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DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
theJEWISHNEWS.com
Arthur M. Horwitz
Publisher / Executive Editor
ahorwitz@renmedia.us
guest column
F. Kevin Browett
Chief Operating Officer
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Take To The Streets
Editorial
Managing Editor: Jackie Headapohl
I
t is no secret that many college cam-
their campuses.
puses in the country are cauldrons of
What brings this issue to mind is the
anti-Semitism with Jewish students,
recent controversy at the University of
fearing for their safety, frequently stating
Missouri where black students, tired of
that they work at hiding their
what they considered a racist
Jewish identities.
environment, decided they had
If Orthodox, they don't wear
enough.
kippahs or anything else that
The football team refused
might identify them as Jews.
to play (note: economic conse-
Conservative and Reform Jews,
quences), students threatened to
similarly, make sure that they
conduct boycotts, one went on a
do nothing that would endanger
hunger strike and others held sit-
themselves on campuses.
t '\
ins, all demanding that the presi-
Bed Falbaum
So what are we doing about
dent of the university resign.
it? Unfortunately, very little,
At the outset, it seemed like
at least, very little that is effective. Yes,
an unreasonable demand, one which the
a variety of Jewish organizations imple-
university establishment would refuse if
ment programs, all very well-intentioned, for no other reason than the fear of "set-
to arm students with information to
ting a bad precedent:'
rebut criticism of Israel.
Well, guess what happened? The presi-
These organizations advise students
dent, Timothy M. Wolfe, resigned, and
to use every conceivable opportunity to
the students received a bonus when the
let no falsehood about Israel go unchal-
chancellor, R. Bowen Loftin, stated he
lenged. Jewish organizations issue press
would leave at the end of the year and
releases condemning anti-Semitism and
settle into a lesser position.
some count the number of anti-Semitic
Now, that is effective political action.
incidents that occur annually. All well
We can be confident the university's new
administration will be much more sensi-
and good. No, not really so good.
It hardly goes to the heart of the prob-
tive to racial issues in the future.
lem which is that much of the anti-Israel
So let us ask: What if all the Jewish
criticism is not politics but virulent anti-
organizations in the country were to
Semitism, and no amount of "education"
unite, pick a campus which is particularly
will alter the campus atmosphere.
callous in its reaction to anti-Jewish hate
What is needed is pressure on univer-
and threaten to close the school with
sity administrations to force them to act
pickets and sit-ins unless university offi-
when and wherever anti-Semitism rears
cials responded accordingly?
its ugly head. So much the better if eco-
What if, instead of letters to edi-
nomic consequences are in the offing. We tors, information pamphlets and op-ed
need to send a message that we expect
articles, we take action along the same
the leaders of institutions of higher learn-
lines as the black University of Missouri
ing to maintain a respectful decorum on
students?
The answer is we would get the atten-
tion of policy and decision makers, and
we surely would get more than boilerplate
statements that anti-Israel rhetoric must
be defended under the First Amendment.
Of course, this is an old story. While
blacks learned long ago how to affect
change, building on the Rev. Martin Luther
King Jrs ideology of nonviolent protest,
the Jewish body politic has never taken to
the street, so to speak. Who can identify a
picket line defending Jewish-Israeli inter-
ests or protesting Jewish hatred? True, we
join others in their causes, i.e. the Civil
Rights Movement, labor strikes, gay rights,
etc., but not for our own.
If we did take to the streets, not only
would be more effective in our efforts to
stem Jewish hatred on university campus-
es, but the message would go out that the
Jewish community will not tolerate the
benign attitude of university administra-
tions toward hate on their campuses. And
the implied message would go to other
Jewish haters as well.
(Incidentally, worldwide anti-Semitism
is growing like an aggressive cancer and,
that too, is being met overall, unfortu-
nately, by institutional silence.)
Well, it ain't gonna happen, we all know
that. It might be a genetic thing. But since
we are big on passing resolutions, let's
adopt one that calls for more aggressive
and confrontational political activism.
But most important, after its passage,
let's then make sure we act on it. *
A veteran West Bloomfield journalist and author of
eight books, Bed Falbaum was an adjunct journalism
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An Ode To Israel:
'Be Not Dismayed'
Be not dismayed
You stand not alone
On Earth and above
You are surrounded with love.
This is a verse I wrote directed to the
people of the State of Israel who need all
the encouragement and solidarity they can
get I this time of increased trouble.
Kids Need Exposure
To Arts And Music
music. Children rarely visit museums or
attend concerts. When lessons cease to be
"fun:' the lessons end.
Where is the balance? What are we try-
ing to teach children about values, disci-
pline and balance?
Helen Mendelson Kerwin
Southfield
Sylvia Berk
Windsor, Ont.
Be not dismayed
Weather the storm
It has happened before
The right will prevail.
Be not dismayed
Let your heart be calm
Let your purpose be firm
The right will prevail.
Do parents observe how much exercise
children get from baseball, soccer, etc.?
Most children spend three hours a day,
from three to six days a week being driven
to and from and competing in sports.
Exercise is crucial to growth. But how
much "real" exercise are children getting in
proportion to the time spent?
We are producing one-dimensional
children with little exposure to the arts and
CORRECTION
• In a caption in "A Legacy Of Lending"
(Nov. 12, page 12), David Bussell was
incorrectly identified as president of Ideal
Detroit Loan Company. Hartley Harris
holds that position.
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