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P»f« 8 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE March 10, 1978
Freedom
Does it give Nazis the right to march?
by Stuart Uwenpub
Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of
Chicago, is a community of 70,000
residents. About 40,000 of these
are Jewish. More significantly,
7,000 are survivors of the Nazi
Holocaust. Many, as youths and
young adults, suffered the
brutality and unforgettable
trauma of the Nazi concentration
camps. They saw their parents
bothers, sisters, family, and friends
systematically and barbarously
destroyed by the Nazis.
These men and women came to
America, seeking and finding, new
freedoms and new lives.
Suppressed by many but etched
forever in their memories are the
events of 35 years ago, events often
too painful to bring into one's
consciousness. In order to live and
retain their sanity and their faith in
their fellow human beings, some
had to be able to keep those
memories in a locked chamber of
the mind.
The National Socialist Party in
the Chicago area is led by Frank
Collin. It has perhaps 50 members.
Hitler is their idol, neo-Nazism
their philosophy. The only
commodity they sell is the hatred
of Jews and Blacks. What kind of
people belong to such a group? The
malcontents, the failures who need
a scapegoat to avoid looking
within themselves, the patho
logically sick who must pour their
energies into destructive ideas and
acts, the paranoids who find
comfort in the pseudo-strength of
“the party,” and the thrill seekers.
For several months, a
controversy has been raging, first
in Skokie and now nationally. This
band of hate-filled “American”
Nazis want to march down the
main street of Skokie, Illinois, on
April 20th, in celebration of Adolf
Hitler’s birthday. The residents of
Skokie, Jews and non-Jews alike,
and the Jewish agencies
opposing and, indeed, should
oppose this march for several
reasons. The concept of freedom
and liberty that we cherish and that
we, indeed, need in order to survive
is dear and must be protected at all
times. But freedom should not be
confused with unrestricted license.
The rights we enjoy as Americans,
as Jews, are not absolute. They are
conditional rights, predicated on
the philosophy that the exercise of
For Nazis to be permitted to demonstrate, bearing the very uniforms
and symbols that epitomized the destruction of the families of thousands
of residents of Skokie, is a psychological harassment and intimidation
designed to only hurt and sicken people who call that community home.
throughout this nation are trying
to prevent the march from taking
place. The American Civil
Liberties Union is defending the
right of the Nazis to hold their
march where they choose, in full
uniform and full regalia. The
ACLU attorney representing
Collin and his cohorts is David
Goldberger, himself Jewish. Were
those Goldberger and ACLU is
representing in power, not only
would Goldberger not be
practicing law, it is unlikely that he
would be practicing breathing.
Why should we as Jews, as
defenders of civil liberties and of
America's basic freedoms, oppose
this Nazi march? Are we being
consistent with our traditional
values? My answer is yes. We are
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our rights ought not interfere with
or usurp the rights of others. When
rights seem to be in conflict, the
primary consideration ought to be
the question of who stands to
suffer most? Freedom carries with
it the responsibility to respect and
observe the rights of youi fellow
citizens to be free of harassment,
intimidation and assault, mental as
well as physical.
In our judgment, for Nazis to be
permitted to demonstrate, bearing
the very uniforms and symbols
that epitomized the destruction of
the families of thousands of
residents of Skokie, is a
psychological harassment and
intimidation designed only-go hurt
and sicken people who call thaj. -
community home. Do not these
men and women who have suffered
so much in their lifetime have the
right to be protected from such an
assault on their individual and
collective minds?
I believe that those who contend
that our freedoms are absolute are
not only flirting with anarchy, they
are ignoring an entire body of
American law and common,
everyday practice.
We have the right to shout, but
that does not extend to shouting
“Fire” in a crowded theatre, as was
expressed by Justice Oliver
Wendell Holmes.
Nor does someone have the right
to stand up in a church or
synagogue and shout obscenities.
Nor to distribute pornographic
literature among children.
We have the right to drive
an automobile, but not to ram it
into another person or his
property.
We have the right to use the
telephone, but not for the purpose
of making obscene calls or
harassing others.
In short, we do not have the
right to intimidate people. We do
not have the right to disturb the
peace. We do not have the right to
inflict suffering upon others.
Perhaps had the Nazis chosen to
hold their march in downtown
Chicago, or in Peoria, there would
have been little protest. But they
deliberately chose to hold it in a
community where it would inflict
pain upon others.
As for the ACLU, 1 can
appreciate their concept and
philosophy that anyone, no matter
how unpopular their ideas, no
matter how hideous their goals,
-merits legal representation.
However, I cannot agree that the
freedom of expression is an
absolute one. It seems that in their
zeal to demonstrate how very
liberal they are, ACLU has
extended its reach to include every
conceivable lunatic who comes
their way spouting a cause.
Finally, I believe that, at least
part, of the problem of Nazis and
their ilk rests with the media. There
seems to be a morbid fascination
with these tiny bands of vulgar
racists. Someone comes along with
perhaps 50 followers and because
what he says is so outrageous, he
winds up on national television
and local radio talk shows. Surely
viewers and listeners can be
attracted by more constructive
programming.
Often, if an objection is raised,
we hear the cries of “censorship.”
Is it really censorship or is what we
are speaking about a matter of
good taste and sound judgement?
Consider that television and radio
exercise censorship every day. We
don’t see X-rated films on
television. We don’t hear four
letter profanities on radio or
television. So why docs the media
feel obligated to provide time for
people whose obscenities and
vulgarities exceed, or at the very
least, equal, the kinds of things
that are banned from the airwaves?
Let us hope that the courts
ultimately rule that this small
group of troublemakers does not
have the right to harass the
residents of Skokie. Let us hope
that the courts, and even the
ACLU, come to recognize the
difference between freedom and
unrestricted license. Perhaps there
is little that can be done to prevent
the existence of pathologically sick
and hateful people in our society.
They have the right to walk the
streets, to speak, to publish their
trash. But they should not have the
right to commit psychic assault
against those who have a special
vulnerability to their pathological
propaganda.
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