There Is A Long-Term Miracle
Behind The April Mission

It was just yesterday that the thought of
sealed rooms and West Bank youths hurl-
ing rocks at cars and busses was more than
enough motivation for American Jews to
choose almost any foreign venue but Israel
to spend a vacation.
Happily, the so-called winds of change
have blown in a fresh sense of inviting
security to the Middle East. The Rabin
government backs its talk with actions of
peace, and the Bush administration opens
the channels for loan guarantees.
All of this fed into a formula that Miracle
Mission chairman David Hermelin calls
"pent-up demand." That demand has
helped produce numbers so staggering that
even the Mission's sponsors and planners
are surprised. The Mission, which is set for
April, was originally planned to include
one El Al 747. Now, there are three planes
with over 1,100 travelers who have already

submitted applications and deposits. There
are only 200 spaces remaining.
At this point, the success of this trip
cannot be questioned. But in both the long
and short term, the numbers mean so much
more. Mr. Hermelin talked about how
some 40,000 Detroit Jews will be touched
by these three planeloads. The trip speaks
volumes for this community's link and
support to Israel. But the meaning of this
mission is what these 1,300 visitors will
come home with, and what they will do
with their rekindled spirit, energy and in-
formation.
What's predictable about the Middle
East is its volatility. And if that energy,
spirit and information of 1,300 Detroiters
is conveyed upon their return, when the
rocks and terrorism come back to Israel, so
will the planes. That would be the real
miracle of this mission.

Waiting For Golan

Whether or not it is their intention,
Israeli negotiators in the Mideast peace
talks are proving why the Jewish state is
so distrustful of Arab leaders like Hafez
Assad of Syria.
Despite optimistic reports of progress in
the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak
Rabin revealed this week that Syria has
said that even if Israel returns all of the
Golan Heights, Syria would accept a peace
agreement but would "not open boun-
daries, not embassies, not commercial and
cultural relationships."
Addressing the delegates at the B'nai
B'rith International convention in Wash-

ington this week via satellite, Mr. Rabin
did not dwell on the imbalance of Israel
giving up all 500 square miles of a vital
security zone in return for a less-than-full
peace. But then again, he didn't have to.
The prime minister has stressed the need
for small confidence-building steps in these
Mideast negotiations. In keeping with this
philosophy, he has frozen some settlement
building, freed hundreds of Palestinian
prisoners and loosened restrictions regar-
ding entry into Israel.
We await a positive response from Mr.
Assad. Or would he prefer that Israel simp-
ly gift-wrap the Golan?

I LETTERS

Jewish Education
Needs Community

As a unified body, the
teachers at Hillel Day School
totally support and thank you
for your editorial, Sept. 4,
stressing the importance of
community involvement in
providing Jewish day school
education for all who desire
it.
The labor negotiations at
Hillel Day School during the
past two weeks clearly
demonstrate the need to ad-
dress these problems public-
ly and with all due speed. We
are grateful that you
recognize the fact that the
day school teacher has the
same monetary needs as the
teacher in the public sector.
The recent outpouring of
support for Hillel teachers il-
lustrates the high value the
community places on day

6

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1992

school education. Your
editorial reinforces the fact
that the financial" respon-
sibility cannot be placed on
the learning institution only.
The community must help if
we are to encourage Judaic
values in all of our children.
In this fast-paced, changing
world, we must be united in
our support for maintaining
our heritage. If it is the belief
of the community that all
Jewish children are entitled
to a Jewish education, then
the support for this belief
must come from the
community.

Daphna Feldman,
President, Hillel Day School
Teachers' Association

Recognizing
Early Education

As the new Congregation
Shaarey Zedek Parenting and

Nursery School in West
Bloomfield is to be applauded
(Aug. 28), let us not forget the
programs that other Jewish
nursery schools, early
childhood centers and family
day care homes offer.
These facilities have and
will continue to play an
equally important role in giv-
ing hundreds of children
positive exposure to Jewish
religion, culture and values

Most
important
to
recognize is that the family is
the first teacher of children.

Francine Levine
West Bloomfield

Robert Friedman
And The ZOA

Arthur J. Magida has
reported (Aug. 14) the attack
on AIPAC by Robert L. Fried-
man in articles published in

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LETTERS I--

the Village Voice. In doing so,
Friedman attempted to use
the Zionist Organization of
America to undermine an
organization with an outstan-
ding record for responsible
pro-Israel activity in
Washington. Friedman's arti-
cle contained false informa-
tion and half-truths which
maligned the ZOA, one of
America's most respected
Jewish organizations.
The heading of Friedman's
article, "A Pac with McCar-
thy," was apropos. His
McCarthy-type tactics will
fail to gain respect from fair-
minded liberals who may not
agree with Israel in every in-
stance, but are honorable in-
tellectuals who won't condone
unfair and unethical jour-
nalistic tactics.
Friedman attempted to im-
ply that a memo from me to
AIPAC had a direct connec-
tion with the mailing dealing
with the Jewish Peace Lobby.
In fact, this mailing was on
Aug. 10, 1989, on another
subject; my memo to AIPAC
was written in February
1989, six months earlier. No
connection at all!
ZOA published no "enemies
list" nor did we accuse
American Jews of being
"Agents of the PLO." We did
say that the Jewish Peace
Lobby, together with the
Arab PLO Lobby, "will now
have a greater capability to
influence public opinion
against Israel and to under-
mine her position in the
United States." This is a sim-
ple truth. In our view, the
PLO is a threat to the State
of Israel. This has been the
position of all governments in
Israel including the newly-
elected Labor prime minister,
Yitzhak Rabin.
Without proof or shame,
Friedman writes that the ac-
tions by ZOA "created a
climate for more menacing at-

•

tacks on Jewish liberals"; in.
the same paragraph Fried-
man states that the staff a
the Peace Now office in
Manhattan "was forced to
open its mail behind a
specially designed bomb-proof
screen." Not content, he also
states in the same paragraph
that the information ZO
compiled was "evidently
responsible for telephone
death threats received from a
number of American Jews."-
Thus, isolated events are link-
ed together.

Why does Friedman stretch.
the truth and play games
with the accuracy of the facts.
The editors and readers of the
Village Voice have a moral
responsibility to raise this
question.
Leonard Fein, a severe critic
of past Israeli policy, objects to
information being made
available because "it's like
sending out an FBI file." Fein
is wrong. The Jewish Peace
Lobby is not a criminal opera-
tion. It is a public organiza-
tion which voluntarily ad-
dresses sensitive and un-
popular public issues.
Public figures can't expect
to engage in attack-politics
and then cry "foul" when the
public is made aware of their
actions. They cannot expect to
benefit from wide media at-
tention to espouse their
negative views of Israel and
then expect immunity from
criticism.
Those who supported the
Jewish Peace Lobby, met with
Arafat, and voiced sympathy
for the PLO in public
statements, advertisements
and media interviews, have a
right to their opinion. And,
ZOA has an equal right to
publicize and criticize their
views and actions.

Paul Flacks °
Executive vice president,
Zionist Organization of America