Opinion

A MIX OF IDEAS

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Editorial

The Refugee Dilemma

T

he Arab world has made a big
deal out of the "refugee problem"
— the Palestinians who left
Palestine when Israel achieved statehood
and Arab nations declared war on the
new Jewish state. Some of the 726,000
Palestinians may have been forced out by
zealous Jews enthralled with the prospect
of Zionism, but most Arabs left on their
own accord at the urging of their own
leaders, who felt Israel would be crushed
by the might of invading Arab armies.
Less talked about is the fate of the
856,000 Jews ejected from Arab lands in
the wake of the Arab backlash against
Israel's creation in 1948. Jews who were
displaced are finally being recognized. The
recognition may be symbolic, but it's sig-
nificant nonetheless.
The 10 displaced Jewish communities
that now call Israel home have a process
to address their grievances as well as
Israeli government support. On Feb. 22,
the Knesset passed a law requiring any
Israeli government taking part in Middle
East peace negotiations to use the talks
to advance a compensation claim for dis-
placed Jews who later became Israeli citi-
zens. The law drew support across Israel's
vast political spectrum, underscoring its
popularity, if not practicality
"The impact on the Middle East peace

process is unclear. But according to the
law's supporters, its implications for
Jews from Arab countries is substantial,"
reports the New York-based Justice for
Jews from Arab Countries.
Given the poor economic climate in
many Arab countries, let alone the vit-
riol espoused toward Israelis by many
neighboring Arabs, it's unlikely that Jews
displaced 62 years ago will get Arab corn-
pensation. But there's merit in believing
that heightened Palestinian awareness
about Jews also suffering in 1948 could
become a tool for peace. Some two-thirds
of the displaced Jews settled in Israel, with
the rest mainly going to France, America
and Canada. The Jews lost an estimated $6
billion in assets.
Until the new law passed, displaced
Jews had more luck in the diaspora than
in Israel's political arena. In 2008, the
U.S. House of Representatives passed a
nonbinding resolution urging that every
reference to Palestinian refugees raised
in international forums be matched by a
similarly explicit reference to the uproot-
ing of Jewish communities from Arab
countries.
Reservations abound about compli-
cating Israeli-Palestinian talks with the
matter of Jewish refugees. The Palestinian
Authority and Hamas, which rule the

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Palestinian people,
aren't directly responsi-
ble for Jewish displace-
ment. But the always
forgotten Jewish plight
should be remembered
on the international
stage when any Arab
leader talks of those
"forced" to flee Palestine
in 1947-48.
The lobbyist who
brought the various
Jewish communities
together around the
Knesset proposal envi-
sions an international
fund to compensate
Palestinian and Jewish
refugees, with Israel,
Arab countries and
international donors,
such as America, con-
tributing to it. Lobbyist Isaac Devash, a
Tel Aviv businessman, sees up to 3 million
Israelis and up to 4.5 million Palestinian
refugees becoming stakeholders in the
peace process.
We're inclined to say that's all a pipe-
dream.
We're also wary of equating Palestinian
refugees with Jewish refugees as Israel

struggles to reopen peace talks that would
include the vexing — and outrageous —
Palestinian demand for the right to return
to "their homeland" in modern-day Israel
or suitable compensation. A return of dis-
placed Palestinians and their descendants
would tilt Israel's current population of 75
percent Jewish/20 percent Arab/5 percent
other toward an Arab majority, effectively
ending the Jewish state. 0

Reality Check

The Drug That Failed

I

received a letter last week from a large
pharmaceutical company in Boston,
with an opening salutation to a
"member of the Cerezyme family:'
Cerezyme, as many of you know, is a
drug used to treat Gaucher's disease, a rare
blood condition. Its victims lack an enzyme
allowing them to dispose of fatty and waste
buildup in their bodies. It will attack the
spleen, the liver, bone marrow and joints
and can be excruciatingly painful.
It is found in a disproportionately large
number of Ashkanazi Jews from Eastern
Europe. I am one of the unfortunate
few and, along with about 7,500 other
Americans (estimates vary), I have relied
on Cerezyme to control the disease.
But I have recently resigned from the
"Cerezyme family" because of a lingering
suspicion that the company and the gov-
ernment are in cahoots to kill me.
Back in June 2009, the Food and Drug
Administration found a contaminated

batch of the drug leaving the
production facility and shut it
down. For that I was grateful
and waited to hear what Plan
B was. It turned out there was
no Plan B, except to send out
for hot water and insert towels
between the patient's jaws.
We are supposed to get
the infusions twice a month.
Instead, explained its manu-
facturer, Genzyme Corp., you
will have to wait three months
until the next batch is available.
Since there was no alternative, I
waited — only to hear that the
next batch also contained tiny, but identi-
fiable amounts of a foreign substance.
Small amounts of the drug were avail-
able for the most serious cases, which
Genzyme Corp. decided did not include
me. So a rationing process was initiated.
But by December, I was feeling the

effects of the long delay. But
wait, good news. Everything
was OK with the FDA and the
drug was being shipped out.
This change of fortune lasted
about a month, until Genzyme
discovered it could not keep
up with the pent-up demand.
So the "Cerezyme family" had
to be happy with one infusion
a month. Now shut up and eat
your gruel.
Meanwhile, two other compa-
nies sized up the situation and
began to produce and market
their own version of an anti-
Gaucher's drug. I am now a member of
their family.
The pain has been bad, but others have
it worse than I do. But my experience with
rationing a medical commodity is what
bothered me even more.
I understand the reasoning. I am in my

late 60s with another serious disease mak-
ing its nest in my body. The drug should
go to those whose life span figures to be
longer, especially infants. But this was
always the one part of the country's new
health care plan that bothered me.
Rationing of medical care is accepted as
necessary in England and Canada. When
it comes to America, how many drugs and
procedures will fall under this necessity?
No one seems to know, but I don't think
it will be especially good news for my age
bracket and degree of health.
Opponents of the medical care plan
called this creating "death panels:' which
is an exaggeration — but not by all that
much and it worries me.
Genzyme Corp. screwed up big time.
I hope my new family treats me better. I
hope our government will, too. 0

George Cantor's e-mail address is

gcantor614@aoLcom.

April 15 2010

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