itorial The Virtual Voter Editorials and Letters to the Editor are posted and archived on JN Online: www.detroitjewishnews.com VOTE Pipe Dream Or Pipe Bomb? r or too lon ba , teachina teaching Palestinian children to hate Jews has been a key component of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's propaganda mill. On a political level, he unceasingly touts the 1947 U. N. partition plan calling for a Jewish and a Palestinian state. All the while, he's involved in Middle East peace talks. But telling his people one thing in Arabic — often quickly translated and reported — and the >:: rest of the world something else in English is clearly self-destructive. It only complicates efforts to win over his people as well as Israeli Jews, as a group deeply skeptical of the Palestinian Authority's concern about their welfare. In the same vein, Israel's new government is obligated to do its part to temper the rhetoric and help broker a lasting peace. Violations of both the Oslo and Wye peace blueprints will be made. Addressing them in a sane, professional manner — almost against the natural tendency of the Mideast's diplo- matic winds — becomes critical. But the foundation for true peace must be laid in the Palestinian schools, where highly impressionable children are ingrained with rabid anti-Semitism. Indeed, Arab textbooks in Gaza and the West Bank today denote Israel as Palestine and declare, "We must fight the Jews and drive them out of our land." Beyond that, the Palestinian summer camps, recruiting grounds for Palestinian military and political activists, teach retaliation for the Jews taking "everything in 1948." The Palestinians must understand — with the help of U.S. pressure — that ending such breed- ing grounds for violence is paramount. For its part, Israel must scrutinize its own text- books for prejudice to show the world that it practices what it preaches. Also, it must affirm the citizenship rights and responsibilities of Arabs who legally live under its domain by extending the same social and public ser- vice funding levels that Israeli Jews receive. Meanwhile, repressive actions by Israeli soldiers on the West Bank and in Gaza must be quick- ly investigated so there's no question what caused them and there's reassurance they aren't Israeli policy. Political observers say Middle East peace will come because there's no plausible alterna- tive. But an unchecked 100-year conflict, with echoes back to the seventh century, can kill and maim much more before realizing its end. Without a genuine grassroots-initiated dia- logue, which starts in the education system of both peoples, lasting peace in the region will continue to be only a pipe dream that could quickly turn into a pipe bomb. 1 I The Wrong Lesson I is one thing to mourn the high school students and teacher shot to death by fellow students in Littleton, Colorado; it's quite another to use that tragedy to arouse new complaints about anti-Israeli senti- ments in the textbooks of Palestinian schools. But in a stretch of logic, that is what Moth- ers Against Teaching Children to Kill and Hate (MATCKH) has clone, with some assis- tance from the Agency for Jewish Education of Metropolitan Detroit. The Littleton schools can hardly be accused of teaching ethnic and religious hatred, and there is no evidence that the boys who killed their classmates were incit- ed by any state-sponsored bigotry. As we say in the accompanying editorial, Palestinian textbooks need to be reformed to eliminate their hateful lessons about Jews — a cause in which MATCKH deeply believes. But the Palestinian children to whom MATCKH would have local Jewish students pen letters will not be doing the textbook rewriting — a fact obvious to the Akiva Hebrew Day School students that MATCKH's President Molly Resnick addressed May 5. The students acknowl- edged that the letter writing was more a class exercise than an influential activity. Class time is valuable. Before AJE and school officials put their imprimatur on an advocacy group's presentation to students, they should be sure the instructional plan truly enriches student time. Meanwhile, well-intentioned advocacy groups like MATCKH are more apt to inspire support if they avoid reading their own zealous passions into events that have nothing to do with their cause. Should the Detroit Jewish community take a stand on state gun control? Yes No Vote on JN Online www.detroitjewishnews.com Results from last week's poll (34 respondents) If Palestinian statehood comes about, Jerusalem should... remain united in Israel (74%) 4;::.i.have its eastern sector in Palestine (12%) become an international city (15%) IN FOCUS Volunteer Power To honor Yad Ezra's 150 regular volunteers, the Oak Park- based kosher food pantry hosted a Volunteer and Board of Directors Appreciation Dinner May 16 at Congregation Beth Abraham Hillel Moses. Many of the volunteers have been with the organization since its founding in 1990. Volunteers of vari- ous ages and backgrounds handle intake and food distribution, office tasks, data entry and the planning and execution of pro- jects and events. To volunteer, call (248) 548-FOOD. LETTERS Guns Do Have Purposeful Role We should take exception to the anti-gun views espoused by Tom Diaz ("A Changed Man," May 28). The advoca- cy of high-profile Jews perpet- uates the unfortunate (and anti-Semitic) stereotype that Jews are timid people, too squea- mish to defend them- selves. This article also touched me on a per- sonal level, since my life took a direction oppo- site to that of Mr. Diaz. The first time I attend- ed a Jewish function was to see an Orthodox Jew give a speech at the Jewish Community Center advocating increased civilian own- ership of firearms. Since then, my acceptance of Judaism and advocacy of gun ownership have both grown tremendously. Jews in Israel have no notions of Jewish timidity. Since the 1970s, Israeli gun laws have allowed for increased access to firearms. 6/4 199 Detroit Jewish News 35