SECOND CLASS
THE JEWISH NEWS
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY
NOVEMBER 22, 1991 / 15 KISLEV 5752
18 Groups Unify
Against `Dukism'
CLOSE-UP
PHIL JACOBS
Managing Editor
T
Kevin Kline
hey may disagree
when it comes to peace
for territory. They
may disagree over the
amount of U.S. aid to Israel.
But when it came to the
issue of David Duke, 18
community leaders repre-
senting Jewish, Arab,
African American and Chal-
dean organizations came to
lightning quick and total
agreement.
The leaders signed a
unified statement last Fri-
day condemning the can-
didacy of Mr. Duke, the day
before the former Ku Klux
Klansman lost in his bid to
become Louisiana's gover-
nor. "Whether or not he is
elected tomorrow, David
Duke is a force to be reckon-
ed with by all who seek a
Detroit, a Michigan, a
United States committed to
equal justice and intergroup
cooperation," read the
statement. "Particularly at
a time when our society is
suffering great economic
stress, we must be on guard
against demagoguery that
stirs up bigotry, stereotyp-
ing and hatred. We repre-
sent organizations united in
a common goal — halting
the further spread of the
cancers of racism, anti-
Semitism and bigotry in the
Detroit metropolitan area."
David Gad-Harf, executive
director of the Jewish Com-
munity Council of
Metropolitan Detroit and a
member of the New Detroit
Committee, proposed that
the group come up with a
joint statement in condem-
nation of Duke's candidacy.
"There was no reluctance
on anyone's part to sign,"
said Mr. Gad-Harf.
He said the group had no
illusions that any petition
they might put together
would be of any significance
to the Louisiana election. He
Continued on Page 20
Ten Mile Center
Director Named
AMY J. MEHLER
Staff Writer
L
I
/
A look at some entertainers with
surprising Jewish connectionsr
Page 22
eslie Bash, former
assistant director of
the Greater Bridgeport
Jewish Community Center
in Connecticut, has been
named managing director of
the Jimmy Prentis Morris
Jewish Community Center
in Oak Park. She begins
Dec. 1.
Mrs. Bash, who moved to
Detroit in February,
replaces Irma Starr who left
JPM in August. Mrs. Starr,
at JPM 16 years, the last two
as full-time director, now
directs SPACE, a support
and counseling program for
divorced and widowed
families, a division of the
National Council of Jewish
Women's Detroit section.
Mrs. Starr continues to work
part-time for Jewish Experi-
ences For Families, an agen-
cy of the JCC.
Mrs. Bash also assumes
the administrative duties of
Miriam Sandweiss, former
director of the senior adult
department of the JCC. Mrs.
Sandweiss, at JPM nine
years, recently resigned.
Since September, Mrs.
Sandweiss and three other
department heads at JPM
and Maple-Drake had ab-
sorbed much of Mrs. Starr's
administrative duties. There
are no plans to find a
replacement for Mrs. Sand-
weiss, said JCC Executive
Director Morton Plotnick.
Mrs. Bash takes the helm
of JPM in the midst of a
capital endowment cam-
paign launched in
September to raise $3.5 mill-
ion for an indoor pool, health
club, other recreational
facilities and funds to
operate them. The campaign
was approved in August by
the Jewish Federation Board
of Governors.
Mrs. Bash was out of town
this week and could not be
reached for comment.
"We are in the middle of
an aggressive fund-raising
Continued on Page 21