Newspapers / The Charlotte Jewish News … / June 1, 1986, edition 1 / Page 3
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Page 3-THE NEWS-June/July, 1986 No Limits? Thoughts From Adrienne It’s time to take another look at Joseph Sobran, the syndicated far-right columnist whose opinion pieces appear in some 67 major newspapers throughout the country. Last year during the Bit- burg affair, Sobran attacked the American Jewish com munity for opposing the Presidential visit to the Ger man war cemetery. He derid ed Jews for their concern about Bitburg noting that “you would think (President Reagan) had called Elie Wiesel ‘Hymie.’” He called Martin Peretz, owner of the New Republic a “bearded Jewish McGovernite” and he describ ed a party given in honor of the magazine as being “as Jewish as Fiddler on the Roof.” Sobran also stated that his view of Nazi war crimes was that “bygones were bygones.” As for the State of Israel, Sobran despises it and the “Jewish lobby” which ap plies “political pressure” on its behalf. In short, young Sobran has quite a record when it comes to Jews (not to mention women, blacks, Italians and others he enjoys smearing). Still, his latest syndicated out burst deserves special mention because in it Sobran demon strates that he is not merely someone who doesn’t much like Jews. He also gives evidence of adhering to a classic, almost European-style anti-Semitism. Sobran’s subject was the Pope’s visit to a Rome synagogue, a spectacle that clearly dismayed the colum nist. Sobran was offended by the Pope’s “capitulation” to the Jewish view that Christian Europe has 2,000 years of persecution of Jews to live down. Not so, writes Sobran. “Millions of Jews chose to migrate to Christian Europe. They lived there for cen turies. ” He concedes that European gentiles were “sometimes hostile to Jews” but then suggests that such Christian anti-Semitisrn pales when compared to Jewish bigotry toward Christians. Sobran then sets out to prove that Jews have always treated Christians badly. For instance, he says that “some rabbinical authorities” held “that it was permissible to cheat and even kill gentiles.” (Really, Sobran, which “rab binical authorities?”) He says that Jews have always thought of Christians as “stupid”; that they deride Jesus Christ; and that they have practiced 2,000 years of anti-Christianism. He con tends that the only reason we hear more about “Christian anti-Semitism” than about Jewish racism is because “Christians have been self- critical.” Jews are not. The most novel aspect of Sobran’s diatribe is his amaz ing view that “Christian philo- Semitism” is more significant than Christian anti-Semitism. The proof of that, he says, is “the long Jewish presence in Christian Europe...” Interesting. There was, in fact, a long Jewish presence in “Christian Europe” which basically ended when 6,000,000 European Jews were sent to gas chambers. (That was during that Holocaust which Sobran dismisses as just another “bygone.”) However, for some 1,900 years before the Nazi period. Jews in Europe were victims of thousands of pogroms and anti-Semitic outbursts. Some of these attacks had their origins in secular or state- sponsored anti-Semitism. Many more (like the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition) were religiously inspired at tacks on Jews. There were openly anti-Semitic popes. Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, became an unabashed anti-Semite who called on Christians to attack Jews. Pope John Paul II knows that. That is why he visited the Rome synagogue. Sobran knows that too. He just doesn’t give a damn. It is hard to know how best to respond to a guy like Sobran. After all, neither American Jews nor most American Christians have much experience with his type. America is a country without a widespread anti-Semitic tradition. For Americans. Sobran is a throw-back to another time, another place. The one question worth asking is why respectable magazines like the National Review and the American Spectator, and good news chains like the Hearst press print his stuff. Isn’t anything beyond the pale anymore? Is every bigot who can string a sentence together entitled to a place on an editorial page? Aren’t the newspapers that run Sobran’s views giving them tacit en dorsement by not spiking a particularly offensive column? There are dozens and dozens of good provocative colum nists to choose from. Why run this guy? - M.J.R. (From NEAR EAST REPORT, May 5, 1986.) reensvon F Associates / Inc. ' ^ 125 Cottage Place 376-7434 Providing a complete line of life insurance products, medical plans, disability plans, group-employee benefit plans. STAN GREENSPON DAVID SWIMMER By Adrienne Rosenberg JSS Director I have recently returned from attending the National Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies an nual meeting. In attendance were directors and presidents of Jewish family agencies from all over the country and Canada. It was a good oppor tunity to learn what is happen ing program-wise and ad ministratively with similar agencies, to compare notes and to glean new ideas, as well as to discuss common con cerns and issues. As you might assume, many of the sessions held involved discussions of problems facing the Jewish family and pro grams to help meet these pro blem areas. It was stressed that mobility and society’s trends have affected the Jewish family and the Jewish experience. It is not that the Jewish family has fallen by the wayside, but that stereo typing of the Jewish family ex perience can isolate even more those persons who do not fit the mold. By not addressing certain problems or assuming they are non-existent, this might make people feel they can not come to a Jewish agen cy to discuss their particular problem. F or example, one of the ses sions I attended was entitled “Skeletons in the Closet”, where the areas of family abuse and violence, intermar riage, homosexuality, and substance abuse were address ed. Poverty, divorce, single parenthood, the developmen- tally disabled, the rising number of Jewish elderly, children raised away from grandparents, infertility, single life, all were areas discussed as stressful areas Jewish family agencies and Jewish communities should be aware of. It is not that the Jewish family is no more, it is that it can not be defined in terms different from the broader society. Yet it can be isolating to be Jewish gmd face the above problems. As I listened to these ses sions and the others I attend ed, I am aware that our Jewish family agency does not have some of the administrative or community headaches that other agencies of our size face. We have excellent Federation and community support from Jewish professionals, organi zations, and are seen in prin ciple as a vital, helping agency. Actually, only two things stand in our way of meeting the needs of Jewish persons and families: those persons who want to bury their heads that Jews in Charlotte have problems, and those persons who are embarrassed to call us because they feel guilty or em barrassed to admit they need help. We may not have the “big bucks” of some agencies nor big staffs or extensive pro gramming, but Elaine and I have the expertise, the con cern, and the belief that we eu^e there to listen to anyone Jewish who has a problem. For we accept that it is OK to be Jewish and not fit the stereo type; it is OK to have a pro blem; it is OK to ask for help. We £ire aware that some peo ple may have trouble wanting to see us in the new facility, feeling it is too public, although we have taken every step to ensure confidentiality. We can arrange to meet with a client elsewhere than our of fices. All one has to do is call us at 366-5007. 1 roci^s SuivDAY Brunch 364-8220 2200 REXFORD ROAD Ik: ma ITELS /M4/VA/ TRAt/ELS FOR AIL VOUR TRAVEL NEEDS BUSMESS OR VACATION... ONE PHONE CALL DOES IT ALL •aS' 600 MATTHEWS-MINT HILL RD. SUITE 136 - MATTHEWS. IMG 28105 TELEPHONE 704/847-1542 201 S. COLLEGE STREET 2010 CHARLOTTE PLAZA TELEPHONE 704/333-1511 FREE DELIVERY OOSE A DIVISION OF MANN TRAVELS WE REPRESENT ALL THE CRUISE LINES 2010 CHARLOTTE PLAZA, 2018. COLLEGE STREET CHARLOTTE. N.C. 28244 TELEPHONE (704) 372-0646 MATTHEWS OFFICE (704) 847-1542
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 1, 1986, edition 1
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