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Local reaction to Prime Minister-
elect Netanyahu varies.
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
Editor Phil Jacobs contributed to this report.
PHOTO BY DANIEL LIPPITT
Z
vulon Haddad and Izya Berman stood oblivious to the
activities surrounding them on Sunday at the Incred-
ible Israel Fest in West Bloomfield. One, born in Israel,
and the other, from the former Soviet Union, were fer-
vently discussing Israel's future with Binyamin Netanyahu
about to assume its top leadership position.
The almost-argumentive nature of their conversation
made it seem as if the two men were at odds with each oth-
er. In reality, these Oak Park residents were in agreement.
"Netanyahu is good for Israel because he gives us an op-
portunity for more security," Mr. Haddad said. "He closes
the gates on the negotiations regarding Jerusalem which
Labor opened, and that was a major mistake."
Mr. Berman agreed.
Reaction to last week's Israel election results from metro
Detroit Jews was varied. Many celebrating Israel at Sun-
day's Incredible Israel Fest described their feelings as mixed.
Nikky and Israel Strassman, who took their three young
children to the festival, will be returning to Israel next year.
Ms. Strassman, who lived in Israel for 15 years, said she did
not know whom she would have voted for if she had par-
ticipated in the election.
"I'm torn," she said. "If Netanyahu does what he says he
is going to do, then I'm for him. I believe in the peace process,
but I'm scared (Shimon) Peres would have given away too
much. On the other hand, I'm concerned Netanyahu will not
continue the peace process." Mr. Haddad, who has been liv-
ing in the United States for four years, said it was hard
not to be in Israel for such a crucial election. Instead, Mr.
Haddad tracked results by listening to National Public Ra-
dio and watching Cable News Network (CNN).
"I knew it was going to be close, but I thought Peres would
win by the same narrow margin," Mr. Haddad said.
After hearing excerpts of Mr. Netanyahu's first speech as
prime minister-elect, some said their concerns were eased.
Others said only time will tell.
In Mr. Netanyahu's speech, which was designed to alle-
viate anxiety in Israel and abroad, the Likud leader said,
"The government we will form in a few days, with God's help,
will strengthen the peaceful relations that have already been
established with the Jordanian kingdom and Egypt. We will
continue the negotiations with the Palestinians, and we will
also try to advance the negotiations with other Arab states.
"I call on those states to join the peace process."
Detroiter Joel Tauber isn't jumping on the Netanyahu
bandwagon. The national president of the United Jewish
Appeal is anxious to see what type of government the Likud
leader assembles.
"It's going to take some time to see who is in his Cabinet
and see what his coalition looks like," Mr. Tauber said. "His
rhetoric doesn't seem favorable to peace, which most of us
are in favor of.
"I'm in a wait-and-see pattern. I knew where (Yitzhak)
Rabin's head was always, I had a general idea of where Peres'
head was, but I don't know Netanyahu well. I think the
American Jewish community is apprehensive. We are anx-
ious to see if commitments are kept." 0
Celebrating Israel
Thousands attend Sunday's Incredible Israel Fest at the Jewish Community
Campus in West Bloomfield.
SEE PHOTO ESSAY ON PAGE 6
The Clue In The Footnote
A professor discovers the lost dissertation of a leading political scientist.
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR
I
nside the boxes lay piles of papers, letters, notes
and a dissertation, long forgotten, but key to the
work of one of the most influential political scien-
tists of the 20th century.
Hannah Arendt had written "Love and Saint
Augustine" while she was a student in 1929 at
the University of Heidelberg. She later revised
and intended to publish it. But she never did.
It took a determined Eastern Michigan Uni-
versity professor to unearth
the document, which for Hannah Arendt was
years had sat in a cardboard charismatic, private,
box at the U.S. Library of and one of the most
Congress.
influential political
philosophers of the
Dr. Joanna Vecchiarelli
century.
Scott is a political theorist
specializing in the history of
political ideas. In a book reviewer's footnote she
came across a reference to Arendt's unpublished
dissertation. She was intrigued. So she went
to the Library of Congress, where she was hand-
ed 94 boxes of Arendt's papers, "and no one had
done much with them."
Now someone has. The University of Chicago Press
recently published Love and Saint Augustine, trans-
lated, edited and with commentary by Dr. Vecchiarelli
Scott and Judith Chelius Stark, associate professor of
philosophy at Seton Hall University.
When Dr. Vecchiarelli Scott was a student at
UPI/BETTMANN Barnard College and Colum-
bia University, students, pro-
fessors and laymen lived and
breathed Hannah Arendt's
philosophies.
Arendt was an imposing fig-
ure who smoked incessantly,
loved Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison and the rest of
the Founding Fathers, was
highly private, and drew the
admiration of women and the
profound passion of men.
"She was an extremely
charismatic person," Dr. Vec-
chiarelli Scott said. 'There was
something about her that re-
ally mesmerized people."
She taught, wrote, offered
radio commentary. After the
Nixon-Kennedy presidential debate, Arendt appeared
on a radical left-wing station to discuss her views. She
CLUE page 20