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OTHER VIEWS
Israel's Need Is Genuine
ast month, I brought leaders
of the Detroit Free Press and
the Detroit News to Israel so
they could take a firsthand
look at Israel and better understand
the situation there.
The Jewish Community Council,
working clOsely with the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
Israel Office and the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee, designed
itineraries that introduced the travelers
to a wide variety of Israelis, including
parents of a young terrorism victim,
fighter pilots, Israeli Arab business
executives, Argentinean and Ethiopian
immigrants, "ordinary" residents of the
Central Galilee and many others. The
trips had a profound impact on the
perspectives of the journalists.
What surprised me was that my
journey to Israel also had a profound
impact on my own thinking. Like
many Israelis and American Jews, my
attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, the wider Arab-Israeli conflict
and the American role in the Mideast
have been affected by the events of the
L
David Gad-Harf is executive director
of the Bloomfield Township-based
Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit.
past 2 1 /2 years. The terror campaign
against Israel that coincided with
Israel's overtures to the Palestinians,
and the 9-11 attack on America, shift-
ed the political center of gravity with-
in the Jewish community.
However, my conversations last
month with Israeli friends, new and
old, and with experts on the
Palestinians and the Arab world, crys-
tallized for me how much my thinking
has shifted. I share the belief of most
Israelis that a peace process cannot
resume until the Palestinian Authority
clamps down on terrorism. It is abun-
dantly clear to me that the current
P.A. leadership has encouraged, not
deterred, terrorism, and that it contin-
ues to pursue the goal of eliminating
Israeli sovereignty over not only the
West Bank, but of all of Israel.
I also share the belief of most Israelis
that P.A. leader Yasser Arafat must be
replaced, in one way or another, before
the situation will be improved. Even
most Palestinians have come to realize
that he is a corrupt, counterproductive
force whose decisions have set back
the Palestinian cause for a generation.
Iraqi Threat
My experience in Israel also brought
home for me the true danger
they are filled with anxiety
of Saddam Hussein's regime in
every morning when they bid
Iraq. By visiting Israeli homes,
farewell to their children.
where I toured their sealed
I did witness some amazing,
rooms and viewed their new
hopeful signs. I heard 'stories of
gas masks, and meeting with
a class of Palestinian students
the world's foremost expert on
who received medical treat-
Saddam Hussein, Amatzia
ment at the Valley Hospital in
DAVID
Baram, I readily understood
Afula when one child in the
GAD-HARF class was exposed to a suspi-
why America is so right to
Community
depict Iraq as a serious threat
cious substance. I heard presen-
Views
to the world.
tations by Israeli Arabs and
The critical role that the
Jews who are collaborating in
United States plays in Israel's
the launch of a business incu-
well being, and the tremendous affinity bator in Nazareth. And I visited two
felt by Israelis for America, were clari-
schools in Jerusalem where Arab and
fied by my discussions with Israelis and Jewish children learn side by side and
my perusal of the Israeli media. Israelis
are taught both Arabic and Hebrew.
feel isolated, as European and other
Given the incredible tension and anger
countries seem to dismiss the Iraqi
that now exists in Israel, it was inspiring
threat and find fault in whatever Israel
to see some examples of coexistence.
does. The United States is the only
Overall, it was a very sobering visit.
nation that Israel can depend on, and
I returned to Detroit even more deter-
this makes our work in Israel advocacy
mined to defend Israel at its hour of
all the more essential.
need, to do all I can to preserve the
Yes, Israelis are attempting to live
close relationship between the United
"normal" lives. They go to work and
States and Israel and to stay in contact
send their children to school. But even
with my friends in Israel. As long as
those who told me that the intifada
our brethren in Israel feel besieged,
(uprising) didn't affect them very much isolated and fearful, the Jewish
acknowledged that they no longer ride
Community Council will continue to
buses, they no longer -feel comfortable
make Israel advocacy its number-one
going to large public gatherings, and
priority. ❑
Building Bridges Of Understanding
our recent editorial lament-
ing the creation of an edu-
cational exchange between
Wayne State University and
Damascus University ("Syrian Ties
Misguided," Jan. 24, page 33)
reflects too narrow an analysis of the
benefits of such an agreement to _
Wayne State and to our community.
In entering into this agreement for
the mutual promotion of educational
and research programs, Wayne State
is furthering the basic mission of all
great American research universities:
the dissemination of knowledge,
without regard to physical borders or
political considerations. Similar
arrangements with Damascus
University have been made by such
prestigious universities as Yale,
University of Michigan, University
of Chicago, Georgetown University .
and New York University.
Indeed, among the prominent educa-
y
Eugene Driker of Detroit is on the Wayne
State University Board of Governors.
2/14
2003
34
tional institutions that have joinedwith
Damascus University in forming the
League of World Universities are
Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel
Aviv University. These great institutions
surely understand the despotic name of
Syria's rulers, yet see benefits to them-
selves and to Israel in collaborating with
a prominent Arab university.
Friends of Israel should be espe-
cially sensitive to the dangers of per-
mitting political considerations to
affect academic interchange. Witness
the many radical educators who
recently tried to exclude Israeli pro-
fessors and scientists from world
conferences because they are repre-
sentatives of an allegedly "repressive"
government.
Right thinking people throughout
the world, including the president of
Wayne State University, ,condemned
such boycotts, correctly noting that
politics should have no place where
the dissemination of knowledge is
involved.
Wayne State's educational
exchange with Damascus
ers, should be encouraged."
University is not an endorse-
Leon Cohan, a former
ment of Syria's government.
president of the Jewish
Instead, it is a reasonable
Community Council of
effort to expose Syrian educa-
Metropolitan Detroit,
tors and students to
expressed similar sentiments:
American democracy and our
"It is just these kinds of pro-
way of life. Given the distort-
grams that can begin to tear
ed view of America and of
down the walls that divide
EU GENE
Jews that pervades much of
the countries in conflict."
DRI KER
the Arab world, such expo-
Wayne State's links to
Corn munity
sure can only be good for us
Detroit's Jewish community
Vi ews
and good for Israel.
are strong and of very long-
Jews, of all people., under-
standing. The university's
stand just how important
president, Dr. Irvin D. Reid,
education is to fostering
is a staunch supporter of
peace and understanding. Precisely
Israel and has consistently spoken
this point was made by Dr. Eliezer
Out against efforts to require Wayne
Rafaeli, a highly esteemed Israeli
to divest itself from companies that
educator, who is former president
do business with Israel, as well as
and current chancellor of Haifa
against other anti-Israel and anti-
University. When asked to comment
Semitic diatribes.
on the wisdom of the Wayne State-
Wayne State's courageous efforts
Damascus collaborative effort,
to, in Dr. Reid's words, "build
Rafaeli said: "I believe that relation-
bridges across seemingly impossible
ships between universities, especially
voids," should be applauded, not
across borders and emotional barri-
criticized. ❑
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