Custom widow Waimea
as personal as your signatures
COMMENTARY
DEFAMATION
from page 41
LETTERS
LETTERS
from page 41
on Cust
Choose from a wide
selatioll of hirics
and Signature Designs will
fabricate your custom sheer
draperies Lahr free!
Installation Always Available!
official authorized dealer of
Hunter Do
ME IN O W NWO *4
Visit our New Showroom!
located at 24357 Indoplex Circle Drive Farmington Hills
Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00 and Saturday by appointment
or call 248-428-9735 for a "FREE! In-Home Design Consultation"
'Motorized Window Treatments
'Custom Cornice Boards
'Custom Draperies
•Custom Shutters
.specialty Rods
lazel Toy. unciga
We are so proud of you and all our
accomplishments.
Love, Mom, Dad and Brad
suppor
e couldn 't
...•
• •
•
•
V
•
.
•
"'EARNING
DISABILITIES
CLINIC
• Clinical Uaching • nsting/Evaluation
Therapeutic 7ittoring
5/19
2000
42
(248)545...6677 • (248)433-3323
LYNNE MASTER, M.Ed
Owner, Director
Bloomfield Hills
I www.iddinic.com
Oak Park
William Quigley's career as a film
executive.
A native New Yorker, Quigley had
been chief financial officer at Para-
mount Pictures and president of
Vestron Pictures, producing such
movies as Dirty Dancing and John
Huston's The Dead. He moved to
Denver in 1993 to head up United
Artists' theater chain.
After the ADL called him an anti-
semite, Quigley alleged, he found
himself shunned by his mostly Jewish
friends and colleagues.
ADL officials insist they did noth-
ing wrong. They're asking the judge to
set aside the jury's verdict.
"We did in this case what we're all
about, which is to pursue issues of
antisemitism, prejudice and discrimi-
nation," said Foxman. "We will con-
tinue to do so."
Privately, some ADL officials say they
were hung out to dry when the
Quigleys settled with everyone but
them. Their accusations of antisemitism
simply followed the district attorney's
lead. They didn't listen to the tapes first,
but neither did the D.A. A few ADL
staffers suggest they've been singled out
because the league's deep pockets make
it an irresistible target.
ADL officials don't say so, but
there's something unsettling about the
relish with which the jury punished
the ADL, awarding triple the damages
the Quigleys had asked. The judg-
ment carries echoes of past crusades
against the ADL, which often seemed
less about correcting wrongdoing and
more about cutting ADL — and the
Jews — down to size.
Awesome Weapon
In the end, though, the ADL was
caught in Denver with its pants down.
It re-broadcast an accusation of anti-
semitism before investigating. That's
foolish.
More disturbing, it attacked private
citizens for opinions voiced at home
among friends. That's chilling.
"This was a case of converting pri-
vate speech into behavior," says the
Quigleys' attorney, Jay Horowitz.
The case's most important lesson,
though, is precisely the lesson the jury
intended. The accusation of anti-
semitism is an awesome weapon,
because of the public revulsion it gen-
erates. The power to lodge that accu-
sation carries grave responsibilities.
In a world where Jews are as pow-
erful as their enemies, the Jewish com-
munity is accountable for its actions.
We're all on notice. El
It was well-researched. The input
and resource materials contributed to
it by Franklin Archivist Leslie Gowan
were significant. To quote Cantor
Stephen Dubov, "The passing of time
creates history. The most important
part is that our history, because of the
[Rabbi Leo M.] Fr _ anklin Archives, is
being preserved."
Neil Baldwin, executive director of
the National Book Foundation, called
the Franklin Archives of Temple Beth El
"... a veritable gold mine for anyone
interested in the behind-the-scenes his-
tory of the Reform movement in Ameri-
ca; the sociological trends and ideologi-
cal themes of American Judaism; and
the stresses and strains placed upon Jews
in this country during the first half of
the century."
Now that our congregation's best-
kept secret has been revealed, we
encourage Jewish News readers and oth-
ers to visit and use our archives. We are
also soliciting family trees (originals or
copies) and other genealogical informa-
tion from present and former members
of Temple Beth El.
Mary Shapero
chairwoman,
Rabbi Leo M Franklin Archives
Temple Beth El
Bloomfield Township
Novel Dinner
Earns Praise
No chicken dinner? No long speeches?
No formal attire? How could this be
an annual dinner?
The Ecumenical Institute for Jew-
ish-Christian Studies held just such a
dinner on May 11 ("Spirit of
Ecunomism," May 19, page 49).
Everything from the setting at the
Spirit of Ford Museum in Dearborn
to the service of food at a variety of
wonderful food stations, prepared by
Paul Kohn, was unusual.
The evening was informal, with peo-
ple truly mingling and having fun. The
guests of honor were the many people
who have supported the work of the
Ecumenical Institute. The evening was
topped off by the opportunity to visit
the many wonderful, interactiv
e exhibits
at Detroit's newest museum.
What a wonderful evening spon-
sored by a wonderful organization!
Kudos to the dinner committee for
breaking with tradition and creating a
truly novel experience for all of those
who attended.
Paula Korelitz
Farmington Hills