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Dealing With The PLO

Last week, the Knesset voted 39-20 to repeal a
1986 law that made it legal for Israelis to have
unauthorized contact with representatives of
the Palestine Liberation Organization. After so
many years, and so much pain — in Munich
and Lebanon, Rome and Kiryat Shemona — it
is not easy to lend any legitimacy to a hated foe,
yet that, in effect, is what the vote does.
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said he still
opposes any direct PLO involvement in the Mid-
dle East peace talks, and he has rejected a re-
quest from the PLO's Yassir Arafat to meet.
Still, lifting the ban is likely to lead gradually
to further acceptance of the PLO's role as an
agent of the Palestinian people.
In truth, the PLO already has been indirectly
involved at every step of the peace process, with
Palestinian negotiators making no secret that
their instructions came from PLO headquar-
ters in Tunis. The Knesset vote helps end this
political fiction first engaged in by the former
Likud government, which found it even hard-
er to admit that it was actually dealing with its
archenemy. Moreover, the ban as it applied to
private citizens was only sporadically enforced.
Mr. Rabin (as well as more than half the
Knesset's members) was notably absent from

the Knesset floor during last week's vote, but
he supported lifting the ban. Israeli officials
said the Labor government supported repeal
as a way of strengthening the PLO's political
hand in the territories, where Islamic funda-
mentalist groups even more hostile toward Is-
rael are fast eclipsing the PLO's support.
Without support behind them, the Palestinian
negotiators cannot make the sorts of compro-
mises they need to if the peace process is to go
forward.
In addition, Jerusalem is hoping that repeal
will head off any possible United Nations sanc-
tions against the Jewish state, now being called
for by Arab nations in the wake of the depor-
tation of some 400 Islamic fundamentalists.
We believe that, given the opportunity, the
PLO would still like to destroy Israel. A strong
Israel denies it that chance. Given the oppor-
tunity, a good number of Israelis would like to
do the same to the PLO. But that would just
strengthen the fundamentalists' hand.
It has long been said that to achieve peace
you must talk to your adversaries. It's a bitter
pill, but political reality dictates that it must be
swallowed.

Letters

Was Emanu-El
Not Invited?

CO

This letter is in regards to the
Community-Wide Shabbat
Services for Singles sponsored
by the Michigan Board of
Rabbis, in cooperation with
The Jewish News.
We are very enthusiastic
about the idea of Shabbat Ser-
vices for singles. However, we
would have liked to partici-
pate.
The letter is to let the com-
munity know that there are
young, vibrant, viable Re-
form, Conservative and Or-
thodox congregations in the
southeastern part of our com-
munity. We always welcome
singles, and frequently have
singles activities at our syn-
agogue.
We very much hope to par-
ticipate in "community-wide"

LU

CO

LLJ

UJ

I-

S

AIDS Education
Vs. Torah Education

A letter printed in The Jew-
ish News (Jan.21) alleged that
marital infidelity, drug abuse,
spouse and child abuse, etc.,
all exist within the Orthodox
community and therefore, ap-
parently, there is a need to
teach AIDS prevention and
the like (as opposed to tradi-
tional Torah morality) in this
community as well.
I do not deny that these so-
cial evils exist within the Or-
thodox community; I would
like to point out, however,
that their existence is statis-

Dry Bones

LLJ

CC
1 --

events for singles and others
in the future.
Rabbi Lane Steinger
Rabbi Amy Bigman
Temple Emanu-El

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PLO Recognition:
No Change In Status

The Knesset vote allowing
contact with the PLO ("A Sig-
nificant Step, However Sym-

bolic," Jan. 22) does not
change the undeniable fact
that the Palestine Liberation
Organization remains com-
mitted, in word and deed, to
the destruction of the State
of Israel.
James Schiller, president
of the Zionist Organization of
America, stated that the new
Israeli legislation has no po-
litical implications regarding
the nature of the PLO.
"American law permitted
U.S. citizens to meet with
Iraqi officials even when
America was at war with Iraq
— but that did not imply that
Iraq was somehow a "reason-
able and moderate" nation,
and American law permits
U.S. citizens to meet with
PLO officials even though
America suspended its con-
tacts with the PLO because
of the PLO's continuing in-
volvement in terrorism."
Indeed, Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin has made it
clear that Israel remains un-
alterably opposed to negotia-
tions with the PLO.
The ZOA has urged Presi-
dent Clinton to remain stead-
fast in withholding recognition
and refusing to engage in a
dialogue with the PLO.
Anne Gonte Silver
President, Detroit ZOA

Parents Must Protest
Anti-Semitism At College

Why do parents who send
their children to the Univer-
sity of Michigan and Michi-
gan State University permit
a continuous and insidious
practice by the universities?
For the past two or three
years, in both institutions,
there have been blantantly

Cartoonists & Writers Syndicate

rtNe MEDIA HAS
ftNALLY ADMMED
TH AT u..* WERE

-

tically almost insignificant —
and certainly practically non-
existent as compared to their
incidence in society at large.
I would also suggest that
this is precisely because of the
emphasis on Torah morality,
as opposed to the "practical"
ethics of teaching AIDS pre-
vention and other such topics.
Where authentic Torah val-
ues are practiced as well as
preached, lived as well as
taught, there is no need to
distribute sterile needles and
condoms.
Chaya Sarah Silberberg
West Bloomfield

Letters

RIGirri

REALLY!?

WHEN DtD
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IT WAS JUST _SeFoRE
TOO STARTED 'WOOING
114e ANeT WITA HORROR
AT ISR;ECS DE NG
OF. li-VE eicTREMI

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outspoken representatives of
the Afro-American communi-
ty appearing in college pro-
grams, expressing anti-
Semitic charges...
Parents should protest
against anti-Semitism in any \
form, by letters, phone calls
and personal meetings with
the college presidents.
Ann Barnett -
Co-Chair,
College Outreach Committee,
Detroit Zionist Federation

Fitness Section
Ignored The JCC

I am writing to share my feel-
ings of dismay regarding the ar-
ticle "Making Waves" (Jan. 1).
We at the Jewish Commu-
nity Center were surprised to
find so little said about our
Hydro-Tone program in view
of the fact that our Center
was one of the first aquatics
programs to introduce Hydro-
Tone in the Detroit area.
The photos used in the ar-
ticle were taken at our facil-
ity. The participants shown
were Jewish Center mem-
bers. My picture, as the in-
structor, was also used, as
well as direct quotes from me
regarding the effects and ben-
efits of such a program. Un-
fortunately, there was no
mention of the Jewish Com-
munity Center until the third
page of this four-page article.
The Jewish Community
Center offers eight different
Hydro-Tone classes five days
a week. We have proven
through our Hydro-Tone
therapy programs that relief
occurs for people whose occu-
pations cause acute stress
and strain, such as neck and
back pain.
At this time, it is more im-
portant than ever for the
community to support the lo-
cal Jewish institutions. This
is particularly true in our
case because the Jewish Cen-
ter offers some of the finest \
and most accessible services
in the area.
Sylvia Zukin
Consultant, JCC Health Club

