I UP FRONT
Cautious Optimism
Among Jewish Groups
Israel's 'yes' to a Middle East peace conference
raises hopes, and many fears, in Washington.
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent
I
n the short term, last
week's dramatic devel-
opments in the Middle
East peace process should
provide some welcome relief
for Israel's friends in Wash-
ington, who are fighting an
all-out battle to secure $10
billion in refugee reset-
tlement loan guarantees.
But in the long term,
Israel's conditional accep-
tance of the joint U.S.-Soviet
call for a regional peace con-
ference in October brings
pro-Israel forces here into
uncharted territory, with
unseen dangers as well as
unprecedented oppor-
tunities.
The result is a curious feel-
ing of optimism mingled
with uncertainty and ap-
prehension.
Israel's friends here
ardently want peace, and
many believe that the only
route to peace will ultimate-
ly involve territorial conces-
sions by Israel and some
extraordinarily difficult
decisions for the Shamir
government.
And yet many of these
same pro-Israel activists
worry that the process that
Secretary of State James
Baker has started has the
potential to further strain
U.S.-Israeli ties, and corn-
Nobody is
predicting that the
route to the peace
table will be a
smooth one.
plicate their own agendas in
Washington.
"The status quo was
untenable," said a leading
pro-Israel activist here. "We
all knew that — and yet it
was something we had ac-
customed ourselves to. In a
strange sort of way it was
comfortable. We knew the
rules of the game. Now,
nobody knows where we're
heading, and that is an un-
comfortable feeling."
The good news, from a pro-
Israel point of view, is that
the fight for the $10 billion
may be significantly easier
in the wake of Mr. Shamir's
positive response to the
Baker initiative.
With his dramatic tur-
nabout, Mr. Shamir may
have thwarted administra-
tion efforts to link the loan
guarantees to other issues,
including Israel's set-
tlements policies —
although this week's an-
nouncement of still more
Jewish settlement activity
was seen by some ad-
ministration officials as a
deliberate slap at Mr. Baker.
Because the peace negotia-
tions will not begin until
after Congress deals with
the loan guarantee issue, it
is now unlikely that the ad-
ministration will try to con-
vince legislators to add other
strings to the guarantees —
Artwork by C.th.k.Kamer. CoPYT011te 1990, Catherine Kenner. Distnbuted by los Angeles Times Syndrome.
conditions relating to
Israel's performance as the
peace negotiations begin to
take shape.
Mr. Shamir's decision,
regardless of how the peace
process turns out, has
brought Israel some badly
needed breathing room in
Washington at a time when
Israel's friends here are in the
middle of the most important
legislative battle in many
years.
It may also result in an
easing of the personal
strains that have been a
palpable undercurrent in re-
lations between the Bush
administration and the
Shamir government.
There may be a short
"honeymoon" period of im-
proved relations that could
produce all kinds of positive
benefits — including ac-
celerated delivery of
weapons promised to Israel
last year, but never
delivered.
But underlying these
positive sentiments are some
nagging worries.
There are quiet concerns
among Israel's friends about
exactly what the Bush ad-
ministration will expect
from Israel in the days to
come — and what they are
likely to expect as the peace
process hits its inevitable
obstacles.
Friends of Israel in Con-
gress worry about the ap-
store shelves began
overflowing with unsold
boxes of Crispy-Os. "You
couldn't give them away"
disgruntled Crispy-0 pur-
chasers were heard to
remark.
How wrong they were. It
turns out you can indeed
give Crispy-Os away, as
American Bulk Food in West
Bloomfield is finding out.
This week, American Bulk
Food will be giving away
free boxes of Crispy-Os. The
store offers numerous kosher
products, but customers
need not buy a one to get
their Crispy-Os. The Crispy-
Os are yours absolutely
FREE! Hurry, before they
all disappear. This is one
eating experience you won't
forget!
The Jews for Jesus had
hoped to hold their 1987 an-
nual convention at the
Stevensville Country Club.
But they were refused when
Jewish organizations —
headed by the Jewish Com-
munity Relations Council of
New York — said such a
move would force them to
take their business
elsewhere.
The judge in the case, Fed-
eral District Court Judge
Richard Owen, said the Jew-
ish organizations' action did
not constitute unlawful
economic boycott. Non-Jews
are welcomed at the resort,
which also hosts numerous
church groups, the judge
noted. But the Jews for
Jesus philosophy is in direct
contradiction to Jewish doc-
trine, he said.
Jews for Jesus lawyer Jay
Alan Sekulow said his group
would appeal the decision to
the United States Court of
Appeals for the Second Cir-
cuit and, if that failed, was
ready to take the case to the
Supreme Court.
ROUND UP
Standing Up
For Your Lefts!
It's time to do the left
thing this Aug. 13 as left-
handers around the world
celebrate International Left-
Hander's Day.
Among notable Jewish lef-
ties past and present are
actors George Burns, Danny
Kaye and Harpo Marx, as
well as Olympic swimmer
Mark Spitz and baseball star
Sandy Koufax. President
Harry Truman, who helped
see to the establishment of
the State of Israel, was left-
handed, as is Grand Rapids
native and former president
Gerald Ford and Tiger pit-
cher Mark (the Bird)
Fidrych.
Many members of the tribe
of Benjamin were said to be
left-handed. The Torah re-
counts the story of Ehud, a
left-handed Benjaminite
who came to the aid of the
Israelites when they were
conquered by the king of
Moab. Ehud went to meet
with the king, presenting
him with gifts. Then with
his left hand he pulled out a
dagger and killed the king,
allowing the Israelites to
Harry Truman: What did he have
in common with Harpo Marx and
Sandy Koufax? Find out left now!
regain their land. The king's
guards had assumed Ehud
was right-handed, never
checking for a weapon on the
other side.
The English language is
prejudiced against the left.
The word "left" originally
meant "worthless" or
"weak." Other languages
are more sympathetic. Both
Hebrew and Arabic are
written right to left
—definitely a plus for left-
handers.
About one person in every
10 is left-handed, which
makes millions of Ameri-
cans lefties. Despite this, it
remains a right-handed per-
son's world. Nobody wants to
be anybody's "left-hand
man" or work for civil lefts,
and whoever heard of eating
rightovers? As singer Paul
Simon said, "I been Ayn
Randed, nearly branded
Communist, 'cause I'm left-
handed."
For information, write
Left-Handers International,
P.O. Box 8249, Topeka, KS.
66608.
Who Said You Can't
Give Them Away?
Remember Crispy-Os, the
cereal phenomenon that was
going to change Pesach for-
ever? Who would need
Cheerios or Grape Nuts or
Corn Flakes after Crispy-Os,
the unforgettable taste treat
of the 1990s? And kosher for
Passover, too. Who could ask
for anything more?
Everybody ran out to buy
them. Once. Then grocery
Jews For Jesus
Loses Law Suit
New York — The Jews for
Jesus organization has lost a
lawsuit claiming its mem-
bers' civil rights were
violated when Jewish organ-
izations protested their pro-
posed convention at a Cat-
skills resort.
Compiled by
Elizabeth Applebaum
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 11