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Extra heavy lid, cast iron cooking
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20 NATURAL GAS MODELS TO CHOOSE
BROILMASTER
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—
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•
BRO ILMASTER
GAS GRILLS
NOVI
In Pineridge Center
Novi Rd. at 10 Mile Rd.
(1-3/4 Miles 5011th of I-96)
348-9300
439.97
IN-GROUND
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#1502 B41
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SOUTHFIELD
In F&M Plaza
Southfield Rd. at 12 Mile Rd.
(1 Mile North of 1-696)
557-3344
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38
FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1992
•
Many American Hatreds
Cause Endless Conflict
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor Emeritus
I
nvariably, every outburst
of hatred, religious as
well as racial, causes con-
sideration of the conflicting
elements among us. The
black-Jewish occurrences
are of serious concern.
Under the title "black an-
ti-Semitism" we have been
treated to much sorrow in
our relationships with our
neighbors. There is need for
testing the issues involved.
An essay appeared in Jew-
ish Currents, the liberal
magazine edited by Morris
Schappes, who secured the
publishing rights for an ad-
dress called "A Report on
Black Anti-Semitism" by
Professor Julius Lester, a
Jewish African-American
and professor of Near East-
ern studies at the University
of Massachusetts at
Amherst. This essay was the
text of the address by Dr.
Lester at a recent meeting of
the Anti-Defamation League
of B'nai B'rith executive
committee. It calls for seri-
ous consideration because
this scholar treated the issue
as affecting this land and all
its inhabitants.
Taking into account the
realities of experienced
hatreds, Dr. Lester acknowl-
edged the anti-Jewish dem-
onstrations and the sad pre-
judices on the university
campuses. He called atten-
tion to the diversities which
mark the blacks in this
country from East European
. Jewish legacies. Brief
sentences from his
copyrighted address point up
the following:
Many blacks feel that
Jews borrow- suffering
from history to give them-
selves an identity and sta-
tus as victims, and then
use this vicarious suffer-
ing as the credentials that
give them the right to ex-
press empathy with
Blacks.
However, blacks are
aware, in ways many
Jews are not, that within
the American context,
blacks and Jews do not
share common experi-
ences of oppression and
suffering.
Thus, on college cam-
puses, what often comes
out as anti-Semitic ex-
pression is an attempt to
express resentment
toward Jews for assum-
ing a relationship of
shared suffering. As far as
many young blacks are
concerned, none exists.
blacks resent the Jewish
assumption of shared op-
pression and use the
language of anti-Semitism
to make that resentment
clear. This is not to excuse
this use of anti-Semitism.
Using the language of an-
ti-Semitism is a grievous
moral error at any time.
All of the recent experi-
ences involving the increas-
ing animosities receive new
consideration from studies
by this scholar. Every aspect
of blind hatred and those
spreading it is under analy-
sis.
This essay suggests to us
that as Americans we must
all save ourselves. We must
be honest with realities and
we must confront the danger
of treating anti-Semitism in
its multiple aspects. That
does not mean that as in the
current Royal Oak action we
can even dignify or treat
with respect any kind of an-
ti-Semite; Father Coughlin's
anti-Semitism remains con-
demnable.
As Dr. Lester views it, any
semblance of divisiveness
among Americans must be
fought as un-American and
anti-American. Dr. Lester
has acquired appreciation
and gratitude for the
manner in which he has
analyzed black anti-
Semitism:
If we are dismayed that
so many blacks today
listen to a Sharpton or a
Farrakhan, it is because
only the Sharptons and
Farrakhans are speaking
to the despair and hope-
lessness of those trapped
in poverty and ignorance.
Jesse Jackson comes for
visits. The Urban League
and NAACP issue reports,
but Sharpton and Far-
rakhan have made the
anger and resentment and
hatred their own and ex-
ploited it to give them-
selves a sense of power.
Unfortunately, too often
Jews unwittingly enhance
the status of such black
anti-Semites. One could al-
most say that if you are
black and want to be con-
sidered a leader in certain
parts of black America to-
day, say something anti-
Semitic and get attacked
by Jews.
It is the moral respon-
sibility of gentiles to speak
out against black anti-
Semitism because anti-
Semitism is a gentile pro-
blem. As Jews we are help-
less to stop anti-Semitism
because it does not reside
in our house. •
Equally, I wonder if it is
in our self-interest as Jews .
any longer to speak of
black-Jewish tensions. Yes,
they exist but are they the
problem? Isn't the problem •
that a significant number
of American citizens,
blacks, believe in nothing
and no one and are in-
capable of becoming pro-
ductive members of the
society because they lack •
even the rudimentary skill
of literacy?
Black-Jewish
occurrences are of
serious concern.
Perhaps it is time we "4
stopped speaking of a
black problem and began
talking about an American
problem because blacks
are American citizens, to
state an obvious fact that
America has not yet
grasped.
Jews cannot solve the
problems faced by black
America and I'm not sug-
gesting that we should. I
will suggest that we sit
with our gentile counter-
parts — and together move
the plight of black America
to a place of high priority
on the national agenda.
This time we must act
from our self-interest as
Americans. The quality of •
our lives as Americans is
threatened because there
are all too many Ameri-
cans who are not econo-
mically viable.
Let me suggest the
following as a possible •
course of action:
1) The economic prob-
lems of black America
must be taken seriously,
even at a time when the na-
tion as a whole is in an
economic crisis.
The first step is edu-
cating America to the
realities and their implica-
tions for the nation as a
whole. This could be done
through a "Call to Cons-
cience and Responsibility"
issued by the major de-
nominations of Christiani-
ty and the four branches of
Judaism. Such a statement •
should be read from pul-
pits and bimahs with