Editorials and Letters to the Editor are posted and archived on JN Online:
w-ww.detroitjewishnews.com
A Cry Against Complacency
T
he ability to worship and celebrate
our religious and cultural heritage is a
blessing afforded this nation's Jews,
and other groups, by the miracle that
is American democracy. With the Fourth of July
coming up Sunday, we must always be grateful
to the United States for the liberty and rights
that were, and are, denied to our co-religionists
in other lands. Also, we must never fail to
acknowledge the decrease in anti-Semitism, and
bigotry in general, that was so much more preva-
lent in this land generations ago.
As Jewish Americans become increasingly
comfortable in this society, there are wake-up
calls that arise sporadically. They remind us to
never abandon or forsake our faith and com-
munity. The recent arsons of three synagogues
in Sacramento, Calif, and the incarceration of
13 Jews by Iranian authorities on charges of
espionage are prime examples of why.
Considered one of the worst anti-Semitic
hate crimes in the U.S. over the past two
decades, the Sacramento arson attacks —
which caused close to $1 million in structural
damage and destroyed hundreds of books,
videotapes and resource materials — were
allegedly perpetrated by pan-Slavic vandals.
They left leaflets blaming a perceived global
Jewish conspiracy for NATO's bombing cam-
paign in Yugoslavia. Interestingly, the congre-
gations desecrated were a pair of Reform tem-
ples and an Orthodox congregation, which
should remind all of us to rise above our petty
intra-denominational squabbles.
While the days of protesting in front of
embassies for the release of Jews in countries
such as the Soviet Union and Syria now seem
long ago, the plight of 13 Iranian Jews, possi-
bly facing execution as "Zionist spies," is a call
to activism and vigilance.
Complacency, we have learned, can trans-
late into the tragic loss of lives. Jews every-
where must voice their opposition to such
naked and unadulterated injustice. Virtual
Jerusalem's petition for freeing the 13 incarcer-
ated Iranian Jews is at
wvvw.vjnews.com/iranpetition.htm
Let us employ blessings and rights not
toward complacency, but as a means of help-
ing others. 1-1
Should We Aid Palestinians?
he Palestinian Authority; according to
an independent report released Mon-
day, is corrupt. It regularly abuses
human rights. It employs vastly more
people and weapons than needed to police its
population. Its leader is dramatically more auto-
cratic than democratic. It uses secretive state secu-
rity courts to achieve its goals.
An American-European independent commis-
sion, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Rela-
tions in New York, spelled this out. Yet, the
. group also said that the regime of Yasser Arafat is
doing relatively well compared to other radicals
who have gone from combat to governance. For
example, they said Arafat is spending the huge
sums of donations better than revolutionaries-
turned-rulers in such places as Africa.
The question for American Jewish groups:
To what extent should we help the Palestinians
build a stable, secure democracy? There have
been a few small efforts, but should there be a
concentrated one to provide staff, resources
and seminars? Mind you, the Israeli govern-
ment does an enormous amount already. There
are joint businesses, economic liaisons and
continual discussions on raising living stan-
dards for Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip. This is not altruism; it's common sense.
If the Palestinians see economic and educa-
tional improvement in their lives, it hopefully
will be more difficult for radical elements such
as Hamas and Islamic Jahad to recruit future
suicide bombers. People with something to
T
/-
lose are likely less willing to die. We are not
blind. Palestinian and Israeli distrust — even
so far as pure hatred — runs deep.
But American Jewish groups have made a
difference elsewhere, in places such as South
Africa. They have offered training to officials
in conflict resolution, democratic management
and governing skills. The time is right for
American Jewish groups to seriously consider
doing the same with the Palestinians — per-
haps mirroring or even bolstering the efforts of
the Israeli government.
We recognize that the Palestinian govern-
ing presence, in whatever semblance it ulti-
mately takes, is not leaving Gaza and the
West Bank. So the governing bodies there
must be democratic. Only such a system can
provide the checks and balances needed to,
among other things, trim overlapping and
competing security forces, press human
rights and halt pure theft from the public
treasury. And by playing a hands-on role in
bolstering Palestinian democracy, we can
better press for the long overdue arrest
and/or extradition of terrorists who have
murdered Americans and Israelis.
This task will not be simple — emotionally
or 'logistically. But it is preferable to lobbying
the U.S. Congress for additional Israel military
aid, particularly with the threat of armed con-
fict in the region. That situation is what a per-
inanently radicalized Palestinian Authority
would breed. fl
IN FOCUS
Freedom Fighters
Since 1948, the Israeli and American flags have flown, often
together, as symbols of the democratic ideals that their respec-
tive nations represent. The Fourth of July holiday provides the
right backdrop for paying homage to the fierce struggles both
nations still face in protecting the freedoms that these flags so
proudly stand for.
LETTERS
Descendant,
Or Not?
I would like to offer a
quick comment con-
cerning Suzanne
Chessler's superb arti-
cle on the film Quest
For The Lost Tribes
("An Ancient Mystery,"
June 18), for which I
served as chief
researcher. The article
stated that in a paper I
presented this year, I
identified the author of
Psalm 77 as a descen-
dant of the "lost tribes"
of Israel. Well, yes and
no.
The myth of the lost tribes
of Israel is that the entire
nation was carried away to
Assyria (modern Iraq stands
in the same general area
today), disappeared from his-
tory, but survived undiscov-
ered in remote areas of the
globe. Most scholars look
down on this issue because
those who support the myth
never bother to check into the
historical facts.
We know that much of the
Israelite population fled south
to their cousins in the king-
7/2,
1999
Detroit Jewish News
33