EDITORIAL
Take July 4th Personally
When It Comes To Freedom
Fifty years ago, one would be hard-
pressed to find anything written about
July 4th or Independence Day in the pages
of The Detroit Jewish News.
Instead, a red-inked, two-lined banner
headline shouted in anger and grief that
700,000 Polish Jews were confirmed dead,
murdered by the Nazis. Stories recounted
how Jews were gunned down in their
homes. Articles were written about acts of
heroism in remote corners of the notorious
Russian front by Jewish men and women
who were students, wives, mothers,
brothers, business owners and countless
others. They fought not only for their sur-
vival, but for the survival of generations.
European Jews had an intimate under-
standing of words like "freedom" and
"independence." It should remind us that
our freedoms, our independence here in
1992 as American Jews, cost something.
Throughout history, Americans have
served this country on the highest of levels,
many paying the ultimate price to preserve
the cause of freedom. But they did so not
because they happened to be Jewish or
Christian or Moslem or anything else. The
liberties we share are the same. The
historical defense of those liberties is the
responsibility of every American.
Scholars and historians tell us that this
is perhaps the greatest time to be living as
a Jew in America. We have a federal
government committed to a free and secure
Israel. The Supreme Court, which recently
protected expressions of hate as a First
Amendment right, still safeguards the
rights of every American.
As we visit local fireworks displays, as
we picnic and light sparklers, we need to
understand that this time in the summer is
more than just a sale at the mall. It's an
expression of thankfulness that we are
free. There is no one restricting our travel,
keeping us from professional advancement
or forcing us to live in a ghetto because we
are Jews. So that we may enjoy those
freedoms, an awful lot of blood was shed,
and an awful lot of glory was chronicled. Na-
tional military cemeteries are speckled
with manicured rows of white marble.
In places like Auschwitz or Kiev or any of
the many sites of genocide against Jews,
the graves are shallow and massed. There
was no glory. There were no rights, there
were no freedoms, no indepedence. A
celebration of freedom 50 years ago would
have meant a piece of real bread, a stay in
a displaced person's camp. There were no
sparklers, no main street parades.
Teach your children that this American
holiday is more than a fireworks display.
Let them know that by God's grace they
were born and live at this time in this
country, a time when it's still great to be
an American, but also, it's great to be an
American Jew.
Time for 'Three Yeses'
In The Middle East
After Yitzhak Rabin's triumph in Israel
last week, everyone suddenly sees peace for
the Middle East just around corner.
Administration officials have said that
Mr. Rabin's triumph will jump-start the
stalled Arab-Israeli peace talks. And edito-
rials are gushing that "the ingredients are
at hand for an end to 44 years of hostility
between Israel and the Arab world" (New
York Daily News) and that Labor's victory
"opens the way for a new, happier era in
U.S.-Israeli relations and for faster pro-
gress in the Mideast peace process"
(Philadelphia Inquirer).
There is little doubt that many Ameri-
cans, including many Jews, were unhappy
with the Shamir government's policies
regarding the West Bank and Gaza and
toward Palestinians — policies which
seemed to favor maintaining the status quo
rather than moving toward an agreement.
And there is every indication that a Rabin-
led government will seek to move the peace
talks forward.
But all this talk about imminent peace is
dangerous. Putting unrealistic expecta-
tions on both Israelis and Palestinians
6 _FRIDAY, JULY 3, 1992
might force them into a hasty and pre-
mature settlement.
Expectations should be lowered. En-
thusiastic hyperbole about the incoming
government should be dampened. More-
over, the world should evenly divide its at-
tention between Israel and the Palestin-
ians. Last week's balloting indicated that
Israelis are ready for a change in their
country's policies toward Palestinians. But
from Palestinians came a different mes-
sage regarding Israel: On the day after the
election, Palestinians killed six Israelis in
the West Bank and Gaza, the largest death
toll on a single day in months.
In August 1967, the Arab League issued
its famous "Three No's" regarding Israel:
No negotiations. No recognition. No peace.
It is now time for Arabs and Palestinians to
issue "Three Yeses":
"Yes" to Israel's legitimacy; "Yes" to
ending the Arab economic boycott against
Israel; "Yes" to peaceful coexistence with
Israel.
Without such reciprocity, installing even
the most dovish government in Israel will
not bring peace in the Middle East.
Dry Bones
- --1 LETTERS
Leap Of Faith
In A Headline
Spike Lee
And The Jews
As a former Detroiter, I
have enjoyed reading The
Jewish News over the years,
keeping abreast of Jewish life
in Michigan. I was disturbed,
however, to see the headline
in your June 12 edition,
"Anti-Semitism In GOP?"
According to a June 13
report in the New York
Amsterdam News, Spike Lee,
the controversial director, is a
tool of the Jews. Nation of
Islam officials said early last
week that Lee "had better do
the right thing" in his upcom-
ing movie on Malcolm X.
NOI spokesman Conrad
Muhammad claimed that the
"Jews were backing Lee, and
that the filmmaker is simply
being used to make it appear
that it was Muslims who kill-
ed Malcolm X."
Everyone knows that "the
same people who killed
Medgar Evers and Martin
Luther King killed Malcolm
X and used the media to twist
things around."
Gee, I wonder who they
could mean?
When you get past the
headline, the article mentions
"possible" remarks by the
wife of a Republican state
senator. To make a leap of
faith from that "possibility"
to a headline which, at first
glance, is damning to an en-
tire political party is ques-
tionable journalism.
There are undoubtedly bi-
gots in the Democratic Party
as well as in the Republican
Party. In an election year,
your headline could be easily
interpreted as a purposeful
partisan generalization. The
headline is not only inap-
propriate but misleading .. .
I am a Republican and have
been active in local, state and
national Republican politics.
The President has spoken out
very forcefully against anti-
Semitism and bigotry of all
forms. The Republican Party
and the Democratic Party
neither endorse nor condone
acts of racial hatred or
intolerance.
That there are persons who
may be members of a political
party who are bigots fails to
justify the generalization of
your headline, which does no
service to either the political
process or the cause of ac-
curate journalism.
Alan S. Burstein
Syracuse, New York
Barry Mehler
Big Rapids
Recipe Error
Shows Change?
In reading through The
Jewish News June 26, I came
across a recipe which
bothered me. It not only
bothered me because of the
ingredients involved, it
bothered me because I truly
believe it is an example of
how The Jewish News is los-
ing its focus as a newspaper
for Jewish people.
I find it very offensive to
find a recipe in The Jewish
News which includes chicken
mixed with yogurt and milk.
Ellen Wilson
Farmington Hills
Editor's note: We, too, regret
the recipe error.