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Meet The Enemy
Most Americans went through a gamut of emo-
tions last week:
• Fear that the devastating bomb in Okla-
homa City had brought terror to our very heart-
land.
• Realization that safety and geography were
only illusions.
• Certainty that the culprits were swarthy
aliens with foreign accents, almost surely from
a country in the Middle East where people wore
kaffiyehs and prayed five times a day.
• And finally, shame that we had so easily
subscribed to the prevailing stereotypes — and
a reluctance to admit that Americans had done
this to other Americans.
Unfortunately, some American Jews did not
feel such shame. Intially, some of us, gleefully,
although in hushed tones, expressed joy that the
rest of American would now see the truth: The
Middle East terrorists must be dealt with harsh-
ly and immediately — the way Israel deals with
them. Some of those Jews were even upset to
learn that the carnage in our heartland was ap-
parently home-grown. Why, we wonder, are we
not as concerned about the ideology of these anti-
government groups? Many of them are vicious-
ly racist and anti-Semitic, injecting their talk
with conspiracy theories the way a diabetic needs
insulin.
We Americans, Jews and others, pride our-
selves on belonging to a reasonbly civil nation
inhabited by reasonably civil people who pursue
reasonably civil goals. That's why neither the
political left nor right have really caught on here:
Americans hew to the center, give or take a few
degrees either way. The political extremes rarely
take a hold of a soul as deeply as did the far-right
fanatics suspected in the Oklahoma bombing.
Why were we so inclined to have some mea-
sure of smugness during the day or two when
we could blame foreigners for this disgrace? For
those 24 or 48 hours, our solution to the bomb-
ing was sure and swift: We could close our bor-
ders, as if it were that easy. We could keep our
Why did we have a measure of
smugness when Middle East
terrorists were suspected?
eyes out for someone with slightly different skin
pigmentation. Or for someone with an accent
from a country where, we so smugly swore, al-
most everyone heaved grenades at everyone else
or parked car bombs in front of all the other
homes on the block.
But life isn't that easy. The enemy is us. For
all our talk of being one nation, we are many na-
tions, all with different goals and varying ways
of achieving them. This doesn't mean that the
American experiment of plurality has failed. Just
that it wasn't as simple as many of us had as-
sumed.
A Fitting Tribute
Twenty-five years after his death, Theodore
Levin leaves a legacy that continues to live on
in Detroit.
The judges of the Federal District Court of the
Eastern District of Michigan petitioned Congress
to name the old courthouse building on Fort
Street after Judge Levin, still a legend in the an-
nals of jurisprudence in this state.
More important, Judge Levin was renowned
for his compassion and his humanity when it
came to the law, civil rights and newcomers to
these shores. Those feelings and interests were
mirrored in his "outside" activities as a longtime
leader of the Jewish community.
In a 1957 tribute to his friend, the late Judge
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Charles Simons wrote that U.S. district judges
possess extensive power because of the narrow-
ness of the federal appeals-court review process.
"In small men," Judge Simons wrote, "this may
lead to arrogance, capriciousness or arbitrary
exercises of power.
"In men of stature, however, it develops a deep
sense of responsibility and an attitude of hu-
mility. Judge Levin belongs in the second cate-
gory."
The judges of Michigan's Eastern District and
the Congress of the United States have chosen
well in selecting a name, and a symbol, for the
court.
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Letters
Seeing Hatemongers
In Our Society
timately resulted in the Holo-
caust. Hitler became a democra-
tically elected leader of Germany
through the power of words. The
Our vacation home in northern propaganda against President
Michigan has been remodeled. It Kennedy, particularly virulent
is beautiful inside but the outside in Dallas, triggered Oswald's be-
looks like a construction-compa- havior. The intense hostility
ny yard. Landscaping the area against the assassin of the pres-
has become a high priority.
ident was a factor in Ruby killing
My wife and I just finished a Oswald. I examined Jack Ruby
two-hour planning session with for many hours. True believers
Len Draper, a landscaping con- are created by the power of
tractor from Bellaire, Mich. In 15 words. In the beginning was the
minutes, Ralph Naples, another word, the Bible tells us. The hate-
landscaping contractor, was to mongers against the federal gov-
arrive. The time was 1:15 p.m., ernment are accessories to the
April 19. I turned on CNN to oc- Oklahoma City atrocity.
cupy the 15 minutes between dis-
cussions with the landscapers,
Dr. Emanuel Tanay
expecting to catch up on the O.J.
Grosse Pointe Park
Simpson trial. Instead I saw
footage of the Oklahoma feder-
al building disaster. What I saw Learning About
was horrible, but the burden was
magnified by memories. I am a True Tragedy
Holocaust survivor. On April 19,
1943, I was in Warsaw. Present As a good Jew, and loyal Amer-
and past images merged into an ican, I feel great compassion for
overwhelming experience. "Mr. the brave people who had such a
Naples is here," my wife an- horrible tragedy befall them in
nounced, unaware of what was Oklahoma. The murder of inno-
going on. "You talk to him," I cent citizens, particularly chil-
said, and, with tears streaming dren, is despicable and totally
down my face, I retreated into the inexcusable.
I do not feel good about the fact
privacy of a bedroom.
that
Americans will start now to
Later on, we watched various
understand
the terrible and dan-
commentators speculate that
gerous
similar
situations that Is-
radical Muslims were behind this
rael
has
had
to, and is still
atrocity. "It would not surprise
enduring
every
single day of the
me if this was work of American
year,
not
knowing
when a ter-
anti-government extremists," I
rorist will strike, or where. What
told my wife.
Two days later, Friday, April about the bombing of busloads of
21, I was testifying in court in innocent schoolchildren in peace-
Mount Clemens, Mich. I am a ful districts in family neighbor-
forensic psychiatrist. While dri- hoods?
I am also concerned with the
ving to the courthouse, I was
media's
extensive coverage of this
called on the phone by an Asso-
horrifying
catastrophe in Okla-
ciated Press reporter from New
homa,
as
compared
to the mini-
York. He interviewed me about
mal
publicity
that
was given
the psychology of terrorism. I
concerning
the
Nazi's
genocide of
have written a paper on this sub-
20
million
human
beings,
in-
ject. The reporter never told me
cluding
the
Holocaust,
involving
that it was now suspected that
the Oklahoma tragedy was the the annihilation of six million
work of home-grown terrorists. I Jews.
Priorities should be carefully
should have guessed it from his
thought
out in our news reports.
questions. When I emerged from
the courthouse after 5 p.m., I And, Holocaust museums must
called home. "You were right on remain in view for all non-Jews
Wednesday," was the comment to learn about true tragedy; and
from my wife. "How did you for Jewish youth to understand
the Jewish experience, to re-
know that?"
"I know the power of propa- member eternally.
ganda," was my response. Hun-
Leon I. Schoichit
dreds of years of anti-Jewish
Farmington Hills
propaganda by Christianity ul-