Community Views
Editor's Notebook
The Concept Of Hate
Is Not Here To Stay
A Vacation Trip
Out Of This World
RICHARD LOBENTHAL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
ALAN HITSKY ASSOC ATE ED TOR
There may be
just may be — a
stirring that is be-
ginning to sneak
across the country:
a nascent move-
ment akin to "we're
not going to take it
anymore" when it
comes to hate.
To be sure, the hate is there,
there and there — indeed all over.
Michael Jackson, in the name of
attacking prejudice, stereotypes
(only) Jews with the most pejo-
rative of language. Leonard Jef-
fries and Louis Farrakhan
inundate their audiences with
vile and gutter lies about Jews,
cheered by the throngs of their
audiences.
Rap music attacks everybody,
but especially Jews, blacks,
women and gays, raking in mil-
lions of dollars from an audience
that thinks it's all right. The Re-
ligious Right wants to "Chris-
tianize America" and appreciation
of diversity risks becoming last
year's "folly." Neo-Nazi skinheads
have made a financial success of
hate and violence set to what pur-
ports to be music, and the weirdo
fringes of the militias (at best
hardly mainstream) have become
cover-story pop culture for most
of our media.
Aryan Nations, Christian Iden-
tity and Posse Comitatus — pre-
viously the "under the rocks"
segment of democracy, are, if not
household words, hardly unheard
of anymore. And hate inundates
high-tech, whether on the Inter-
net, short-wave radio, fax net-
works or pseudo-religion
broadcasts by preachers of hate
who buy time on the small and
mostly rural local radio stations
eager for the new income.
But Grants Pass, Ore., and
Billings, Mont., and maybe Adri-
an, Mich., just might be starting a
new trend. In Billings, after a
Richard Lobenthal is the director
of the Anti-Defamation League
in Michigan.
chunk of concrete was thrown ed: letters to the editors from
through the window of a home dis- nuns, priests, pastors, chaplains
playing Chanukah decorations, and "just ordinary" citizens —
the community (a la the King of standing in unity against anti-
Denmark and other Christians Semitism, denouncing Mr.
wearing yellow Stars of Davids to Strawcutter, condemning bigotry,
confront the Nazis) put menorot and, like Judith Cheney, stating,
in their windows as a show of uni- "I want to assure Dr. Steven
ty with their Jewish residents and Sherman that he does not stand
alone. ... It is always assumed
a protest against haters.
In Grants Pass, after the pres- that if we say nothing we agree
ence of an Aryan Nations re- with a bully. Well, I don't agree
cruiter was discovered, the either, Dr. Sherman."
Adrian's story is hardly over.
community adopted a "hate-free
community" slogan, with signs in And nobody can predict what will
the stores, churches and civic happen there, either to the bigot
buildings, not to mention private and his followers or to their vic-
homes and newspaper ads. An tims. It's a town with a checkered
Aryan Nation rally was cancelled. history, and only time will tell
And in Adrian, residents whether it repeats history or ris-
placidly put up with Christian es above it. But something hap-
Identity Minister Rick Strawcut- pened. Dr. Sherman woke up at
ter's weekly venomous anti-Jew- least some of the good people, and
ish diatribes. The Oklahoma City the potential for that to spread is
bombing and the attention it still very good.
Will it become a "hate-free com-
brought to militias and Mark Ko-
ernke (Mark of Michigan) inter- munity"? Another Billings,
ested the Adrian Daily Telegram, Mont.? Or, will it go back to "busi-
which did stories on Mr. Straw- ness as usual"? For now, "Good
cutter, who denied that he was a job," Daily Telegram. "Good job,"
hatemonger (everyone knows that Steve Sherman. "Good job," let-
Jews are anti-Christian, but ter writers. We're watching and
that's not hate) and attacked ADL rooting for you.
Is this a movement in its be-
for "fingering" him.
Finally, one Jew — Steven ginning? "We've had enough and
Sherman — wrote a letter to the won't take it anymore. Or is it
editor attacking the myth that merely something else of very lit-
"Jews are automatically anti- tle significance? ADL has always
Christian," stating that "Jews maintained two foundations in
want only what all Americans its approach to fighting prejudice:
have wanted ... namely to prac- Most American will oppose big-
tice their faith free of persecution otry when it is exposed; it is cru-
from extremists ... to be judged on cial to speak out against hate and
individual merit, not prejudice." to encourage others to do so.
For a number of years we have
The letter was signed by nine oth-
ers — the Jews of the communi- decried that America is "tolerat-
ty. The Telegram followed up with ing intolerance," that America
an editorial ("Legacy of Hate: has lost its sense of outrage and
Christian leaders should speak indignation. Maybe — just maybe
out against a theology of hate") — we are turning the corner.
It may be axiomatic, but it is
and an editorial cartoon.
No response from the Chris- worth repeating: If any commu-
tians. Dr. Sherman wrote again nity wants to declare itself a
— almost a full-page letter ex- "hate-free community," call the
pressing his angst, fears and ex- ADL. We will help make it hap-
periences with anti-Semitism. pen. After all, that is what we are
Slowly the community respond- here for. ❑
We took a brief
vacation last
week. It was out
of this world ...
literally.
We visited Bat-
tle Creek, Kala-
mazoo and South
Haven on our
way to two days
in the Holland-Saugatuck area.
The tip-off was breakfast in
Battle Creek. What could be
better than having breakfast in
the Cereal Capital of the World?
My first mistake was picking
the restaurant (not that there
seemed to be a lot of choices).
My wife asked for oatmeal,
toast, and asked about fruit.
Unfortunately, the establish-
ment did not have any fruit on
its menu or in the kitchen. (I
couldn't help but wonder what
Snap, Crackle and Pop would
have said about that!)
The oatmeal came in a Kel-
logg's packet — not exactly
what we had expected — and
the toast was slathered in but-
ter. The milk accompanying the
oatmeal was "vitamin D," our
waitress announced. "Homoge-
nized" is what I used to call it
as a child (isn't all milk these
days homogenized, with vita-
min D added?) and 4 percent
fat, if the truth be known.
When you're used to skim,
living the "rich" life wasn't ex-
actly what we were after. Not
an auspicious start for my
health-conscious wife.
Lunch in South Haven was
better. We parked right down-
town on the main street (no
parking meters!) and walked
along the breakwater out to
Lake Michigan. We enjoyed
watching the beautiful boats,
the remodeled waterfront
homes, the gorgeous white
sandy beaches.
But you can only take 92-de-
gree heat for so long, and soon
it was time for lunch. Being a
wise (wiser?) husband, I asked
Debbie to choose. Careful pe-
rusal of menus in restaurant
windows led us to a lovely place
in the heart of downtown. No
diet be damned this time!
Dark wood paneling, cheer-
ful host and waitress, comfort-
able air conditioning — what
could be better? Not the black
bean soup.
It looked and smelled deli-
cious. But how could they dice
those carrots so small? And why
was the taste so salty? Aaah,
comes the dawning. Those
aren't carrots, but little cubes of
ham. Well, anyway, the salads
were good.
Lest you think all we did was
eat, some other issues were
raised on our trip. Mention the
town of Saugatuck in this state
and you likely will hear a lec-
ture about gays, abominations,
etc.
Funny, I must have been
oblivious, or very much on va-
cation. We spent two days and
evenings in Saugatuck and I
only noticed what I presumed
to be three gay people. No, we
didn't go to the gay beach on
Lake Michigan. No, not one sign
that said, "I'm gay" or "Support
Gay Rights." No one asked me
my sexual preferences and, be-
lieve me, I didn't ask anyone his.
Maybe I saw what I wanted
to see: A beautiful town, beau-
tiful beaches, beautiful boats
and we had a beautiful time.
Oblivious, I guess, but isn't
that what vacations are sup-
posed to be about?
Our motel was in Holland,
just 10-15 minutes north of
Saugatuck. Another beautiful
Lake Michigan beach town,
with a lovely downtown, an
even-larger harbor and the
same gorgeous white sandy
beaches. The restaurants also
were wonderful. But something
in Holland jarred me back to re-
ality, back to work. It was the
crucifix of flowers in one of the
lovely public parks that lined
the waterfront.
We have a neighbor here in
Detroit who grew up in Holland.
She told us the town is a won-
derful place to live if you are a
member of the Dutch Reformed
Church. Residents who are
members of any other religion,
she says, are treated like a dis-
tinct minority.
Did the cross of flowers prove
her right? I don't know, but it
certainly sent me a message.
A conservative Christian
town, with a satanic neighbor
just minutes away. Heaven and
hell juxtaposed? And which is
which?
Both Saugatuck and Holland
have their defenders. Both have
their detractors. Both commu-
nities were marvelous places to
visit and accomplished our goal:
to get away, to relax and have
a great time. In that sense, both
towns are no different than any
other community, as people of
all persuasions struggle to live
and grow and pursue the Amer-
ican dream.
Which is right and which is
wrong? Saugatuck, with its
summer population of 15,000
and winter population of 1,500?
The larger Holland, population
26,000 and its Hope College?
Both helped us relax, and made
us appreciate our world here.
Live and let live does not al-
ways work. Neither is everything
black or white. I'm no expert, but
there are a few restaurants on
the west side of the state that I
can tell you about. ❑