I EDITORIAL
4
Strength From Differences
While the world seemed to be coming
apart at the seams last week, it created an
environment in which the good was
overlooked in favor of the sensational. In
this case, the sensational was more often
sinister.
In West Bloomfield on Sunday night,
however, the facts of the world for four
short hours did not count in much the same
way. This was the meeting of the American
Arabic and Jewish Friends of Metropolitan
Detroit. A packed Shenandoah Country
Club came to honor Judge Avern Cohn and
businessmen Fred and Louis Elias.
Every one of the 400, however, shared in
the honor. Seated around the room were
blacks and whites, Arabs, Jews, Chal-
deans, Muslims, Christians. And there was
no separate seating. A Jew could be eating
a specially prepared kosher meal next to a
Muslim eating a hallal dinner.
The conversation often turned to what
was happening in L.A., and could it happen
here in Detroit? There were even concerns
expressed as to the status of Chaldeans as
the dominant party store owners within
Detroit.
This was an opportunity to turn off the
television set, to get away from the
negative. It was if those in attendance
wanted to be with people who were diff-
erent in an effort to escape divisiveness.
There's something wonderful when peo-
ple from differing backgrounds come
together to break bread, not glass.
Together, our differences were a statement
of strength, a symbol we all sorely needed.
It's Not Just L.A.
Twenty-four years ago, following the
"long hot summer" of 1967, the Kerner
Commission warned that the United States
was in danger of becoming two nations —
one black, one white; the former
characterized by increasing frustration
and despair, the latter by a growing in-
clination to physically and emotionally
distance itself from the problems of the in-
ner city.
Despite that warning, this nation, for all
practical purposes, held to a business-as-
usual course. Now the consequences of this
head-in-the-sand attitude have been dra-
matically played out, yet again, by the
shocking Rodney King verdict and ensuing
mob violence that put a torch to Los
Angeles last week and then reverberated
nationwide.
The sad truth is that America's cities are
in far worse shape today than when the
Kerner Commission issued its unheeded
warning.
Raised expectations have yielded to a
sense of hopelessness. Jews and blacks who
once stood together in the civil rights
movement now mostly go their separate
ways. In addition to black-white problems,
our cities today also seethe with black-
Asian, black-Hispanic and Hispanic-white
antagonisms. In place of a rainbow coali-
tion, we have a rainbow of mistrust and
suspicion.
It is a shame that the legitimate expres-
sion of outrage over the hard-to-fathom
King verdict degenerated into random mob
violence and wholesale theft. Such actions
cannot be tolerated or excused, but they
are only self-defeating. The TV images of
whole families carting away everything
from furniture to plastic jugs of Diet Coke
will not soon be forgotten by already fear-
ful white Americans.
But white America — which equates
with mainstream America — cannot afford
6
FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1992
to smugly give in to the temptation to fur-
ther circle the wagons. The undisciplined
rage witnessed in Los Angeles must not be
allowed to obscure the root cause of our na-
tional malaise — as difficult as it may be to
squarely face the deeply ingrained racist
stereotypes held by Americans of all racial,
religious and ethnic groups.
We must, instead, demand of our leaders
that they confront the issues head on.
Willie Horton-scare tactics only divide fur-
ther. Hollow platitudes only result in fur-
ther disappointment and alienation.
We must also demand of ourselves true
involvement in solving the problems. Con-
sider the example we set for our children.
Consider how we invest our tax dollars.
Consider how we allow private industry to
send jobs overseas without regard for those
made jobless here at home. Consider how
we treat white collar criminals as opposed
to the criminal poor. Consider how the
middle class — white, black and otherwise
— is slowly being forced into reduced econ-
omic circumstances.
In its report, the Kerner Commission
warned that "no American — white or
black — can escape the consequences of the
continuing social and economic decay of
our major cities."
Think about it. Do we want our children
to live in wealthy suburbs protected by
high fences and security guards, as is the
norm in Latin America and elsewhere that
privileged minorities have chosen to pro-
tect their own status without regard for the
needs of those who have little or nothing?
That's where we are headed. Los Angeles
is the tip of the iceberg, a warning of what
we are becoming. Blacks need to stop blam-
ing whites, and whites need to stop blam-
ing blacks. To do otherwise is to continue to
ignore history and to undermine the
future.
Dry Bones
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""•""mmm"•••1 LETTERS
4
Article Unfair
To Jewish Agency
This letter is in response to
Ina Friedman's article "Hard
Sell" in the May 1 edition of
The Jewish News.
In her first paragraph, Ms.
Friedman mistakenly in-
volves the Jewish Agency in
issues concerning housing
over the green line. While I
cannot speak to her state-
ments about the Israeli
government's activity in
these areas, I, as a Jewish
Agency and United Israel Ap-
peal board member, must in-
sist that a retraction be made
concerning the Jewish
Agency.
United Israel Appeal, Inc.,
the organization that sends
funds to the Jewish Agency
on behalf of the American
Jewish community, guaran-
tees that the Jewish Agency
does not spend any of its
funds over the green line.
This means that no Jewish
Agency money can go to pro-
grams that take place over
the green line.
That would have been
enough. However, to further
dispute Ms. Friedman's facts,
the Jewish Agency has no in-
volvement in building hous-
ing for olim. The only shelter
arrangements undertaken by
the Jewish Agency in the last
three years during this
massive aliyah has been tern-
porary housing arrangements
at caravan sites.
Even in those cases, •the
Israeli government was
responsible for securing these
units. The Jewish Agency is
only responsible for maintain-
ing these sites.
Housing for olim is the sole
responsibility _of the Israeli
government and private in-
dustry. The' Jewish Agency
neither plans nor builds
houses for olim.
I hope this clarifies any con-
fusion which may have arisen
as a result of Ms. Friedman's
article.
Jane F. Sherman ..4
Franklin
U.S. Position
Is Unfair
Economic instability and
escalation of anti-Semitism in
the new Russian republics .4
mandate our activism for U.S.
government loan guarantees
without conditions to Israel.
Of 60 nations granted U.S.
loan guarantees — many with
abominable records in human
rights — only Israel has had
conditions attached, condi-
tions which are properly
negotiable in the peace
4
process.
Consider the special treat-
ment afforded in the last
three years, unconditionally,
to Jordan's rescheduled debt,
Kuwait's $2.75 billion loan
guarantees, Egypt's $7 billion
debt forgiveness, Algeria's
loan guarantees, granting
dual-use technology to Iran
and Syria, extended trade
benefits to Syria and Saddam
Hussein's loan guarantees (up
until the invasion of Kuwait).
After a recent nine-hour
debate by a vote of 99-1 (Sen.
Robt. Byrd dissenting), the
Senate passed Sen. Frank
Lautenberg's sense of the
Senate resolution supporting
loan guarantees to Israel for
Continued on Page 10
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