Page 12 - The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, August 9, 1984
T
■ ^Al painfid experienced^
fVASfflNGTON[JTA] —
Republican Congress-wonrian Bobbi Fiedler said last weiek that "the anti-semitic atmo-sphere" creiated by Rev. Jesse Jackson and Nation of Isiant leaider Louis Farrakhan has been a "painful experience'' for many adults and children.
"It has hurt a lot of people Who feel vulnerable in their own com-niunity,'* Fiedler said at a Capitol HiU press conference called to support tlie proposal hy
Senator Alfonse' D^Amato that the Republican Party platform contain a plank condemning antil*seniltism and all forms of bigotiy.
Fiedler said that the ahti-Semitic tone has "created a climate of separatism between people who historically had strong relationiships with one another. It is something that hurts our society as a whole."
Fiedler, who is Jewish and represents a district in Los Angeles, added that "there are children
who have never been exposed before to ariti-semitism. "There are young children who have had longstanding relationships with children of different racial and ethnic backgrouhds who are beginning to look at one another differently because the leaders of. this country accept this as a viable debate.'' ^
She stressedthat"it's not what happens today in the news headlines or on TV" that is important,"it's what happens in the hearts and minds
[Cont'd, from page 1]
In his prepared speech, which was greeted with applause by some of the Blacks in the audience, and by occa-sioniatl bOos, Farrakhan charged that Jewish leaders threatened the D e m o c r a t i c P a r t y, former Vice-President Walter Mondale and Colorado Senator Gary Hart that' 'if they caved in to Jackson's demandSj particularly where Middle Eastern policy was concerned, the Jews would leave the Democratic Party "en masse, take their money and join Reagan and the Republicans."
Farrakhan said that, "when I made the statement that Israel has not had any peace in 40 years and she will never have any peace because there can be no peace structured on injustice, lying, thievery and deceit, using God's natne to shield your dirty religion, or practices under His holy and righteous name, this was ternied to be an attempt on my part to discredit Judaism as a religion
"Tremendous pres-
sure was exerted on Mr. Mondale, the leaders of the Democratic Party, the President and yice-president, and Jesse Jfackson to repudiate Louis Farrakhan.
"There seems to be an unwritten law that Israel and JeWs cannot be criticized, particularly by Blacks. Anyone Who does so must bear the burden of being called an anti-Semite.
"How could Reverend Jackson be considered a serious candidate for the presidency to the United States and not touch on the critical issue of America's Middle East policy?"
Farrakhan then asked: "What kind of power does this small minority of Jews hold over the government that the Senate would call an emergency session to denounce me?"
He added that "this abnormal show of the power, of Jewish leadership demonstrates that the American people are losing or have lost a grip over their political process and over the elected officials for whenever a powerful lobby can force an emergency session of the Senate just to repudiate me, something is
[Cont'd, from page 11
bom leader of the extremist right wing Kach movement in Israel^ to address the club now that Kahane has been elected to the Knesset.
Fogarty, jn a telephone interview with the Jewish TelegraEhJLc Agency, said he had no regrets about having Farrakhan appear at the club. .'M think he came
off as advertised,he added.
In response to accusations that the club was helping to make Farra-khan a media star, Fogarty noted that Farrakhan has already appeared on all major network news broadcasts.
In allowing Farrakhan to speak at the press
invite
club, Fogarty contihued, there was an opportunity for him to appear before a "neutral" forum, which he,did hot control and was subject to reporters' questioning.
He said there were about 20 minutes of questions and answers following Farrakhan's opening speech.
The decision to allow Farrakhan to appear before the press club, which Fogarty said Is designed to provide all types of individuals a forum to speak, was taken by the-dub' s 26-member speakers' committee and was approved by Fogarty.
The address was broadcast live over a cable network and on public radio.
gravely wrong."
Farrakhan also accused Black leaders who repudiated him of being "pawns of Jewish leaders and, interests^ and therefore, cannot lead in the best interests of Black people."
Farrakhan blamed the U.S. for helphig "in taking land away from the Palestinian people and giving it to the Jewish people, contrary to God's wiU."
He said the U.S. has subsidized Israel for 40 years and Israel is now "be<Kiining an increasing burden on the taxpayers of America."
He faulted the U.S. for not repudiating Israel after the invasion of Lebanon.
Farrakhan said that neither President Reagan nor Mondale "have displayed the vision needed to take America safely through the next four years." When he was asked directly whether he would vote for Mondale, he replied, "I don't see anything in Mr. Mondale to vote for him," adding the same was true of Reagan.
Meanwhile, Harris Gilbert, chairman of the Union of American Hebrew Congregation's commission on social action, sent a telegram to Fogarty criticizing the club's invitation to Farrakhan to speak.
"By lending the prestige of your organization to a bigot and a hate-monger whose racist and anti-Semitic statements have appalled the American people and brought forth universal condemnation from our country's religious and political leaders you have further exacerbated racial tensions in our country and further inflated the importance of the leader of a miniscule sect," Gilbert said in his telegram.
"Mr. Farrakhan has the right to express his opinions and he has found at least one radio station to broadcast his views. For^the National Press Club to provide him with a major nationwide platform to spew his ug;ly hatred is an act of egregious irresponsibility."
of pur kids, our family, our society."
Fiedler said that a new climate of anti-semitism has been created. She said she saw examples of this one her way to Washington from Dulles International Airport when she saw graffitti along the way — a Nazi swastika and a slogan "dump Israel."
Senator Paula Hawkins, who is co-chairman of the Republican platform committee, said that D'Amato's resolution would be introduced in its entirety into the platform at the Republican national convention in Dallas, Aug.. 20-23.. She said the resolution can be "easily un-
derstood" by children as well as adults.
It reads: "In view of recent events and the statements of prominent political personalities, the Republican Party takes this opportunity to reaffirm its adherence to pluralistic principles and to'totally repudiiite and disassociate itself from those who preach all forms of hatred, bigotry, racism and anti^ semitism.''
D'Amato said that his resolution is similar to one that the Democratic national committee was to have adopted the day after the close of the Democratic national convention, but didn't.
aces
[Cont'd, from page 1]
figures, the reserves dropped by $351 million in June to $2.6 billion, well below the $3 billion level regarded a ''red line" as far as Israel's ability to ensure emergency supplies of staple foods and fueK
To help break the election deadlock, Herzog met with representatives of 14. of the 15 parties that won seats. They include the National Religious Party, the Communist Party and Aguda Israel.
He issued a statement that he would not meet with Rabbi Meir Kahane, leader ofthe Kach Party, which won one seat in the elections, until he retracted his racist statements about Israeli Arabs and derogatory remarks about the President.
Kahane, who warned that he would break hito
the President's residence if Herzog did not meet with him, protested peacefully outside the President's residence one morning and then-left.
Israel has had only one unity government in its 36 years of statehood. It was set up before the 1967 war, was headed by Golda Meir, and crumbled In lj|ii|i.||QYf'*'' d i f fere n ces^erS^ren Labor and Likud on an American Middle East peace initiative.
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