N
impressed by what the Black
Muslim leader had to say.
Since the dinner, Mr. Kup-
cinet has mentioned the Rev.
Farrakhan's desire to better
relations with the Jews
several times in his column.
"He was saying he is
evolving and changing, as
we all are. He emphasized
that he no longer says the
white man is the devil, and
he says 'we hope to keep
evolving and have rap-
prochement with the Jewish
community,' " Mr. Kupcinet
told the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency.
While Mr. Kupcinet said
he is "taking it with a grain
of salt to make sure he
follows it through," he was
encouraged by a meeting the
Rev. Farrakhan held with
members of the Black Con-
gressional Caucus, in which
he reportedly told them of
his desire to better relations
with Jews.
"I am hopeful. I think he's
making a sincere effort. The
proof is in actions, not
words."
Mr. Kupcinet said he
hopes to arrange a meeting
between the Rev. Farrakhan
and area rabbis and Jewish
leaders within the next
several weeks.
If he does, one Chicago
resident who plans to attend
is Reform Rabbi Robert
Marx.
Rabbi Marx had dinner
with the Rev. Farrakhan
twice, once in 1989 and once
the following year.
The "dinners were friend-
ly, cordial, tended to ramble
at the end, and ended with
our feeling that we ought to
quietly explore oppor-
tunities of rapprochement,"
Rabbi Marx said.
"He was respected by a
significant segment of the
black community," said
Rabbi Marx, and "we hoped
to change his attitudes about
Jews."
Soon after that, Marx ex-
tended two written invita-
tions to the Rev. Farrakhan,
to come meet with Jews next
on "Jewish" turf, to "look
for some concrete results
from our dialogue."
There was "no response
whatsoever," said Rabbi
Marx. "Silence.
"I am bemused about the
continual report of overtures
to the Jewish community,
when doors have been open-
ed."
Requests by telephone and
letter to interview Minister
Farrakhan for this article
were not answered.
Burton Siegel, director of
urban affairs at the
Philadelphia Jewish Com-
munity Relations Council,
said the Rev. Farrakhan last
approached Jews in the
community there two or
three years ago.
Mr. Siegel turned down an
invitation to join the Nation
of Islam leader on stage
when he appeared at the
University of Pennsylvania
in 1987.
Mr. Siegel believes the
Rev. Farrakhan is watching
as Muslims win growing ac-
ceptance by mainstream
America and his own, more
racially focused organization
becomes more and more
marginalized. He thinks the
Rev. Farrakhan is re-tooling
his public relations strategy
as a result.
"There is evidence his
movement is trying to gain
more acceptability," he said.
But "as long as he's anti-
Semitic and anti-Christian,
he will be cut out of that
deal."
Sherry Frank, who runs
the Atlanta office of the
American Jewish Com-
mittee, was one of those ap-
proached by the Nation of
Islam to meet with the Rev.
Farrakhan in early October,
shortly before tens of
thousands of Atlantans fill-
ed the city's Dome arena to
hear the Rev. Farrakhan.
She and the other invited
Atlanta Jewish leaders
turned him down.
"When he comes to town
he sells The Secret Relation-
ship Between Blacks and
Jews and The Protocols of
the Elders of Zion," said Ms.
Frank, referring to two
tracts widely regarded as
anti-Semitic. "There's
nothing that tells me he's
cleaned up his act."
The Secret Relationship,
published in 1991 by the
historical research depart-
ment of the Nation of Islam,
purports to reveal the cen-
tral involvement of Jews in
the black slave trade.
According to AJCom-
mittee's Stern, The Secret
Relationship is "one of the
top 10 anti-Semitic writings
of this century.
"There is no greater
slander to create in the black
community than that Jews
are responsible for slavery."
In his recently published
book, Holocaust Denial, Mr.
Stern writes that the Nation
of Islam's weekly news-
paper, the Final Call,
"regularly features anti-
Semitic tirades, some focus-
ing on the Holocaust."
Said Mr. Stern in an inter-
view, "From time to time
over the years the Rev. Far-
rakhn has said he wants to
talk have dialogue with
the Jews, so it's not entirely
new," said Mr. Stern.
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