Community Views

Editor's Notebook

The Final Word
Must Be Israel's

Personal Snapshots
Of A Boss And Mentor

BERL FALBAUM SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

What do former
When Israel is governed by
In diplomatic terms, while
New York Gov. conservatives, American Jews not criticizing critics, he pointed
Mario Cuomo and others in the Diaspora are out that the peace process must
and Israel Prime more prone to apply pressure, and not be argued based solely on the
Minister Ben- they are doing so now, seeking to negotiations with the Palestini-
jamin Netanyahu force Mr. Netanyahu to "be more ans:
have in common? conciliatory."
Israel, he said, is surrounded
Many would
But in applying pressure, they by Arab nations 500 times Israel's
say nothing. One ought to remember it is "Israel's size, and that reality cannot be
is a liberal (used blood ... and the blood of her peo- ignored. Israel's security is not
in the time-honored sense when ple ..." that is at stake, and that just dependent on whatever
liberals were proud to be labeled outside pressures make negotia- agreement can be reached with
liberals), an Italian and a tions more difficult for Israel.
the Palestinians but what such a
Catholic. The other, a conserva-
If Arab nations can point to settlement may mean as it per-
tive Jew, sometimes called "right Jewish criticism of Mr. Ne- tains to relationships with Syria,
wing" in not-so-complimentary tanyahu's policies, it strengthens Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and such
terms.
their case, and no amount of "moderate" states as Saudi Ara-
But when they speak of Israel, protestation can change that.
bia. He did not include Egypt, but
they do have much in common,
It might be useful to point out one might do so given the ven-
particularly as it relates to U.S. that the Middle East political omous, hostile, anti-Semitic en-
foreign policy affecting Israel and, landscape does not include "lib- vironment in Egypt, Israel's
indirectly, the obligation of Amer- eral" or "conservative" Arabs. The "partner in peace."
ican Jews to their homeland.
Arabs understand the strategic
(Gov. Cuomo, reflecting on
Both made important policy importance of unity when it this same point: "For nearly 50
statements when they appeared comes to affecting U.S. foreign years she has struggled to hold
at separate fund-rais-
on — and to grow — de-
ers in the Detroit met-
spite being encircled by
ropolitan area.
enemies who outnumber
First, Governor
her and are pledged to de-
Cuomo.
stroy her.")
Gov. Cuomo, ar-
Very movingly, Mr. Ne-
guably the only orator
tanyahu made an addi-
— not speaker — in
tional, very poignant
the United States at
observation: Israel is seek-
the present time, left
ing security not just for
little question about
those living in the country
the uncompromising
but for any Jew who
support the United
wants to come home.
States owes Israel
Discussing the Holo-
when he spoke at the
caust, he said he was dis-
Friends of Bar-Ilan
appointed that the West
Above: Mario
University fund-raiser recently.
Bloomfield memorial center
Cuomo
With unpretentious passion,
— which he described as su-
Gov. Cuomo pointed out that Is-
perb — did not depict Israel's
Right:
rael is America's only democrat-
relationship to the Holocaust,
Binyamin
ic ally in the Middle East, and
Netanyahu
how it reached out and em-
that "none has more in common
braced Jewish survivors in
with us — by blood, by belief, by
her arms.
aspiration — than Israel.
He stated somewhat sober-
Most important, he pointed
ly that Israel must survive if
out, "... we must let her make the
for no other reason than to of-
final decisions." For instance, he policy and the policies of other na- fer a place of refuge for Jews be-
said, when Israel says Jerusalem tions even though, one might add, cause, he said, he is not convinced
is its capital, that should be the unlike Israel, their survival is not that a Holocaust could not hap-
end of the discussion.
at stake.
pen again.
"It is Israel's blood that was
Diaspora Jews would do well
Obviously, he hopes that he is
spilled to create and preserve Is- to learn that lesson if for no oth- wrong, as we all do, but the risks
rael. It is the blood of her people er reason than its political im- are too great not to work toward
that remains at risk, and we portance.
assuring that Israel not only sur-
should keep that in mind when
Arabs cannot even find their vives but that it prospers.
we make recommendations about voices to criticize the most hor-
Gov. Cuomo, defending U.S.
the best way to make peace."
rendous terrorism against Jews. foreign aid to Israel, said such aid
Gov. Cuomo's message applies Jews are quick to condemn the is an investment, and "... we in-
not only to U.S. foreign policy, but loss of innocent Arab lives — as vest in Israel ... because we don't
it is a vital message for Jews in they should — yet the most de- know what we would do without
this country as well. It is Israel's spicable and condemnable crimes her."
blood.
against Israelis bring nothing
It would have been politically
American Jews, generally lib- from Arabs except a disturbing impolite for Mr. Netanyahu to
eral, are uncomfortable with Mr. and unconscionable silence.
ask his American Jewish hosts
Netanyahu's politics. They felt a
Prime Minister Netanyahu's the question: What would Dias-
similar discomfort when the late message was a mirror image of pora Jews do without Israel?
Menachem Begin led the gov- Gov. Cuomo's when he appeared
The question is worth ponder-
ernment, despite the fact that he at the Holocaust Memorial Cen- ing, nevertheless. The answer, of
was the first Israeli prime minis- ter's annual dinner last year — course, should lead Israel's crit-
ter to make peace with an Arab when he was chairman of the ics outside its borders to a more'
nation.
Likud. The Center has made the appropriate public political dis-
Berl Falbaum is a public relations speech available on videotape and course as it relates to the Jew-
U.S. Jews would be well-served ish homeland.
specialist and a freelance
to listen to it — putting their pol-
If that fails, they need to re-
writer.
itics aside.
member: It's Israel's blood. ❑

PHIL JACOBS EDITOR

Snapshots:
Over the years, more profes-
Scenes on a sionals would come from the sec-
beach.
ular press. Chuck was doing
A little something never done before.
brown-haired The image of Jewish journalism
girl in a pink was that of a mom-and-pop
bathing suit, business that would typically
trying to brush comply with the wishes and de-
the sand out of sires of Federation, Israel and
her fingers.
most other Jewish organizations
A best girlfriend smiling from needing that all-important ban-
underneath an umbrella.
quet speaker profiled.
A gray, ragged seagull nib-
Why couldn't a Jewish news-
bling at a french fry.
paper business be innovative,
Snapshots taken by a child and be a money-maker? Why
are some of the most fun, imag- did the staffs of so many Jewish
inative works of art we know. newspapers consist of writers
They turn photography into who arrived either to finish out
play, life into a dare. The rules? their careers or because they
There are none.
couldn't get a job anywhere else?
Chuck Buerger gave my
Chuck's staffers would vali-
daughter DeDe a camera for her date the traditions, but they also
bat mitzvah last year. It sits in questioned the roles in the
our closet and when it is ready neighborhood, in the Knesset,
to be used, DeDe and the rest of on Capitol Hill. More often than
the family call it "Chuck's cam- not, it was Chuck who pushed
era."
his staff to question. He would
With it, DeDe has trans- never let his staffers settle for
formed her vacations, her fam- less. Their engines would al-
ily, parts of her life to the images ways run.
she's seen through the lens.
It was the kind of approach
Chuck gave her this camera that resulted in the BJT's rise
as she studied the Torah portion to the top of its field, the kind of
Chayah Sarah. This is the se- ambition that guided Gary
drah that describes our tradi- Rosenblatt as a Pulitzer Prize
tions of respect for the dead and finalist for his story on the Si-
concern for the future, essential mon Wiesenthal Center.
concepts in Judaism. Abraham,
In 1984, Chuck and Gary
our patriarch, finds a burial took over a well-respected and
place for his beloved Sarah. In community-loved Detroit Jew-
searching for a wife for Isaac, ish News. It was a paper loaded
Eliezer encounters the over- with information, press releas-
abundant giving nature of Re- es, wire service stories.
becca.
Again, Chuck found the right
Chuck would die on the an- catalyst to help move his vision
niversary of Chayah Sarah.
of excellence. It was a man he
I find myself in an unthink- hired away from the Baltimore
able position, living life and Sun, Arthur Horwitz, who un-
practicing Jewish journalism derstood, believed in, and loved
without him.
Chuck's dream.
I divide in half what there is
And he loved Chuck.
to say about Chuck Buerger.
Every issue of The Jewish
First consider the professional, News is a testament to the
then there's the personal. Both dream they shared: full glossy
are intertwined.
covers, significant special sec-
In Baltimore, when Chuck tions, important news stories,
took over his family's business, graphic design, and excellence
they were still selling the front in photography. All of this, with
cover of the paper to communi- a respect for and a real, deep-
ty organizations for fund-rais- seated caring for people with ad-
ing ads. It was the norm to see dresses in West Bloomfield,
an ad from Women's Division or Southfield and Oak Park.
NCSY. It wasn't until the 1981
Chuck Buerger had many
assassination of Egyptian Prime friends in Detroit. The Jewish
Minister and Camp David part- News grew and is now the Jew-
ner Anwar Sadat that a news ish publication that has "lifted
cover become the symbolic cor- the bar" for everyone else. This
nerstone of Baltimore's Jewish was the growth environment he
Times.
created.
It wasn't really about covers
Many times when we thought
or layouts, although Chuck we had done a particularly good
hired Kim Muller-Thym, a lay- job of journalism, it was Chuck
out and creative artist who who would make us reach even
would change the artistic road higher.
ofJewish journalism. It was the
My good friend Gary Rosen-
addition of Gary Rosenblatt, blatt used to say that Chuck
who was working for TV Guide, was predictable 42 percent of
that would reconfigure the en- the time. We knew him best,

tire map.

MENTOR page 28