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1
Syrian Alliance
Worthwhile Step
edge and understanding between peo-
ple is a worthwhile step toward bring-
ing some democratic education to
Syria's future leaders.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin
Washington, D.C.
Your editorial "Syrian Ties Misguided"
(Jan. 24, page 33) raises many issues. I
agree with much of the editorial (i.e.,
that Syria has been placed, rightfully,
on the State Department's list of coun-
tries that sponsor terror and is subject
to a range of U.S. sanctions, includinc ,
the denial of all foreign- assistance).
On Feb. 1, I literally shook as I heard
However, it is worthwhile for aca-
the news that the U.S. space shuttle
demic institutions to develop
Columbia had ripped apart over
exchanges that expose Syrian scholars
Texas.
to U.S. values, interests and democrat-
The implications were so numerous
ic principles. Such efforts have been
and so far-reaching that truly fathom-
encouraged by the same U.S. State
ing the impact was nearly impossible.
Department that has placed Syria on
The breakup of the Columbia took
its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
with it more than the lives of seven
The U.S. Embassy in Syria has held
astronauts —including that of Israel's
roundtables where U.S.'university
first astronaut, Col. Ilan Ramon --
administrators can inform educators
and hundreds of scientific experi-
and students at the University of
ments. It dashed many of the hopes of
Damascus about educational opportu-
those who saw NASA's work as a mis-
nities in the United States. Fulbright
sion of humanity, a non-political
Scholars from the United States have
effort in a world that had become
worked at Damascus University to
more political each passing day.
produce the first environmental chem-
Returning to Earth with those seven
istry textbook in Arabic. New York
astronauts, tucked into the corner of
University has created a consortium of that shuttle, was a little-publicized
major urban universities that includes
experiment created by five Israeli
Damascus University, Hebrew
teenagers from ORT Kiryat Motzkin
University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
School, students ranging in age from
University. (Surely, Hebrew University
14-17. The experiment, which studied
of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University
how zero gravity affected the develop-
are aware of the Syrian government's
ment of crystals, was among six from
behavior, yet they participate in a con-
schools in Australia, China, Israel,
sortium with Damascus University.)
Japan, Liechtenstein and the United
Additionally, the University of
States. As a board member of
Michigan — along with Yale
Women's American ORT, a major
University, the University of Chicago
supporter of ORT Israel, I found the
and NASA — has partnered with
news of the tragedy especially hard.
Damascus University in a study pro-
Those students had journeyed to
gram of Southwest Asia. U-M should-
Florida to watch the shuttle carrying
n't be faulted for that. This engage-
their experiment rocket into orbit,
ment can serve as part of a larger poli-
starry-eyed with the dreams of space
cy of educating, engaging and chang-
exploration and of a better world
ing the mindset and policies in Syria.
united in its endeavor for knowledge.
Today's students are tomorrow's lead-
To their thrill, they had communicat-
ers, and these programs can assist the
ed with the astronauts during the mis-
promotion of democratic values in
sion to discover the results of their
Syria.
experiment.
President Irvin D. Reid of Wayne
The Columbia tragedy cannot
State University has stood by Israel
diminish the remarkable achievements
despite some harsh criticism at times. I of those ORT Israel students and the
don't think that it is fair to criticize
others whose ideas took off with the
Wayne State University when it does
shuttle. In an interview during the
what dozens of universities did in the
mission, Col. Ramon told CNN space
Cold War with the Soviet Union and
correspondent Miles O'Brien, "I feel
do now with universities in a number
like I represent, first of all, of course,
of countries with whom \ve have no
the state of Israel and the Jews, but I
relationship because their governments
represent also all our neighbors. And I
are repressive, despotic or worse.
hope it will contribute to the whole
There is much reason for concern
world and especially to our Middle
about Syria and its policies. But I
East neighbors."
believe that efforts to promote knowl-
The hope for peace, to be sure, is
Col. Ramon's
Universal Call
2 /14
2003
6
not bound by limitations, but by
those who are willing to let their
dreams take flight.
Patti Aaron
West Bloomfield
Germany Must
Remember Friends
Given the recent anti-Americanism of
the German government, perhaps it is
time to remind our Teutonic friends
about America's relationship with
Germany since the end of World War II.
Immediately following the end of
the war, the Western powers, led by
the United States, poured billions of
dollars into the German economy
under the Marshall Plan. Immediately
following the advent of the Cold War
and Germany's split into eastern and
western halves at the behest of the
Soviet Union, America time and
again proved its overwhelming com-
mitment and friendship to the free
people of Germany.
Nov, when the United States asks
for German support in the impend-
ing and necessary war against Iraq,
what does it get? Consternation and
protest from the Schroeder govern-
ment.
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's
administration would benefit from
the lessons of history on who
Germany's friends are. In 1982, "an
obscure and inebriated legislator
named Gerhard Schroeder from
Lower Saxony shook the gate at the
chancellor's office in Bonn one night
and shouted, `I want to get in there.'"
Had not the United States been so
willing to help the Germans, there
might not have even been a chancel-
lor's office in Bonn for him to shake.
Instead, he might have been in the
Gulag, doing hard time for having
non-Communist views.
Abe Pasternak
Southfield
Help Perk Up
Lonely Marine
I'm looking for help from the Detroit
Jewish community. It has come to my
attention that a very nice young
Jewish man, age 21, is serving our
country in the U.S. Marines.
He is very friendly, smart, funny
and kind but very lonely. He has little
family and doesn't receive mail for
weeks at a rime. He would love to get
mail and feel connected to a Jewish
community.
It would be a mitzvah if readers of
the Jewish News would take a moment
to write him a letter and tell him how
much we appreciate what he is doing
for our country. His address is: Eric
Lazerow, PSC 480, Box 366, FPO AP
96370-1900.
Judy Silberg Loebl
Huntington Woods
Is War With
Iraq Needed?
Like millions of Americans, I watched
as Secretary of State Colin Powell pre-
sented the U.S. case for war against
Iraq to the U.N. Security Council.
After all the satellite photos, inter-
cepted audio clips, and distorted video
images, I am no closer to understand-
ing how war will solve our problems
with Iraq. We all can agree that some-
thing needs to be done. But I am not
convinced that war is preferable to
diplomacy.
To make an educated assessment of
the pros and cons of this war, our
leaders must answer some tough ques-
tions. If we remove Saddam Hussein
from power, who will take his place?
How long will we have to occupy Iraq
after the war and at what cost? If we
start a preemptive war with Iraq, will
this be a green light for other nations
to do the same, like China, for exam-
ple, to go after Taiwan?
With higher levels of anti-
Americanism abroad, what is the like-
lihood of increased terror attacks here
at home? Can an already fragile area .
like the Middle East withstand U.S.-
led regime change in Iraq? If not, what
will the consequences be for the U.S.,
Europe and Israel?
While the answers to these queries
may not be pleasant, we need our
leaders to be frank and provide us
with some degree of clarity before any
action is taken.
We must move beyond simplistic
rhetoric and take a long-term view of
how decisions made today will affect
not only our lives, but also the lives of
our children and grandchildren. As a
nation that thrives on quick fixes, we
must now slow down and be deliber-
ate about how we should proceed. Is
war really our only option? With all of
our collective intelligence, is war truly
the best solution we can come up
with?
Colleen Levitt
Royal Oak