Community Views

Editor's Notebook

Do We Condone Actions Of Hate
By Our Continued Silence?

Stories To Help
Us Move On In Life

BERL FALBAUM SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

PHIL JACOBS EDITOR

Why are we silent 40 years, has been forced, at
Yet there is hardly any criti-
and not offended various times, to close down cism of Mr. Arafat for failing to
when:
Arab newspapers that incited vi- act against Hamas that operates
The Hebron olence.
freely out of Gaza which is now
massacre domi-
That action usually prompted under his control. Nor has he act-
nated the world outrage from civil libertarians ed against factions of his own
news media with throughout the world, calling for PLO which have been involved
every nuance of condemnation of Israel. Such lib- in terrorism.
the tragedy and eral writers as New York Times
Few arrests, if any, have been
its implications — columnist Anthony Lewis have made and more Israelis have
political, military, social and almost made a career of writing been killed since the "handshake"
religious — examined by the critical columns on Israel's al- than in the two years before the
press.
leged violations of constitutional breakthrough.
The investigation of the shoot- guarantees.
Why are we silent and not of-
ing similarly filled columns of
Yet ... when PLO leader Yas- fended when:
newsprint, including outright lies sir Arafat shut down the pro-Jor-
Almost a year after the hand-
by alleged witnesses.
danian newspaper al-Nahar in shake, as the Jerusalem Post
Yet the Argentine massacre — Gaza — he is hardly at war with reports, Farouk Kaddoumi,
it was a massacre, not just a Gaza — only because it did not the PLO's second in command,
bombing. Not even the New York share his politics, nary a word called for the destruction of
Times published the story on was heard in the world.
Israel in a radio broadcast from
Page 1 and the entire incident
No civil libertarians protested; Tunis.
disappeared from the public's indeed, the only critical word
The United Nations, never
view in a day or two.
heard, ironically, came from averse to adopting resolutions
Worse, no media institution — Arabs.
critical of Israel, is silent on Ar-
none — has written a word on
the so-called investigation which
the Jewish Forward
has reported appears
to be another cover-up
like the one in that
country in 1992.
As a matter of fact,
Argentina's ambas-
sador to Iran, Mario
Quadri Castillo, when
asked to cite possible perpetra-
tors of the bombing of the Jewish
center, suggested it might be Is-
rael.
What is our reaction? Not only
don't we protest, but we honor
Argentine President Carlos
Menhem with a World States-
man of the Year Award and the
ceremony is attended by what
reads like a Who's Who of world
Jewry.
Only political activist Rabbi
Avi Weiss protested, sitting down
in the lobby of the hotel; to his
credit, the liberal writer Leonard
Fein, who hardly agrees with
Rabbi Weiss' politics, commend-
ed Rabbi Weiss.
Why are we silent and not of-
fended when:
After the Hebron massacre, Is-
Daoud Kuttab, an Arab writer, gentina ... on Tel Aviv ... on
rael's prime minister, its presi- said, "We are slowly and dan- Nachshon Waxman.
dent and the country itself, joined gerously moving toward a police
Closer to home, Jewish lead-
by Jews around the world, state where intimidation and ers, discussing black anti-Semi-
mourned this tragedy. It seemed threats become the norm instead tism which has black speakers
as if we, as a people, could not do of the rule.
articulating the most obscene and
enough to articulate our regret.
"In the past, we protested Is- vile anti-Semitic insults on col-
That was how it should have raeli measures of censorship and lege campuses and in other fo-
been.
the arrest of journalists, but al- rums, blame the media and,
Yet where were the voices of though these measures were op- almost unbelievably, the Jews.
condolence following Argentina? pressive, at least they were What an insult to the Jewish peo-
How many ecumenical memori- public."
ple, their dignity and self-respect
al services were held for the vic-
Why are we silent and not of- to blame this hatred on them-
tims of that slaughter? The fended when:
selves, thereby implying the hate-
answers to those questions make
Israel, under tremendous pres- mongers are justified in their
the heart feel very heavy.
sure, moved against right-wing unmitigated and unabashed big-
Why are we silent and not of- factions — as it should have — otry.
fended when:
that may have been involved in
The list goes on and on. And it
Israel, in a state of war with violence against Arabs. Indeed, will continue to grow until we
Arab countries for more than after the Hebron massacre, some break our silence and indicate we
Bed Falbaum is a public relations of Israel's actions raised serious are offended.
specialist and a freelance writer. constitutional questions.

Why are we
silent and not
offended?

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I think we all We looked at the TV game-
need to quiet show games; we were dazzled
down this Shab- by computer games. Finally,
bat.
coasting past game after game
The election is several times
blessedly behind
over, we entered the possi-
us. Hurry sun- bilities of the occult world. We
down.
had in our hands one of those
There are games that supposedly answers
three short true questions from the world here-
stories that may put priorities after. We read the back of the
back into our day-to-day lives. game. We actually thought we'd
A friend tells me in the car take it home. That was until we
one day last week that he's gone met the black lady with the red-
ahead and purchased his first flowered dress.
pair of tefillin. A wonderful
Seriously, out of nowhere,
achievement in itself. But this she came walking down the
wasa man whose past includ- aisle right up to two people she
ed hanging out at Oak Park had never met before, my
Park at 1 a.m. A child of refugee daughter and myself.
parents who didn't have much
"You're not going to buy that,
of a religious history, he's now are you?" she asked us.
seeking new levels of religious
I had a lump in my throat. I
observance with his wonderful didn't know whether to tell her
wife, and schoolchildren and a to mind her own business or
baby who are giving their par- rather to listen to what she had
ents more nachas than anyone to say. We listened almost
we know.
sheepishly as she told us in a
My friend and his wife are scolding way,
sometimes at different levels in
`There's evil in that box. You
their observance. The wife, who cannot allow it in your home.
has taken on her religious ob- Only the spirit of God should be
servance with a strength and a in your house, especially since
passion, is an example for her I see you have a child. And you,
family and for others.
of all people, (she was pointing
This is dual-wage earning to the kippah on my head), you
family. Mom and dad both should know better."
work hard in and out of the
I'm not kidding, she turned
house. Money is something that around and walked hurriedly
is budgeted and accounted for. away, her feet clip-clopping up
The craft of making tefillin the aisle.
is reserved for the most talent-
We played our new trivia
ed of sophers or scribes. It game at home that night.
takes time and tedium to hand-
Last story.
make tefillin. That is why they
How many times have we
cost hundreds, sometimes thou- walked into a shul sheepishly,
sands, of dollars.
embarrassed that we don't
When my friend told his wife know a particular prayer or
of his decision to wear our holy what page the congregation is
tefillin, he received a priceless on?
experience that I share with
A newcomer to all of this
you now.
would pray at a pace that he
His wife swelled with pride could handle, constantly ask-
at her husband's decision. But ing others for page numbers or
what my friend didn't know help with a prayer or a word in
was that she had been quietly Hebrew. He was, at first, em-
saving $5 here, $10 there with- barrassed to ask. But he re-
out her family's knowledge for ceived much help, much
the day her husband decided to encouragement and he learned
wear tefillin. Last week, she it was OK to ask.
gave him $250 she saved specif-
That same person experi-
ically for the day her husband enced a change in roles recent-
put on tefillin.
ly. This time another newcomer
I hope I don't embarrass started coming to shul. When a
them by relating this story. It's more experienced, more
an example, though, of Jewish learned congregant told his
continuity on the level of the friends that he would be out of
family. For when the children town for a particular Shabbat,
see their dad put on his tefillin, the newest congregant asked
it will leave an impact in their my friend if he would be at shul
minds that will last through next Shabbat.
their lives.
He needed to turn to•im for
Another story.
help. He was much obliged to
Since when does a trip to the help.
toy store result in a lesson?
Time to forget the elections
My oldest daughter and I and remember what's really fin-
were looking for something to portant in the day to day.
do. We picked up the trivia
Get some rest everyone. We
games and read the directions. all deserve it. 0