The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 28, 1991 - Page 3 Speaker discusses * medieval Spain by Karen Sabgir What if Christopher Columbus were Jewish? Dr. Benjamin Gampel, of the Jewish Theological Seminary, ad- dressed this question in his speech on Jews and conversos in medieval Spain at the Rackham amphitheater yesterday. Although Gampel said Colum- bus was not Jewish, he said the no- tion had originally been posed in the 19th century in the United States as a result rising anti-Semitism. Gampel pointed to marginalized Jewish groups in America who were trying to imagine what it would have been like if Columbus were Jewish. Some Jews thought that if Columbus had been Jewish, the dominant Anglo-American society would have been more open to the inclusion of Jews into the society, he proposed. Gampel also examined anti- Semitic practices in Spain during the * 14th century. During the Middle Ages, an al- liance of Christian monarches united in an effort to rid the Iberian peninsula of all religious dissent. The conversions of "thousands upon thousands" of Jews to Christianity, was sparked by an outbreak of massacres in the streets of Seville on June 4, 1391. By 1415, nearly half of all Sephardic Jews had converted to Christianity. With so many Jews converted so quickly, the Spanish Christian government was faced with a large segment of society which remained unassimilated. Gampel said that the issue of the conversos - or Jews who converted to Christianity- became a major "social problem." "Spain dealt with the problem of integrating the conversos by pass- ing laws giving rights only to pure- blooded Christians," Gampel said. With the 1478 Papal decree, which ordered the Spanish Inquisi- tion, the main conflict was between the Christians and the conversos, not the Jews who refused to con- vert. The Jews were expelled on the basis that they were influencing the conversos. Graduate student Bethany Grenald said she found the confer- ence interesting. "It was a very stimulating dis- cussion on a not-often discussed as- pect of Jewish history, about which there are many misconceptions." Friends learn how to help rape survivors Witch's brew Two University students walk by Drake's window display Friday. by Julie Schupper Daily Women's Issues Reporter The FBI reported in 1990 that one in three women and one in ten1 men will be raped during their life- time. This statistic was one of many cited at the University's Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) workshop Friday titled "Friends Helping Friends: How to Support a Survivor of Sexual Assault." The workshop was part of the Sexual Assault Awareness Week which will conclude tomorrow. The discussion's primary purpose was to provide a forum for open dis- cussion and questions concerning the issue of rape for survivors of sexual assault, their friends and relatives. "People who give support to victims have the right to receive necessary support and knowledge. It is not uncommon for these people to get lost in the shuffle," said Julie Steiner, the coordinator for SAPAC. Kata Issari, a counselor for SAPAC, facilitated the discussion which focused primarily on what to say and what not to say to a survivor of sexual assault. "Often the friends and family of a survivor will feel a tremendous rage that arises from their feelings of powerlessness. They will look for some kind of rationale as to why the survivor was raped. This search for reason occasionally results in attributing blame to the survivor. It is very important not to blame the survivor," Issari said. In addition to reassuring the sur- vivor that they were not at fault, Issari said that friends and families of survivors can do a number of things including: minimizing the number of times the survivor must tell the story of the assault, helping the survivor to realize that the ex- perience will cause a disruption in their life, but that they will re- cover, and expressing constant support. Participants also learned that for survivors to regain control and con- sequently overcome the feelings of helplessness, they must learn to make their own decisions. "It is important to allow the survivor to decide on his or her own if they want to discuss the experi- ence. If you do not allow the sur- vivor to reach their own conclu- sions, you will further their feel- ings of powerlessness," Issari said. Issari also advised against ques- tioning survivors as to why they did not scream, fight, or run. "Rape is extremely traumatiz- ing. I once heard a survivor refer to a rape as a murder that was not completed." Laura Bater, an LSA sophomore, said that she felt the workshop was a necessary and informative event. "I feel like the workshop gave me an edge in dealing with sexual assault. Rape is a really scary and prevalent crime that we all need to be educated on and concerned with," Bater said. "I thought the workshop was re- ally interesting. It gave me a better understanding of where to maybe beginmand alsomade me realize just how much I need to keep learning about sexual assault," said LSA se- nior Michael Jennings. On a final note, Issari urged the participants to seek help from the many options available rather than dealing with a friend's or family member's situation alone. "On campus we have SAPAC. Our office can also tell people about resources in other states. There is a pretty good network of rape crisis centers," Issari said. Organizers said they were pleased with the workshop's turnout and stressed the importance which must be given to sexual assault. "It is necessary to raise people's consciousness that rape is not just another issue, it is a problem which severely affects people's lives," Steiner said. Speakers discuss Holocaust history at East Quad forum by Lauren Dermer Daily Staff Reporter In response to an ad in Thurs- day's Michigan Daily, a seminar on the harmful effects of denying the reality of the Holocaust was held in East Quad last night. Brief presentations were made by Sid Bolkowsky, a history professor at the University's Dearborn campus, and Hank Greenspan, a lecturer in the Residential College to a crowd of 50. "The advertisement was de- signed to provoke, to make us feel paralyzed and helpless, to inspire fear, and to divide us," Greenspan said. "I was shocked, surprised, and hurt, and I was not alone." Greenspan focused on the psy- chological response which evil illicits in people. He said people would rather accept the seemingly harmless ideas of Bradley Smith, the author of the ad, than face the harsh realities of the Holocaust. "If it were not for the reality of the Holocaust, it would be very easy to believe that this man was not shamelessly lying to us," Greenspan said. Prof. Bolkowsky spoke about the history of the revisionist movement and emphasized that men such as Bradley Smith do not revise history, they deny it. "Rule number one for these peo- ple is that any evidence of the use of gas chambers to kill is unaccept- able," Bolkowsky said. "Rule num- ber two is that we can count on the ignorance of the general public and raise questions on any issue that we want." Bolkowsky quoted passages from books written by Holocaust survivors and described dozens of witnesses' accounts to Hitler's oral decree to "cleanse" society of Jews. "It is legitimate to debate the cause of the Holocaust, whether it was evil or banal, whether it was known or a secret, or the impact it had on survivors. However, it is not legitimate, scholarly, or reasonable to deny it's existence, and to deny the suffering of the dead," Bolkowsky said. "No historian would walk into a room and debate such an issue, just as no historian would debate whether or not slavery existed," he added. "People need to know what the advertisement is - it is Neo- Nazi propaganda." "The one lesson we can draw from the Holocaust is that anything horrible is possible, it really can happen," Greenspan said. READ IT WRIT FOR IT RECYCLE IT THE MICHIGAN DAILY 764-0552 State legislators struggle with 'obscene' art WASHINGTON (AP) - consider obscene. That provision was proposed by Michigan's House delegation voted In a 214-205 vote last week, the Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and mostly along party lines in the lat- House rejected an effort to sidetrack backed by other conservatives. est round of a lengthy fight over a compromise with the Senate under Opponents contended that exist- federal funding of art that some which current guidelines would be ing language was enough to guard THE LIST What's happening in Ann Arbor today Meetings Enact, weekly mtg. SNR, 1040 Dana, 7 p.m. Comedy Company, writers mtg. All comedic writers welcome. UAC offices, second floor of the Union, 7:30. Indian American Student Associa- tion, weekly board mtg. All members welcome. League, 3rd floor, rm C, 8 p.m. U-M Greens, weekly mtg. Union, Tap Room, 5 p.m. Hindu Students Council. MLB, Bi115A, 8 pm. Support Group for Women Who Are or Have Been in an Abusive Relationship. First United Methodist Church, 3-4:30 Christian Science Organization, weekly mtg. League, ask at front desk for room, 7:30. Undergraduate Philosophy Club. Topic: "Philosophy Games 11." 2220 Angell, 7 p.m. Undergraduate Psychological Society, mass mtg. 2235 Angell Hall, 7:30. International Program in Aix-en- Provence, France, informational mtg. 443 Mason, 5 p.m. Speakers "Appeals in Islamic Law: A Reconsideration," Dr. David Powers. 3050 Frieze, 4 p.m. "History and Higher Education After the Coup," Dr. Efiim To. Pivovar, Russian State University. Lane Hall Commons, 4 p.m. "Current Trends in Global Climate Change," Roland Drayson and Robert Ferrett.1014 Dow Bldg, 3:30-5. .. .- I Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. Stop by 102 UGLi or call 936-1000. Extended hours are 1 a.m. -3 a.m. at the Angell Hall Computing Center or call 763- 4246. Northwalk, North Campus safety walking service. Sun-Thur 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. and Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Stop by 2333 Bursley or call 763- WALK. Ultimate Frisbee Club, practice. Be- ginners welcome. Mitchell Field, 7-9. Call 668-2886 for info. Guild House Writers Series, Lawrence Pike, Gaye Rabin, and M.L. Liebler. Guild House, 802 Monroe, 8:30. 10. English Department Coffee Hour, ev- ery Monday. Haven 7th floor lounge, 3- 4:30. Blues Party and Open Mike Night,, every Monday, $1.50 cover. Blind Pig, 8:30. U-M Ninjitsu Club, Monday practice. IM Bldg, wrestling rm, 7:30-9. U-M Women's Lacrosse Club, Mon- day practice. Oosterbaan Field House, 9-10:30. Call 996-3392 for info. ECB Peer Writing Tutors. An- gell/Mason Computing Center, 7-11. 611 Church, 7-9. U-M Taekwondo Club, Monday workout. CCRB Martial Arts Rm, 6:30-8. "Choosing A Physician," Lesbian Health Series, free. Common Language Bookstore, 7-9. Ethnic Greek Dancing. Union, Wolverine Rm, 7:30. Vigil in Honor of Battered Women. Rackham steps, 6 p.m. Custodial Annreciation Week. kick- ::.i: fu:' . iA L:'. j. Fe ; h "' t . ",!; : f. F -, v ' rl %+/Z r .:' ,y: s i: ,'Cd:.