2 — THE BULLETIN — Thursday, October 4, 1979
TRUTH BE TOLD, we should not be surprised by what is currently taking place in the political arena.
We are the nation that for thousands of years has contributed to the creation of the great cultures and civilizations of the world. We are the nation that has sacrificed our sons and daughters for the cause of justice and liberty for all peoples. We are the nation that has championed the cause of the downtrodden, and we are the nation that has sounded the clarion call of freedom for all those who have been enslaved.
But in return we have been subjected to hatred, oppression, persecution and slaughter. So it is not surprising that today, the Black community repays our Jewish sacrifice, our loyalty and our support with abuse and villification, stating that all that we have done on their behalf was done only in our own self-interest.
I wonder how the mothers of those Jewish boys and girls who died in the mud of Mississippi felt when they read those lines in the newspapers.
I wonder how those people felt who had spent their youth in the ghettos tutoring Black children, chasing rats, painting apartments, caring for the elderly and rendering free medical services.
But today we are told that all this was selfishly motivated, done for our own self-aggrandizement.
And in a way, I guess it serves us right; for we should have known better. In the course of our long history we should have learned that if we truly wish to champion the cause of justice, to liberate mankind from the bondage that continues to oppress him, then we must first and foremost fulfill our own prophetic destiny, and through our, Torah become a blessing to all mankind, a light unto the nations. Only by once again becoming a priestly kingdom and a holy nation can we bring hope and salvation to the world, for that is our unique mission. All else, as history has proven, is bound to end in futility.
BUT THERE ARE always those amongst us who are lured by the enticements of assimilation, who choose to ignore this sacred trust. They prefer to become part of the people in whose midst they live rather than sacrifice for their own Jewishness. It is only when they are rebuffed and insulted that some of them wake up; but alas, the great majority remain obdurate and refuse to believe until the axe actually falls.
It was only a few short weeks ago, when President Carter compared the plight of the PLO to the Black struggle for freedom, that I voiced my apprehension. At that time, at a press conference in Israel, I stated that I feared that this would signal a stepped up campaign on the part of the United States government to accord recognition to the Palestinians.
It was obvious that Carter was using an old ploy — pitting an oppressed group against the Jews in order to divert the issues and advance his own policy.
Undoubtedly, it was a clever move. By equating the murderous PLO with the celebrated Black struggle, he not only succeeded in altering the image of this ruthless bloodthirsty gang, but more significantly, he put the Blacks on the spot and forced them into the position of defending the Palestinians cause.
Now no one in his right mind can imagine even for a moment that Washington was not aware of and did not sanction the meeting between Andrew Young and PLO representative Terzi. Such love overtures have been coming forth from Washington since Carter took office.
Congressman Paul Findlay, U.S. Ambassador to Austria Milton Wolf, Ambassador Robert Strauss and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark, have all been involved in these clandestine and not so clandestine contacts. But on this last occasion events developed even better than Washington could have anticipated: Israel spilled the beans on Andrew Young, thereby making a hero of this hater of Israel.
It is an established fact that Americans always champion the cause of the underdog; and now a cry is heard throughout the U.S.: "Poor Andy, he's
being sacrificed at the altar of Jewish interests!" And worse still: "It's only because he's Black!"
THE SEEDS WHICH CARTER planted just a few short weeks ago have taken root. The PLO issue has been successfully transmuted into a Jewish — Black confrontation; and to boot, the free American spirit has also been provoked, for if there is anything that the citizens of this country resent, it is to be told to whom they can speak. In an age in which the U.S. has established relations with Red China over the protests of Taiwan, no one is going to tell Americans to whom they can talk!
And the press has played it to the hilt: By what right did Israel spy on the American Ambassador to the U.N.? By what right did Israel monitor his private conversations? Are we to forbid dialogue between nations? Thus, the ire of Americans was further incited.
Suddenly the tables are turned. The PLO no longer presents an image of savage, bloodthirsty murdereris. They have managed to emerge from this episode unscathed, leaving the impression that it is they who are civilized; it is they who are willing to negotiate. It is they who seek a peaceful solution to the present conflict, while the Israelis appear intransigent, not even tolerant of representatives of two countries meeting for exploratory talks.
We, the nation that has sacrificed our lives for peace, has emerged as the agressor. We, the nation that is compassionate, appear callous. We, the nation that seeks justice, appear unjust. How did we make this tactical blunder?
Certainly Israel. has been aware of all the overtures that Washington has been making to the PLO, and they did not blow the whistle on Andy Young because they discovered something new or radical. They could certainly have voiced their protests quietly through diplomatic channels. Therefore, if they "went public," they obviously had something in mind.
Could it be that they hoped that once the American Jewish people were made aware of Washington's double dealing they would unite as one on behalf of Israel? Certainly they had a right to expect that reaction, for that is the least that we can do.
BUT THERE WAS NO avalanche of protest from the American Jewish community. Washington was not beseiged by letters, calls, or demonstrators. To be sure, there were some polite Jewish voices raised in protest, but they were muffled by the Black clamor.
By and large, the American Jewish community remained silent. It seems that Israel, for all her brilliance, has failed to read the tenor of the American mood which can be summed up in one phrase: "Looking out for Number ONE."
This is the "ME" generation. No one matters, no one counts but "ME." Students no longer rally around idealistic causes; they are into self-fulfillment. Yes, this is the "ME" generation, and a full tank of gas takes precedence over all else.
But the American Jew had better understand that "ME" can only exist in the greater "US;" that if G-d forbid, Israel is compromised, then every Jew is weakened. We had better understand that the struggle of our people and our land is our struggle.
It is the new year, and the time has come for North American Jews to wake up. The sound of the Shcfar has called out with compelling urgency: "Wake up ye sleepers from your sleep."
We need not fear the Andy Youngs, Washington's foreign policy, or even the PLO. Throughout our long history we have met them all, and we have triumphed over all of them.
The enemy of Israel is never without, but is always to be found within. When we try to forget who we are; when we become invisible in our desire to assimilate; when the voice of our G-d no longer echoes in our souls — then we underwrite our own demise.
But when we are one with our G-d we are rendered invincible. It is all in our hands.
Wake up North American Jews. Return to the Torah and speak out on behalf of Israel.
®7 HENRY LEONARD
"And above alB, you must learn to take bold positions with which no one will disagree!
JERUSALEM
NEW YORK - Leaders of American Conservative Judaism attacked Jerusalem's two chief rabbis, Bezalel Zolti and Yosef Mashash, for forbidding participation in the High Holy Day services conducted by the Conservative movement.
The two rabbis, in an earlier statement, said that any services held in the Conservative style would not be considered valid.
American Conservative leaders, in cables to Israel's Premier Menachem Begin, President Yitzhak Navon and other Israeli leaders, called the Jerusalem rabbis' statement a **dis-
- DEATHS -
BENJAMIN PROSTERMAN September 15
ROSE KLEMPNER September 16
FANNY STEIN September 18
ABRAHAM FEINSTEIN September 20
OLIVE SEGAL September 23
As another BuHotin eommunity service feature. Deaths will b4 PMt)ti8hed weekly as they are regis-tei»<f.-THE PUBLISHER.
Remenmer tlie Sabbath
October 5, 6:24 p.m. Sedra Succot Shabbat ends, Havdallah October 6, 7:24 p.m.
October 12, 6:09 p.m. Sedra Shemini Atzeret Shabbat ends, Havdallah October 13, 7:09 p.m.
tortion of Jewish law and tradition."
By their distortion, "they seek to introduce a destructive devisiveness into Jewish life," they stated.
The Conservative leaders called upon the Israeli leaders, including Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, to condemn the Jerusalem rabbis "in the strongest possible terms and to call upon Jews to approach the New Year in the spirit of love and harmony and common purpose which beneHts all."
The cables were signed by Dr. Gerson Cohen, chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary of America; David Zucker, president. World Council of Synagogues; Simon Schwartz, president, United Synagogue of America; Saul Teplitz, president. Rabbinical Assembly; Samuel Berlin, president. National Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs; and Goldie Kweller, president. Women's League for Conservative Judaism.
Aliyah up dramatically
JERUSALEM - Some 3,900 new immigrants arrived in Israel in August, marking a dramatic 72.5 percent increase over the number of olim who arrived in August 1978. At the same time, the number of Soviet Jewish dropouts for August declined by two percent compared to July, from 70 to 67.7 percent.
JEWISH CALENDAR LUACH 5740 - 1979
Succot Oct. 6-14
Hoshana Rabbah Oct. 12
Shemini Atzeret Oct. 13
Simchat Torah Oct. 14
Chanuka Dec. 15-22
Tu B'Shvat Feb. 2
Fast of Esther Feb. 28
Purim March 2
Shushan Purim March 3
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