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Editorial
Misguided Tutu
I
t is
an old maxim but a wise one that
to a man with a hammer every prob-
lem looks like a nail.
So it appears to be with Archbishop
Emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
On a recent trip to Israel, he took yet
another opportunity to equate the situ-
ation there with the apartheid he once
struggled against in his homeland.
He said that the West is consumed with
guilt over the Holocaust "but the pen-
ance is being paid by the Arabs, by the
Palestinians:' Tutu also told Israelis they
"must
'must learn...that they can never get
through fences, walls and guns:'
We are entering the season of compas-
sion in Judaism, a time for self-examina-
tion and seeking forgiveness. Yet mis-
placed compassion is one of the most
dangerous emotions possible in the pre-
carious world that defines the Middle East.
The recent release of the Lockerbie
bomber to Libya by Scotland on those
grounds is a prime example of such
addled sentiments. A man who didn't
hesitate to take 270 lives without a blink of
compassion gets to return home to a hero's
welcome because he has terminal cancer.
The concept was so repulsive that
reports in the British media continue to
question whether Great Britain agreed to it
only to advance its oil interests in Libya.
But Tutu, who has shown in the past
that he is no admirer of Israel, should
know better. The limits of his compassion
are remarkably one-sided.
He seems to feel the Palestinian ques-
tion can be wrapped up if Israel would
simply recognize "human rights for all."
Ignored are the countless instances
of Palestinian intransigence in the face
of negotiations, their willingness to use
violence as a first resort, the attempts by
Israel to give its Arab citizens a mean-
ingful place in the nation's political and
cultural life.
There has been no systematic denial
of human rights and a physical separa-
tion based on race or religious belief,
which were the defining characteristics of
apartheid. But using the word has become
a convenient shortcut for describing any
Dry Bones
A REAL DEMOCRACY
S WHERE MINORITIES
ARE RESPECTED .. .
MORE THAN
ELECTIONS
I
. . . AND WHERE
INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS
ARE PROTECTED,
situation in which an
aggrieved minority isn't
getting what it wants.
Tutu was just getting
warmed up, though.
He also doesn't like
American Jews who have
SO BUSH'S IRAQ
demonstrated against
AND OBAMA'S
him on college campuses
AFGHANISTAN
and oppose his views on
ARE . . .
Israel. So he felt com-
pelled to deliver a brief
lesson on Torah.
"You know God created
you in God's image," he
said. "And we have a God
who is always biased in
favor of the oppressed."
DryBonesBlog.com
The archbishop was
truly a heroic figure
True compassion must mean more than
during the long years
defending one's self with sweet senti-
of oppression he endured in his home-
ments against an adversary who does not
land. Yet his definition of oppression has
recognize remorse. It is a shame that the
become so selective, so removed from
political reality that it can do little else but archbishop cannot understand that when
he looks at Israel. ❑
detract from that legacy.
Games Of Gold
D
etroit won the gold medal in 16-
under baseball for the first time
in JCC Maccabi Games history!
After being involved as a Maccabi base-
ball coach for four years with my friend
Harry Glanz, I believe we may have had
more talented teams in the past, but not
more heart.
The road to gold was interesting: Two
weeks before the games, we only had
nine ballplayers. A few were ready to bail
because of our level of competition. We
added two to the squad who made a dif-
ference. Detroit Delegation head Karen
Gordon then asked if we would take on a
Vancouver player since that city did not
have a team this year.
Finally, it was time to board the bus to
Westchester, N.Y., where this year's games
were held. We traveled throughout the
night and early morning of Sunday, Aug.
16, practically sneaking into the Big Apple
not too long after dawn. Before we knew
it, we were in Madison Square Garden for
Opening Ceremonies, which were hosted
by Chris Berman of ESPN. He gave a great
shout out to Detroit. We boasted the larg-
est delegation of any out-of-town squad,
checking in at nearly 100 strong.
We got through our first test, beat-
ing one of the New York teams via a
major beatdown mercy. Then we faced
Greater Washington. They had dashed the
Detroiters' gold medal dreams last
summer right here in Motown. We
easily dispatched them and then
reality set in. We took a thrash-
ing in game three at the hands
of Rockland, N.Y. We then won
our fourth and final pool game
in what my faithful assistant, JCC
Detroit employee Gary Bistrow,
called a miracle. Despite making
seven errors, we won the game.
Gary is still telling people we
robbed them without a gun.
Pool play was over. We were
seeded fifth, set to face off
against the fourth seed, local
powerhouse Mid-Westchester. Detroit
prevailed. We then had the dubious task
of facing the No. 1 seed, Los Angeles. The
team had lost only one game over the last
five years in Maccabi competition. I had
two hot pitchers left, one slightly warmer
than the other. It was my decision to con-
cede the Los Angeles game and save my
"stud" to hopefully pitch us to the bronze
medal. After all, neither of our guys could
realistically beat mighty L.A.
This is when the fun really began. My
son Mark Meisner, Adam McDowell, the hot
pitcher, along with Jake Balbes came to me.
They told me not only could we beat L.A.,
but if I allowed McDowell to pitch, they
were guaranteeing victory. "Chip off the old
block" Meisner said, "Dad, we
don't want the blankety blank
bronze because we won one of
those three years ago."
We are always telling our
kids to listen to us. Now the
tables were turned. These
three team leaders asked me
to listen to them. So I did.
We went on to beat L.A. in a
frantic sixth-inning, come-
from-behind 7-to-6 victory.
McDowell and his teammates
stranded the tying and win-
ning runs on base in the bot-
tom of the seventh inning.
Would we have anything left for No.2
seed, Philadelphia, also undefeated? At
least we are guaranteed a silver medal, I
thought. Ryan Bloom took the hill for us
in what was one of the most bizarre games
I have ever coached in during my 37-year
career.
This game had everything! We sprinted
out to a five-run lead. The Philadelphia
coach was booted from the game for inces-
santly arguing calls, kicking dirt and chest
bumping an ump. A young guy who hadn't
played much chipped in with three hits.
Make no mistake: Our big dogs carried us
with our first four hitters collecting the bet-
ter part of 50 hits among them and a sec-
ond base and shortstop combination that
played errorless ball the entire tournament.
The game ended with the team that played
the best for four days winning it all by a 10-
6 score and making Maccabi history.
Phone calls from past Maccabi coaches
are still coming wanting to know if it's true
that Detroit won the gold. Take a look at
any post game team photo and you will see
me on the phone. I was on the phone with
Harry letting him know what just happened.
In retrospect I believe a baseball super-
stition helped us as well. Gary started
wrapping his arm in a white towel that
was held together with bobby pins. Once
Gary started wearing the towel, we never
again lost. I wouldn't let him come to the
game without it.
It was during the post-game "dog pile"
celebration that Gary noticed that the towel
he had pilfered from our hotel was made in
Israel. Some sort of higher power interven-
tion? I can't say for sure, but what I can say
is that we appreciated and needed any help
that anything or anyone brought us.
Most of all, hats off to the 2009 16 and
under baseball team, a group of 12 young
men who I will never forget. ❑
Mort Meisner of Huntington Woods is president
of Mort Meisner Associates and the Center for
Film Studies. He helped lead the Detroit base-
ball team to a bronze medal three years ago
against Philadelphia.
September 10 2009
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