Farrakhan's True Colors

Why is the Nation of Islam wasting its time? Why
not just get the red armbands with the black
swastikas and wear them along with the red bow
ties?
Not six months after the Rev. Louis Farrakhan
hinted at moderation in relations with Jews,
Khalid Abdul Muhammad, a key Farrakhan as-
sistant, during a speech at New Jersey's Kean Col-
lege verbally vomited on "moderation." This time
we hope that reasonable people of all races, cul-
tures, colors and creeds understand that the Rev.
Farrakhan has no interest in reconciliation with
anyone.
Mr. Muhammad called Columbia University,
"Columbia Jew-niversity," and New York City,
"Jew York City." He blamed the Jews for the Holo-
caust by saying, 'They went in there to Germany,
the way they do everywhere they go, and they
supplanted, they usurped, they turned around,
and a German in his own country would almost
have to go to a Jew to get money."
If that's not bad enough, read what this vision-
ary says will happen in South Africa once blacks
gain complete political control: "We kill the babies.
We kill the cripples. We kill them all. We kill the
faggot. We kill the lesbian." He also - called the
Pope, a "cracker." The best Mr. Farrakhan could
do was say that all of this response by people of
all races and persuasions to these outrageous
remarks was nothing more than a "Jewish plot,
something Jewish groups orchestrated." Such a
surprise. Hardly.
However, Khalid Abdul Muhammad, in his
twisted way, might have done more for black-
Jewish relations than he ever hoped for. On the
heels of this hateful diatribe, strong language
from national African-American leadership, dis-
tancing themselves from the Nation of Islam, has
emerged.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson came right out and con-
demned the language. Maryland Democrat Kweisi
Mfume, the leader of the Congressional Black Cau-
cus, which has been trying to forge a relationship
between the Black Caucus and the Nation of
Islam, told the New York Times that he was
"agonized" by what he read of the speech.
Benjamin Chavis, executive director of the
NAACP, and William H. Gray, president of the
United Negro College Fund, came out with harsh
condemnations of Mr. Muhammad's comments.
Even activist Al Sharpton, no friend of the New
York Jewish community, came out against the
statements.
The incident should make the Congressional
Black Caucus wonder about its yet-ratified part-
nership with the Nation of Islam.
But why is it necessary for anyone to woo this
man? Certainly, there are Nation of Islam mem-
bers who believe that people of different religious
and racial backgrounds can live in harmony and
can do more to build a better world. Mr. Farrakhan
doesn't want that world to happen. His strength
is fueled by the rhetoric of hate. He gets his
attention this way. There is nothing else to learn
about him.
What is bothersome are reports that during Mr.
Muhammad's speech at Kean, his audience ap-
plauded vigorously. Is the hope of some so deplete
of righteousness that they must resort to desperate
means for self-fulfillment?
Minds of civility, of mutual respect and em-
powerment, must rise to the forefront. Let's use
this ugly act as an opportunity to work toward
those goals of respect and peace among peoples.
Mutual respect? Empowerment? Probably another
Jewish "conspiracy."
At least that's what Mr. Farrakhan would say.
What else does he ever say?

Isolating The Orthodox

Appearances too often pass for reality, and com-
munity leaders no less than the least involved
community members are likely to be fooled. That
includes the National Jewish Community Rela-
tions Advisory Council (NJCRAC), which recently
urged Orthodox rabbis to preach Shabbat sermons
condemning the failed effort in New York to bomb
buildings housing the New Israel Fund and Amer-
icans for Peace Now, both of which back the Rabin
government's peace initiatives.
The NJCRAC memo bought into the misper-
ception that it's only observant Jews — both Is-
raeli and American — who oppose the Rabin
government's willingness to trade land for peace,
while the less observant support the effort. In
truth, the lines are not so neatly drawn — and
NJCRAC should have known that.
Because they make for better soundbites, the
media has tended to focus on militant Orthodox
settlers living in mobile homes on desolate West
Bank hilltops who have vowed to obstruct a Pales-
tinian takeover no matter what. Yet 60 percent
of the Jews living in the West Bank are non-
Orthodox and many are no less committed to stay-
ing put and thwarting Palestinian control over
the land on which they live than their Orthodox
brethren.
Likewise, American Jewish opposition to the
Israel-PLO accord is far from restricted to Ortho-

dox Jews. The Union of Orthodox Jewish
Congregations of America (OU) — the Orthodox
synagogue group — estimates that members of
its 1,000 congregations are evenly divided on the
issue. Some of the most-vocal opposition to land-
for-peace has come from Americans For a Safe
Israel and the Zionist Organization of American
— groups that are not religious in nature.
The OU rightly protested the NJCRAC memo,
resulting in an apology. "We are dismayed, " said
the OU, "that legitimate differences in views con-
cerning the ongoing peace negotiations are being
depicted as a clash between the religious and non-
religious elements of Israeli society ... Such
characterizations obscure the complex nature of
the peace process and divide a people whose unity
is vital in these historic times."
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
also criticized the NJCRAC memo, saying it was
"simply unacceptable" to imply that the Orthodox
community above all others needed to be reminded
that political violence is wrong.
When Jews attack each other, all segments of
the community — from the most Orthodox to the
most irreligious — need to be reminded of what's
decent and moral. Enough real issues separate
Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews. We do not need
Jewish "leaders" fanning the flames of intolerance,
inadvertently or otherwise. ❑

Letters

Giving Publicity
To The Revisionists

After reading your Jan. 21 ar-
ticle about Jewish Holocaust re-
visionist David Cole, my first
reaction was, "Why is The Jew-
ish News giving front-page ink
to this punk?" I suppose though,
in the spirit of freedom of in-
formation, we are entitled to
know that embarrassments
such as Mr. Cole do exist among
our broader community.
Yet there appears to be little
depth to his misguided mission.

David Cole

He uses his tenuous link to Ju-
daism as a weapon and an en-
tree, rather than a meaningful
background to support his
cause. If he posed any threat at
all, he loses all credibility when
he suggests, at the end of the
article, that if the ADL were to
secure some women for him, he
would forget the whole thing.
Come on, Jewish News!

George Erdstein
Huntington Woods

Jewish Congress, that the
AJCongress is "launching a
comprehensive study of the
inequities between Jewish and
Arab citizens of Israel." For
what purpose? Can this "study"
do anything but gather more
ammunition for the Jew-haters
and Israel bashers of the world?
Is there any doubt as to the
outcome of this grand work?
Would it not be more appropri-
ate for the American Jewish
Congress to launch studies rela-
tive to the poverty and dis-
crimination against Jews of this
country or any number of other
nations around the world?
This is the same Mr.
Seigman who recently wrote a
long published letter in the
New York Times declaring the
130,000 Israelis and the com-
munities that they had fought
so hard to establish in Judea
and Samaria, as "obstacles to
peace" demanding their de-
struction!
His other activities and those
of other members of the
AJCongress include junkets
around the world, at commu-
nity expense, visiting his good
friends in Jordan, Saudi Ara-
bia, and now Syria. None of
these diplomatic forays have
been with the approval of the
Israeli government.
Now, for the final irony! Be-
lieve it or not, our own Allied
Jewish Campaign of Metropol-
itan Detroit has allocated ap-
proximately $250,000 to the
AJCongress over the last five
years! The 1993 allocation was
$48,000. Isn't it time for the
community at large to ask that
these funds be allocated to the
great social needs of our own
community and Jews every-
where rather than for political
forays of any kind, let alone to
organizations of questionable
merit and motivation?

Dr. Jerome S. Kaufman
Bloomfield Hills

David Cole

I am amazed and disappointed
that you would give any space
to that foolish no-nothing,
David Cole.

Jack M. Abella

Southfield

Better Use
Of Local Funds

It was with total disbelief that
I read the announcement by
Mr. Henry Seigman, executive
director of the American

An Addendum
To German Law

Thank you for publishing the
news item (Jan. 21) pertaining
to the new German Social Se-
curity law.
One important part of the
law, however, was not covered
in the news item. Women who
did not work in Germany but
now can amass enough time to

GERMAN LAW page 16