Black Jewish Tensions At Howard University: Two Opinions

.

Facing A
Serious Dilemma

Understanding
The Anguish

MARK SCHLUSSEL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

ROBERT MCTYRE SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

A

T

serious dilemma faces the Jewish find ways to rebuild relationships. We
o understand the anguish, the ever. Even when the family found itself
community. How should we react rarely seek confrontation, nor do we ex-
plight of some students at Howard living in homeless shelters.
to the growing virulence of black press anger; we try to find consensus and
University lately, the story of Young
Young Man coped with that pain of
anti-Semitism? No longer can we conciliation. These very Jewish traits seem
Man is helpful to put these things family disintegration by losing himself in
excuse such behavior as the rantings of to have emboldened the demagogues in
in perspective.
science-fiction fantasy worlds. Every
a few miscreants on the lunatic fringe. The black leadership to attempt to inflame
Howard University, of course, is that chance he got he watched "Star Trek" and
reality is, anti-Semitism is becoming ac- their flock, using us as fodder. Their pur- historic black college which has tragical-
made. trips to the library.
ceptable within the fabric of the African- pose is to express that Jewish America has
ly become syhonymous with the height-
The trouble was, Young Man was bare-
American community.
gotten too much of the American dream,
ening tensions between blacks and Jews, ly ever in school anymore. He missed so
The 1992 Anti-Defamation League while black America has yet to achieve its
especially in the wake of a controversial many days that truant officials made him
study indicated how pervasive a problem fair share.
Nation of Islam spokesman being allowed a priority. But they were unsuccessful in
we face in revealing that 37 percent of the
One might ask why we should be con-
by Howard President Dr. Franklin G. helping him because the family never
black community was most anti-Semitic cerned? The reality is, untruths delivered
Jenifer to speak on campus.
stayed anywhere long enough.
— double the statistics in white America. on a regular basis acquire a life and real-
Last week, 1,500 students gathered on
Finally, a fortunate tragedy occurred.
Even more disconcerting was the fact that ity of their own. Further, they play into
campus to hear this spokesman, Khalid While living in a rough west-side Detroit
anti-Semitism rose with the educational the hands of those within white America
Abdul Muhammad. Immediate casual- neighborhood, Young Man had a close
level achieved in the black community — for whom Jewish achievement also pre-
ties have been the forced resignation of
exactly the opposite of the reality in the sents a threat. The Jewish community, in Jenifer, and the broad, unjust brushstroke shave with the law.
As it turned out, his real father, who
white community.
all of its permutations, needs to respond of anti-Semitism which has been painted has since remarried, had been scouring
Since the earliest battles in America for in the most direct terms possible that we upon the student body.
the city for months trying to reconnect
civil rights, the Jews and blacks had will not stand by and allow ourselves to be
Young Man (obviously not his real
worked side by side, whether it was in the pilloried. We must demand that respon- name) is not a college student. He does, with Young Man. Their relationship had
physical struggle of Martin Luther King sible African-American leadership speak however, want to go to college. He wants always been a close one but a bitter di-
Jr. or the legal struggle of the NAACP le- out in the clearest terms possible, repudi- to be a biologist and study life on other vorce had left its scars on the father/son
gal defense funds. To think that this nat- ating the hate message being disseminated planets. He is a local black teen who has relationship.
Young Man's trouble with the law
. ural alliance of two minorities within the by those in their community who seek to been battling challenges from the very
served
as a flare which brought his dad
fabric of American society has been torn build themselves up by destroying us. We
early years of his life.
to his side.
asunder to the extent we have seen late- must reach out to the moral leadership of
His battle, and the ferocity with which
After some legal wrangling, Young
ly is nothing short of astonishing.
Christian America, asking that they join he fights it, is emulated in the lives of Man now lives with his father. He attends
The events these past few weeks at us in repudiating this virulent virus which
many of the students on Howard's cam- parochial school and is maintaining hon-
Howard University following the outrage can destroy us all.
pus whose lives were impacted for better or-roll status.
at Kean College on November 19, 1993,
Let us not delay — for the longer we and for worse by the events of last week.
He is encouraged by teachers and a
begins to reveal a pattern of behavior with hesitate to act, the more we embolden
Like many Howard students, Young home environment that places God at the
a focus on the Jewish community designed those within the African-American com-
Man is a product of middle-class black center of life. His hunger for knowledge
to undermine Jewish achievement in munity who believe that they have free li-
America. He has mostly been raised in is now satisfied at every turn.
America. References by Khalid Abdul
Those who know Young Man inti-
Muhammad, a disciple of Louis Far-
mately know that what saved him from
rakhan, to "Columbia Jew-niversity" and
succumbing to the hundreds of other vari-
"Jew York City" bring to mind the most
ables which could have brought his life
vitriolic canards of the Nazi era in Ger-
to
an end was a relentless desire to ob-
many. The Crown Heights pogrom which
tain the education he needed to make his
resulted in the senseless death of Yankel
dreams come true.
Rosenbaum must also be factored into our
This is the mentality of many of the
analysis.
students
at Howard who were heard last
What are the implications for Jewish
week in the media bemoaning the neg-
America and how should we react to this
ative image the college has become sad-
latest onslaught on our integrity and le-
dled with.
gitimacy as a people?
"It's not fair," one student told National
Some may say this is a phase in the
Public Radio. "We're losing support from
growth of black society rejecting those who
alumni, we're getting this terrible repu-
stood closest out of their fear of Jewish pa-
tation all across the country. There's only
ternalism smothering the development of
a small group of students here who are
real black identity within American soci-
supporting the things he (Muhammad)
ety. This is a thesis which I totally reject.
is saying. It's not fair how the rest of us
Black society has clearly emerged from
have to suffer because of this."
centuries of degradation and in many ar-
These are the voices which are so of-
eas of American culture has become a
ten drowned in the rhetoric which erupts
dominant force. We can no longer hide our
in these Nation of Islam vs. the Jewish
collective heads in the sand, nor can we
Community flaps. At Howard, there is a
continue to rationalize behavior direct-
teeming
population of young men and
ed at destroying the essence of our legit-
women who view the ideas of Khalid
imacy within the body politic of America. Rabbi Avi Weiss protested rracism ecently on the campus of Howard University in Washington D.C.
Muhammad with clear-minded, pas-
We, the Jewish community, must stand
sionless objectivity. Many of them don't
up and speak out. If any community
possess
the desire for the limelight or the
should understand the adverse conse- cense to attack us at will. Surely, if we
a stepfamily, his natural parents having misdirected need to agitate for the sake
quences of scapegoating, it is black Amer- show strength of conviction on this issue,
divorced when he was 3.
of agitation which a minority of students
ica.
people of good will will come forward to
For a time, he benefited from the white- do and which often attracts the ear of the
They, above all others, should under- join us in the battle for the integrity of the
collar prosperity his st,epdad's job brought media. These students have come too far,
stand the implications of hatred and dem- Jewish community within black America.
the family. By age 13, Young Man had have overcome too much, to throw it all
agoguery focused principally on one people.
Certainly we must continue to reach traveled extensively and was educated in away to chase lessons of hate.
They, above all others, should understand out, but it must be on terms that recognize
some of the finest suburban public schools
Before the brushstrokes of anti-Semi- Cr)
you don't elevate yourselves by tearing our integrity and legitimacy. Leadership
in metro Detroit.
tism
based upon the utterances of a ra- —
down. They, above all others, should un- carries with it both authority and respon-
But stepdad and Young Man's mother bid few are believed so readily, one should cr;
derstand the struggle to achieve success sibility, and we can no longer accept equiv-
fell in with an infatuation with cocaine consider the story of the Young Men of "
any minority faced in America.
ocation by mainstream black America on which soon turned to a lust-driven fatal this world and then ask the question: =1
Yet, our senses tell us that black Amer- the issue of anti-Semitism. CJ
attraction affair.
"Does that really make sense?" D
Q-
ica understands the Jewish psyche maybe Mark Schlussel is an area attorney and
The family deteriorated rapidly and Robert McTyre is executive editor of the
<
better than we do. They understand that
Young Man found himself moving from Michigan Chronicle.
president of the Jewish
we are most often the ones, who after pro- former
one place to another. His burning desire
found abuse, seek to dialogue and seek to Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
to become a biologist never ceased, how-