Newspaper Page Text
Friday, June 14, 1968
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Page Eleven
CAPITOL SPOTLIGHT by Milton Friedman
Washington JCC Nearly Seized
sounding off like our most re
vered prophets but using so many
generalizations, over-simplifica
tions, and guilt-by-asBociations
that are almost a Jewish version
of the young anarchists who
seized Columbia University.”
No longer does fear of “black
power” obsess the Jewish com
munity of Washington. Now it is
"Jewish power.”
WASHINGTON
Echoes of the student uprising
in Paris were heard in the na
tional capital when a new mil
itant Jewish youth group came
near to physically seizing^ the
Jewish Community Center in a
dispute over use of facilities by
poor Negroes.
The JCC episode highlighted
the confrontation here between
“Jews for Urban Justice” and
what the young people call “the
Jewish Establishment.” JUJ has
grown rapidly since the racial
disorders and now has over 100
persons on its rolls. Supporters
include social workers, teachers,
a young Reform rabbi, and
others.
Membership is increasingly
activist. The action branch of
JUJ calls itself the “Jewish urban
guerrilla.” A pledge is made to
purge the Jewish community of
racism and to single out Jewish
individuals who exploit the poor.
Community leaders, already
troubled by the deterioration in
human relations following the
riots, are aghast over the daring
and alleged irresponsibility of
the JUJ.
Washington’s JCC is located
within the inner-city. The head
quarters of the Southern Chris
tian Leadership Conference, spon
sors of the Poor People’s March,
is only a few blocks away. SCLC
asked the JCC if demonstrators
housed in nearby churches and
Resurrection City could use the
showers at the JCC. The JCC
said it needed time to study the
matter. But SCLC reported that
its request was rejected.
Then came the fireworks. Jew
ish activists were enraged. Some
threatened a “doven-in” that
evening at the Center. The JUJ
newsletter said that protesters
threatened “they would take over
the operation of the oenter and
allow poor people to enter and
use the shower facilities.”
JUJ charged that leaders of
the Jewish Community Council
raised strenuous objections to
any “direct action plans.” But the
activists remained adamant and
“called many people on the mail
ing list of the Jewish urban guer
rillas informing them of the plan
ned 5:30 PM activities.” But the
center head “changed his mind,”
said JUJ, and announced that poor
people would be weloome at 6 PM
faction in what it saw as a vic
tory over the Jewish Establish
ment and a score for Judaic prin
ciples. The Establishment depict
ed JUJ as a group of pests who
were determined to embarrass
the Jewish community in its re
lations with non-Jews.
Jewish worshippers said they
were tired of hearing so many
sermons about poverty and Negro
suffering. But JUJ attacked the
Rabbis and Jewish organizations
for allegedly showing too little
concern for social justice. JUJ
surveyed 141 member organiza
tions of the Jewish Community
Council and released a sweeping
attack to the general press.
Rabbi Eugene Lipman of
Washington’s ultra-liberal Tem
ple Sinai said he agreed with
JUJ’s criticism of lack of Jewish
involvement in social action, a
criticism he said was equally ap
plicable to Christian groups. But
the rabbi described the JUJ sur
vey as “methodologically ridicul
ous . . based on insufficient
data.”
The most emotional reactions
were generated by JUJ’s demand
that Rabbis and Jewish groups
focus attention on “dishonest and
discriminatory practices among
members of their own congrega
tions.” JUJ spokesmen charged
that anti-Semitism was growing
among Negroes because of uneth
ical practices of some Jewish bus
inessmen in the ghetto.
Rabbi Lipman said that, con
trary to JUJ’s implications, Wash
ington rabbis in recent years
have on occasion “denounced cer
tain people whose actions are
questionable.”
The rabbi said that “these
young people think it is easy to
tell a good Jew from a bad Jew
. . This is a very dangerous busi
ness. Who’s playing God here?
Who sets the standards?”
JUJ said that interviews taken
shortly before the murder of Dx.
Martin Luther King Jr., revealed
some “anti-King sentiment”
among Rabbis. One rabbi was
quoted as stating: “both myself
and my congregation are losing
respect for King and the SCLC
... He is irresponsible ... It
would not be useful to have a
SCLC speaker oome to the Tem
ple ... I fear the powder keg
that might be touched off by the
demonstration ... I resent schlep
ping poor people around for the
sake of dramatization.”
Another rabbi was quoted:
“Jews must now learn to take
care of themselves . . . black
power people don’t care for our
involvement.”
A rabbi who directs a Hillel
Foundation was interviewed by
the young people. They quoted
him: “Rabbis should teach. They
should not be concerned with
ghetto problems, s e g r egation,
slum landlords, politics . . ” JUJ
said “it was evident that the tone
set by this rabbi was reflected
in the relative inactivity of his
Hillel Foundation and their lack
of involvement in social action
projects.”
Leaders used to complain that
Jewish youth was too little in
volved in community affairs. Now
there is fear of too much involve
ment “of the wrong kind.” One
rabbi said that JUJ was “both
wonderful and terrible. They are
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that evening.
Several days later the Center
stated that not a single poor per
son had arrived for a bath.
Nevertheless, JUJ took satis-
(jacjemen
Is
Kaminsky-Rothstein
SAVANNAH — Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph Kaminsky announce the
engagement of his sister, Miss
Anita Ellen Kaminsky, and 2nd
Lt. Stephen Allan Rothstein,
USAF, Charleston, S. C., son of
Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Rothstein of
Rockville Centre, N. Y.
Miss Kaminsky, daughter of
the late Mr. and Mrs. Max Ka
minsky, graduated from Grady
Memorial School of Nursing. She
is a student at the Medical Col
lege of South Carolina School of
Anesthesia.
Lt. Rothstein is a graduate of
The Citadel and attends the Med
ical College of South Caro
lina.
The wedding will be held Aug
ust 26 at Monhegan Island, Me.
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Portman-Barragan
SAVANNAH — Dr. and Mrs.
Hafry J. Portman announce the
engagement of their daughter,
Michele Denise, and Joseph
Bruce Barragan, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Barragan Jr., of Fay
etteville, N. C., formerly of Sa
vannah.
Miss Portman attended Wheat
on College in Boston.
Mr. Barragan will graduate
June 3 from the University of
North Carolina and in the fall
will enter the Naval Officer
Candidate School, Newport, R. I.
The wedding is planned for
late summer.
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