit Chapter,
Jewish Idea
War On Israel
Centuries Old
Philip Slomovitz complete-
ly missed the point of the very
facts he presented in his com-
mentary of Nov. 23, "Meir
Kahane's Sad Tragedy."
Whereas most cases of anti-
Semitism are rooted in
hypocrisy and fear, the hatred
of Jews by Israel's Arab
neighors is the immutable
dogma of the Islamic religions
that dominate these nations.
The declaration of war on
the Jews quoted in the
editorial is not an aberra-
tional invention of any
splinter group; it is the words
of Mohammed, the founder of
Islam. This was declared be-
fore the re-establishment of
the state of Israel, and Islam
has no pope-like authority
that can rescind this act. The
Koran is replete with
prescriptions of "death to the
infidell," and it conscripts
Continued on Page 10