COMMUNITY VIEWS

Red Cross Discrimination Should Be Ended

F

ties and policies of the federation.
iffy-one years ago, Israeli
The longstanding blatant discrimi-
representatives asked the
nation
against Magen David Adorn is
international Red Cross to
akin
to
the treatment of Israel in other
recognize the emblem of
international
organizations, particular-
Magen David Adom, the newborn
ly
the
United Nations,
state's humanitarian society.
where Israel is the only
The six-pointed star, the
member-state denied eligi-
ancient symbol of the Jewish
bility to vie for a seat on all
people, had been a symbol of
organs
of the world body,
death for millions during the
including
the Security
Holocaust. Now, Israel main-
Council.
tained, it should be recog-
While the machinations
nized as a symbol of life.
of
the
U.N. are clearly
The international humani-
influenced
by politics, the
tarian movement rejected
same should not be the
Israel's request in 1949, and,
S HAR ONA
case in the international
despite decades of exemplary
SHAP
IRO
Red Cross movement.
rescue activity, saving count-
Politics has no place in
Spec
ial
to
less lives around the world,
the international human-
the
Jewi
sh
News
Magen David Adorn still is
itarian arena.
denied full membership in
The federation had an
the International Federation
opportunity
to
redress this gross
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Soci-
injustice when the more than 150-
eties.
member societies convened last
The Israeli group to this day holds
November.
Yet, notwithstanding the
only limited "observer" status in the
public
support
for MDA voiced by
federation, even though it meets all
the
president
of
the American Red
the other criteria and conditions for
Cross,
this
international
gathering of
full membership. This repudiation
humanitarian
societies
chose
instead
translates into reduced cooperation,
to
form
a
working
group
to
"examine"
coordination and financial support for
the situation.
Israel's efforts, and the inability to vote
This 16-nation group, which .
on key issues pertaining to the activi-
includes
Israel and the United States,
it
is comprised also of the likes of Iran
and Malaysia, offering little encour-
Sharona Shapiro is the Bloomfield
agement that the status of Magen
Township-based Michigan area director
David Adorn will be resolved.
of the American Jewish Committee.
What most members of the federa-
AJCommittees Web site is www.ajc.org

tion apparently have forgotten is that
the founders of the international Red
Cross actually never intended for any
religious symbol to become its
emblem. They chose in 1864 as its
universal symbol the inverted flag of
Switzerland, an emblem that sought to
pay homage to the Swiss origin of this
vitally important initiative. In 1929,
however,

Turkey
claimed that in Muslim countries, the
(flag's) red cross was viewed as a Chris-
tian symbol. As a result, the red cres-
cent, a symbol derived from Islam,
was recognized as a second emblem.
The juxtaposed images of a red
cross and red crescent now have
become decidedly religious-based sym-
bols. Thus, the International Federa-
tion of Red Cross and Red Crescent

Societies' refusal to recognize the Star
of David is much more than a slight
against Israel, which understandably
refuses to operate under the banner of
the cross or the crescent. It is an
affront to the Jewish people world-
wide.
The fact that Israel is the only
country in the world whose humani-
tarian emblem has ever been formally
rejected is an unacceptable outrage
that must be changed. The American
Red Cross, alone among the interna-
tional federation's members has
accepted, de facto, the Star of David
as a symbol of humanitarian relief.
Indeed, at the American Red Cross
headquarters in Washington, three
emblems — the Red Cross, Star
of David and Red Crescent — are
displayed together.
But as the American Red Cross
has observed, "given today's politi-
cally charged world, obtaining
worldwide government recognition of
additional emblems" is extremely diffi-
cult.
Securing international recognition
of Israel's symbol — or, alternatively,
creating a truly universal symbol for
the Red Cross that is devoid of reli-
gious significance and is acceptable to
all parties — is by no means unattain-
able.
Ultimately, the International Feder-
ation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies needs to be reminded of its
own founding principles of universali-
ty, morality and civility.

LETTERS

Self-Abnegation
Is Destructive

It should come as no surprise to
observers of Jewish self-abnegation
over the years that the latest foray of
this element is a statement by the Jew-
ish Peace Lobby signed by 314 rabbis
calling for Jerusalem to be a shared
city between Israelis and Palestinians

3/10
2000

38

("Taking Sides," Feb. 25).
But it is particularly ironic that in
the same edition of the Jewish News
there are reports of Syrian President
[Hafez] al-Assad "hinting that peace
would be no more than a staging
post toward the ultimate Arab goal
of destroying the Zionist state" and
of [Palestinian Authority Chairman]
Yasser Arafat stating that Israeli
Prime Minister Barak is "trying to
kill me by means of my own peo-
ple."
Will the Jewish self-abnegators ever
get it?
Moreover, the logic of the Jewish
Peace Lobby and its 314 rabbinic sup-
porters would mandate that the entire
state of Israel also be "shared." After
all, the statement reportedly suggests
that since Jerusalem has more than
180,000 Palestinians living within it,

it should be shared with the Palestini-
ans.
Similarly, an Israel whose popula-
tion is more than 20% Arab (more
than a million Arabs) ought also to be
shared!
The answer is that Jewish self-deter-
mination ought never to be dictated
by a low birth rate versus other peo-
ples, and Jewish self-abnegation ought
be revealed for what it is — pathologi-
cally self-destructive behavior.

David Arm
West Bloomfield

Why Question
Rabbi's Ability?

It is interesting to note the letter con-
cerning the lecture given by Rabbi
Sherwin Wine on the subject of kab-

bala. I agree with Nacha Sara Leaf's
assertion (Humanism And Kabbala?"
Feb. 25) that it would make sense for
someone who wishes to engage in the
study of kabbala to seek a teacher that
shares the philosophy expressed in
those writings. Where I disagree is
with her suggestion that it is improper
for a Secular Humanist rabbi to even
discuss kabbala.
Rabbi Wine is conversant with a
wide range of historical and philo-
sophical disciplines and presents his
audience with a chance to learn about
subjects that they may never have a
chance to encounter elsewhere. His
discussions, while certainly filtered
through his own perception of
Judaism, are respectful and engaging.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if Ortho-

LETTERS on page 40

