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Page 2 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE November 28, 1986 Dershowitz raps judge for Christian nation statement by Susan Birnbaum NEW YORK (JTA)—A prom inent jurist, Alan Dershowitz.. said that the latest instance of what he called “the Christianiza tion of America” should be challenged. “There ought to be something done,” he said, about the view expressed by a judge in Chicago that “America’s origins are Christian” and that the “found ing fathers intended and achieved full religious freedom for all within context of a Christian nation in the First Amendment as it was adopted, rather than as we have rewritten it.” Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor and a spokes person for civil liberties and human rights, was referring to the ruling on Nov. 5 by U.S. Dis trict Court Judge Frank McGarr that a creche should stand on the grounds of Chicago's City Hall. Addressingthe annual Benjamin Epstein Memorial Lecture of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B'rith Sunday, Dershowitz urged resistance to those “who arc try ing to turn this country, in which all citizens are supposed to be equal, into a Christian nation where Jews are tolerated.” He said that “being tolerated was something very good for us in most countries of the world. We spent so much of our history in Poland because Poland was one of the first countries to toler ate us as merely second-class citi zens.” Jews, he said, were also so tolerated “in the golden age of Jewish exile in the Arab coun tries.” Dershowitz cautioned those w ho would say “What’s so wrong with tolerance?” and those who claim that “second-class citizen ship is much better than some thing else.” He scored the oft- used term “Judaeo-Christian tra dition” as “one of the most se ductive myths ever fostered on the American people. This is not a Judaeo-Christian country. This is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-religious country. Judaism has no claim to being the second religion both because it has claim not to be second and because it has no right to claim to be second over others.” Dershowitz said, “We must fight efforts to try to get us to take money from government to help our institutions. We must continue to fight for the survival of our Jewish institutions, but we have to pay the way, because he who pays the piper calls the tune. And we don’t want the tunes called” either by Christian fun damentalists or by Jewish Ortho doxy. He warned against prayer in the public schools “because there is no prayer without price. There is no prayer without inevitably asking the question, ‘Who is it we are praying to?”’ He said that either the Chicago judge or those who say that America is a religious country will have to answer, because “There’s no such thing as a reli gious country which doesn't eventually pick its favorite reli gion,” like a favorite state Bower, song or bird. “Inevitably, there will be a state religion if we allow this process to go forward.” Calm returning to Jerusalem following anti-Arab violence by David Landau and (iil Sedan Medics make unsuccessful attempt to revive yeshiva student Eli- ahu Amdi after stabbing. JERUSALEM (JTA)-Sources at the Jerusalem municipality ex pressed hope Monday that calm will be restored to the city after nine days of anti-Arab violence that followed the fatal stabbing of a yeshiva student in the Old City's Moslem quarter Non. 15. 1 heir optimism ma\ have been inspired by the funeral of Pales tinian leader Anwar Nusseibeh which took place in the Old City Monday without disturbances. He was buried on the the Temple Mount. The funeral procession followed almost the same route as Sunday’s memorial march by Jews for the slain yeshiva stu dent, Eliahu Amdi. Nusseibeh, a leading Palestinian moderate, died Saturday at age 73. Heavy police cordons kept Jewish extremists away, even when Arab youths joined the funeral procession chanting pro- PLO slogans. Sunday’s memor ial march for Amdi was fraught with violence and police said later it was a mistake to have issued a permit. The marchers Sunday shouted “death to the Arabs” as they moved through the narrow streets of the Old City to Khaladiye Street near the Shuvu Banim yeshiva where Amdi was slain. Windows and doors of Arab- owned shops were kicked in and Arab-owned cars were smashed. Two Arab passers-by were beaten and required first aid treatment after they were rescued by police. According to police sources, much of the violence was whipped up by members of Rabbi Meir Kahane’s Kach Party and may have exhausted itself. The rough necks were verbally chastised Monday by Sephardic Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu who urged the public not to be “drawn into acts that violate the spirit of the Torah.” He suggested that who ever wanted to honor Amdi’s memory should study the Torah and those who shouted “death to the Arabs” should repent. The executive committee of the Likud Knesset faction issued a condemnation Monday of all elements, Jews and Arabs alike, who have “caused unrest in the city.” The Jerusalem City Council, meeting in special session Mon day, joined with Mayor Teddy Kollek in warningthat anti-Arab violence played into the hands of terrorists who want nothing more than to create strife between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem. Nusseibeh’s funeral was rela tively modest. Although the for mer Jordanian Defense Minister had maintained personal ties with Israeli leaders, no Israeli personalities attended the funeral. Apparently they wanted to avoid provoking Jewish extremists. Kollek stayed away because he did not attend the memorial march for Amdi. Among those at the funeral, apart from members of the Nus- scibeh family, were Rashad A- Shawa, former mayor of Gaza, Hikmat el-Masri, deputy chair man of the Jordanian Senate, and the British and U.S. Consul Generals in East Jerusalem. Briefs Shul arson suspects arrested JERUSALEM (JTA)—Four young men have been arrested in Rumania in connection with an arson attack against a syn agogue in the Moldavian town of Bohush, according to reports that have reached there. The synagogue was burned to the ground last month follow ing the stabbing of the Jewish janitor there. Rumanian police are investigating. According to reports, the janitor is now out ol danger and his condition is improving. 1 he attacks occurred a day following a visit to the synagogue by the Hasidic Rebbe of Bohush, who now lives in Israel. Israel limits Vienna staff TEL AVIV (JTA)—Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said last week that Israel does not plan to upgrade its diplomatic representation in Austria. This apparently means that Israel will not name a replacement for Michael Elizur, the former ambassador in Vienna, who retired several months ago. The Vienna Embassy is presently headed by a charge d'af faires. A new ambassador w ould have to present his credentials to President Kurt Waldheim whose Nazi past was exposed during the Austrian election campaign last summer. According to Peres, Israel’s diplomatic stance will not have any affect on Vienna’s continued role as a transit point for Jews leaving the Soviet Union for Israel. Study of Jewish culture urged LONDON (JTA)—Leading Jewish scholars in Britain have joined an international campaign aimed at encouraging univer sities worldwide to pay greater attention to the study of Jewish civilization. Meeting recently with Professor Moshe David, founder of the Institute of Contemporary Judaism at the Hebrew Univer sity of Jerusalem, the scholars agreed to sponsor an academic workshop in Jerusalem next summer devoted to the relation ship between Western society and Israel. They also will sponsor a workshop on modern Hebrew in translation to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of S.Y. Agnon, the Nobe! Prize-winning Hebrew novelist. IAF destroys ‘terrorist boat’ JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel Air Force helicopter gun- ships destroyed a “terrorist boat” in the port of Sidon, south Lebanon last week, a military spokesman announced. He said the aircraft returned safely to their base. The strike was the third in a week at terrorist targets in the Sidon area. Israeli jets bombed a terrorist base on Sunday used for seaborne missions against Israel. On Monday, combat helicopters attacked the same targets under protection by jet fighters. Jews aid quake victim BOSTON (JTA)—The American Jewish World Service (AJ WS) has announced the creation of an “El Salvador Recov ery Fund” to aid victims of the earthquake that devastated parts ol San Salvador, capital of the Central American country, Oct. 10. Noting that 31,000 families were left homeless by the quake, the AJ WS said funds raised would be channeled through non governmental organizations and used for recovery programs that address the housing and health needs of the poorest citi zens of San Salvador. The AJ WS has responded to two natural disasters in the 18 months since its founding—the Mexico City earthquake last year and the volcanic eruption that destroyed the town of Armero in Colombia. Museum designed selected WASHING ION (JTA)—James Ingo Freed, of I.M. Pei and Partner, has been selected as the design architect for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, it was announced here by Arthur Rosenblatt, the museum’s director. Freed, 56, was the principal design architect for the newly completed Jacob Javits Exposition and Convention Center in New York City, Born in Essen, Germany, he and his family came to the U.S. in 1940. The Memorial Council is conducting a $100 million fund raising campaign for the museum which will be located on go\ernment property adjoining the National Mall. The museum w ill house a Hall of Witness, telling the story of the Holocaust; a memorial Hall of Remembrance, exhibition halls, a Holo caust library and archives, a Learning Center and two theaters.