Editor's Letter

jarc

A Pearl Of A Speech

W

historical identity."
hat does it mean to be Jewish? For Daniel Pearl,
The professor added, "When Danny said, 'I am Jewish, what
it meant giving his life rather than forsaking his
he
told his captors was, 'I respect Islam precisely because I am
values after being taken prisoner by terrorists
Jewish;
and I expect you to respect me and my faith precisely
while on the way to an interview with a Muslim fundamental-
because
you are, or claim to be, good Muslims."
ist leader in Pakistan.
Danny
was saying that he comes from a culture where heri-
In a Karachi dungeon four months
tage
is
the
source of strength and where strength is measured
after 9-11, the Wall Street Journal
by
the
capacity
to accept diversity, through which we recog-
reporter stared into the eyes of evil
nize
what
his
father
called "common humanity."
and asked about the whereabouts of
Danny
understood
that Jews, hardened by centuries of per-
the man he was supposed to interview.
secution
and
repression,
must question every dogma, author-
His captors were part of the National
ity
and
so-called
wisdom.
He understood Muslim suffering as
Movement for the Restoration of
well,
having
seen
the
ravages
of Kosovo, worked with carpet
Pakistani Sovereignty. They accused
weavers
in
Iran
and
sung
with
pearl divers in Qatar.
him of being a spy and vowed to
murder him if the U.S. did not meet
Lasting Legacy
their brazen demands: the release of
The final words that Danny said freely did not become part
Pakistani detainees at the U.S. naval
of
his legend. But they were just as meaningful: "Back in the
base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where
town
of B'nei B'rak, there is a street named after my great-
Al Qaida and Taliban fighters were being held.
grandfather, Chayim Pearl, who was
"As he stood there, demanding sanity
one of the founders of the town."
in the face of madness, the dungeon in
Danny chose that anecdote to speak
Karachi turned into a microcosm of the
to
three audiences simultaneously, his
21st century, and came to amplify and
father
believes:
personify the age-old struggle between
To
his family — "Behold, I am
•
civilization and barbarity," Dr. Judea
volunteering
information that no one
Pearl, Danny's father, told 450 people
else
knows.
Why?
Because I want to
at the Jewish Book Fair at the Jewish
assure
you
that
I
am
well, that I am
Community Center in West Bloomfield
speaking
freely
and
that
I am unde-
on Nov. 12. Local talk co-sponsors were
feated."
Temple Israel's United Against Terrorism
• To his captors — "Look guys! I
Task Force, Hillel of Metro Detroit and
come
from a place where a person is
Dr. Judea Pearl, remembering his son.
StandWithUs-Michigan.
judged
by
the towns that he builds, by
The war against terror escalated the
the
trees
that
he plants and by the wells
moment that Islamic terrorists hijacked
that
he
digs;
not
by
the
death
and
destruction
that he brings
four U.S. jetliners on Sept. 11, 2001, and killed 3,000 people in
to
the
world.
So
come
to
your
senses."
the process.
• To the free world — "You know what? Despite all the pro-
Dr. Pearl, a Tel Aviv native, spoke about the 2004 book
tests
and criticism that we hear around us, we can be mighty
he co-authored with his wife, Ruth: I Am Jewish: Personal
proud
of who we are: We are the town builders, not the critics."
2002,
Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl. In
Daniel
Pearl then was silenced forever. At the time, his wife,
Dr. Pearl founded the Daniel Pearl Foundation to advance
Mariane,
was pregnant with their first child.
Danny's life work of dialogue and understanding and to
His
killers
sought to instill fear, humiliation and division
expose the root causes of his death.
within Israel and the West. But they blundered despite their
sophistication at terror.
The Legend Begins
His death became what Judea Pearl brands an iconic per-
The 38-year-old journalist was held captive for about a week
sonal
reminder that the wave of terror and hatred washing in is
before he looked again into the eyes of evil and uttered:
aimed not at a policy, nation or institution, but against the very
"My name is Daniel Pearl. I am a Jewish
fabric of civilized society. His death also underscored a pro-
American journalist from Encino, Calif. My
found clash of two ideologies.
father is Jewish; my mother is Jewish; I am
His death is an indelible signature for what it means to
Jewish!"
be Jewish in the throes of terror. Professor Pearl put it well:
That now famous proclamation didn't
"Danny's last words, `I am Jewish, assumed a universal dimen-
come under coercion, in defiance or with
sion. And they have since come to symbolize the right of every
gallantry. According to his father: "Danny
individual to assert his faith, heritage and identity." E
Daniel Pearl
said it in his usual, matter-of-fact way,
slightly irritated, as if saying: 'How many
times do I have to repeat myself? Two plus
O : What did America learn from Daniel
I— •
two equals four, and I am Jewish."
IX Pearl's murder?
ti) Lai
Judea's interpretation of what happened to his son on Jan.
I—
Z z What are examples of Jews and Muslims
30, 2002, transfixed me. Danny wasn't religiously observant.
coexisting?
O
Says his father: "Judaism for him was the language of his
0-
extended family — a source of strength, commitment and

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'2b8;60

December 6 2007

A5

