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How did a group that espouses nonviolence

and that has a history of helping Jews

hey call themselves Friends. They
say they're nonviolent, lovers of
peace, committed to equal rights
and social justice for all.
Among the areas in which these
Friends, the American Friends
Service Committee (AFSC), which
is affiliated with the Society of Friends
(commonly known as the Quakers), have
been most active is the Middle East. They
have hosted seminars where speakers
equate Zionism with "discrimination and
colonialism" and label the Israeli govern-
ment "fascist." They have held rallies to
mark the anniversary of the intifada and
sponsored American tours of speakers like
Mubarak Awad of the Palestinian Center
for the Study of Nonviolence, who once com-
plained that Jews have too much power in
the U.S. government.
Their efforts, AFSC spokesmen say, are
aimed at bringing peace and justice for
both Israelis and Palestinians. Members
of the Jewish community and supporters
of Israel aren't so sure.
"They're pro-PLO, no question about
that," said Professor Marvin Maurer of
New Jersey's Monmouth College. "And
their literature makes a number of at-
tacks on Israel as a Western implant in
the Middle East, describing it as the
stalking dog of an America trying to find
oil in the Middle East.
"They always say they support Israel's
right to exist," added Professor Maurer,
who has written a number of articles on
the Quakers and the AFSC. "But they
also undermine that existence."
"Again and again the Friends range
themselves on the Arab side and against
Israel on specific issues," writes the Rev.
Franklin Littell in a Christians Concern-
ed for Israel (CCI) brochure. President
emeritus of CCI, Dr. Littell is adjunct pro-
fessor at the Hebrew University's In-
stitute of Contemporary Jewry and editor
of Ecumenical Studies.
Dr. Littell adds, "The Quakers try to
get us to believe that the Arabs are in-
finitely more moderate than they sound,
while the Israelis are infinitely more
militant than they sound."
The debate over the AFSC is twofold.
First, how does an organization whose
basic tenets include a renunciation of
violence explain its longstanding support
for talks with the PLO?
And second, how did an organization
once distinguished in its support of Jews
— during World War II the AFSC came to
the aid of numerous refugees — transform
into a group many regard anti-Israel?

The Philadelphia-based AFSC was
founded in 1917 by the Quakers as a way
to further the denomination's opposition

come to be

an advocate

for the

P

• ∎♦

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

Assistant Editor

to war and violence. A tax-exempt organ-
ization, it first concentrated on war relief
and refugee assistance. Today, the AFSC
hosts educational forums, publishes pam-
phlets and books, participates in marches
and takes political positions for the
Quaker movement.
The organization has offices worldwide,
including one in Ann Arbor. In 1990, it
operated on a $24 million annual budget,
with funding from Quakers and non-
Quakers, private organizations and, occa-
sionally, the American government,
which gives grants for AFSC education
programs in the United States.
The AFSC won the Nobel Prize for
Peace in 1947 for its refugee work, which
included helping resettle Jewish sur-
vivors of Nazi death camps.
From its inception, the AFSC has in-
volved persons of all faiths and
backgrounds, and is not itself a religious
organization per se. Its board comprises
Arabs, Christians and Jews, all appointed
through nominations. Observers say
some of the most vociferous, eager-to-
attack Israel voices in the AFSC belong to
Jews.
About one-third of AFSC staff workers
are Friends. All members must support
Quaker principles of nonviolence and
equality.
In its brochure "Program on Militarism
and Nonviolence," the AFSC lists as its
aim: "To expose the militarism of U.S.
society, to challenge the priority given
the military in the use of resources, and to
offer alternatives to the pervasive use of
military models of problem solving." As
part of this goal, the AFSC has focused
numerous efforts on the Middle East. In
1989, it began a five-year campaign to
teach the public about problems between
Israelis and Palestinians.
Among the AFSC's Mideast policies, as
listed in an AFSC brochure "Questions
and Answers: AFSC and the Israeli-
Palestinian Conflict," are:
• Dialogue with the PLO is a necessity.
• Jerusalem should not be "the ex-
clusive possession of one religion or na-
tional state."
• The U.S. government should limit aid
to Israel in an effort to curtail Israeli set-
tlements in the administered territories.
• A Palestinian state should be estab-
lished in the territories.
The AFSC's relationship with the
Israeli government has been strained.
Rael Jean Isaac, author of Israel Divided,
cites in her Midstream article "The Seduc-
tion of the Quakers" the case of Ann
Lesch, who in 1974 went to Israel to serve
as AFSC associate Middle East repre-
sentative. According to Ms. Isaac, Ann
Lesch was expelled from Israel for work-

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