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Wiesel quits as Holocaust Council he£
‘Practicality’ given as reason
Goodfriend disappoint*
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by Joseph Polakoff
ISI's Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON-Nobel
Peace Prize winner Elie Wie
sel has resigned as chairman
of the United States Holo
caust Council which he has
lead since its founding during
the Carter administration, but
he v\ ill remain as a member of
the council. No successor to
the post, a presidential ap
pointment. has been named.
Wiesel told the 65-member
council on Dec. 4 that he was
resigning and asked those
present not to go public with
his action since he felt the
announcement should come
from the White House. The
Southern Israelite was in
formed. At press time, no an
nouncement had been made,
two White House spokesper
sons said.
After making his statement
Elie Wiesel
to the Council, it was report
ed, Wiesel went to the White
House and handed in his resig
nation and his request for re
tention as a member of the
Council. Both were reported-
McDonald ‘McMouse’
drawing sharp criticism
by Andrew Muchin
NEW YORK (JTA)-What’s
a nice Jewish cartoon character
like Fievel Mousekewitz doing in
places like these?
The rodent star of Steven
Spielberg’s new' animated film
“An American Tail" is the cen
terpiece of two major Christmas
sales promotions, both apparently
with Spielberg’s blessing.
At more than 7,000 McDon
ald’s restaurants across the Unit
es States, Fievel is pictured on
four facsimile-stocking Christmas
tree ornaments, each given free
to purchasers of a $5 book of gift
certificates.
The books also contain a cou
pon for $5 off a $25 Fievel doll at
801 Sears department stores na
tionwide. Sears has exclusive
rights to sell merchandise based
on the movie’s characters, accord
ing to James Podany, director of
marketing communications for
Sears Roebuck & Co., Chicago.
Sears is placing the characters
on a variety of children's pro
ducts as a draw for sales during
the Christmas season, however,
Podany insisted that Fievel is not
pictured on any Christmas-related
items such as a wreath or tree
ornament.
The use of an identif iably Jew
ish character to boost Christmas
sales is incongruous to say the
least, isn't it? "I think it's ill-
advised" and “tacky,” said Dr.
Eliot Spack, executive director
of the Coalition for Alternatives
in Jewish Education. He noted
that he was expressing his own
opinions, not his organization’s
policy.
However, he told JTA that the
Fievel campaigns did not pose
major assimilation problems for
Jews “I'm not personally wor
ried that we’re going to lose
thousands of Jews over it." he
said, explaining that children
won’t easily identify the mouse as
Jewish, since f ievel is an uncom
mon Jewish name.
He chalked up the Fievel pro
motions to capitalism. “Hanuka
and Jewish linkages have clearly
been exploited for many years"
in the promotion of Christmas
and non-religious events, he
added.
Spokespeople for the compan
ies involved denied any tackiness
or incongruity in the use of Fievel.
Podany of Sears said the
Fievel-centered campaign appears
at Christmas-time only to concur
with the release of the movie.
Marvin Levy, a consultant to
Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment
and Universal City Studios Inc.,
both of Universal City, Calif.,
acknowledged that Fievel is Jew
ish and even receives Hanuka
gifts in the film, but he said the
film is less a Jewish story than
one of immigration that fosters
universal American values such
as the “melting pot.”
"No one thought of it with a
religious significance," he said of
the many Jews, including himself
and Spielberg, among the leader
ship of Amblin and Universal.
“We would probably be as sensi
tive as anybody,” he added.
But might not children who
see the film and then see the
character pushing Christmas sales
get the wrong impression of Jud
aism? “1 really don't think so," he
said. “1 don’t think anybody here
thought of it as being as much of
a Christmas promotion as a
(generally ecumenical) holiday
promotion.” According to Terri
Capotosto, media relations man
ager for McDonald’s Corp., Oak
Brook. 111., the movie represents
American values of intercultural
understanding, hope and family
heritage.
Moreover. both C’apatostoand
See McMouse. page 25.
ly accepted. Whether he met
with President Reagan could
not be confirmed.
According to a brief report
in the New York Times, Wie-
sel’s resignation “had nothing
to do with any unhappiness
with the Reagan administra
tion." It said he had passed up
an opportunity to resign in
1985 when many of his col
leagues urged him to quit to
protest Reagan’s visit to a
German cemetery where Nazi
war dead are buried.
"Instead of quitting then."
the newspaper added. “Wiesel
made an impassioned plea in
the presence of Mr. Reagan
that he not v isit the cemetery.
“Instead of quitting then."
the newspaper added. "Wiesel
made an impassioned plea in
the presense of Mr. Reagan
that he not visit the cemetery.
“Reached at his home in
New York, Wiesel said" the
Times continued, “he had
decided to step down, not
over any issue of principle,
but rather for practicality.
The council is overseeing con
struction of a memorial and
Mr. Wiesel said, ‘We are en
tering a phase w hen we need
people who know a lot more
about management and archi
tecture than I do.”'
In the council's first meet
ing after President Reagan's
visit to the cemetery at Bit-
burg, debate ensued about
resignations en masse but
such action did not prevail
and no member resigned.
Former assistant deputy
secretary of state, Richard
Krieger, was appointed by
Reagan last May as director
of the council, with responsi
bility to oversee all its activi
ties, including museum plan
ning and fundraising for con
struction.
Wiesel was in Oslo receiv
ing the Nobel award and could
not be reached for further
comment.
by Richard Bono
IS I stall writer
Cantor Isaac Goodfriend
of Atlanta's Ahavath Achim
Synagogue is concerned that
the resignation of Elie Wiesel
as chairman of the U.S. Holo
caust Council could hinder
efforts to raise $100 million
for the new Holocaust Mem
orial Museum.
Goodfriend, w ho serves with
W'iesel on the 65-member
council, did not dispute Wie-
sel’s contention that he lacks
the administrative and finan
cial wherewithal for the job.
But, said Goodfriend, the
1986 Nobel Peace Prize w inner
brings leadership and prestige
to the U.S. Holocaust Coun
cil.
"Wiesel is worried, as he
stated in his letter to President
Reagan, that his administra
tive shortcomings and finan
cial inadequacies are not good
enough for the job." said Can
tor Goodfriend. “I know Elie
Wiesel to be a humble man.
He is primarily a writer and
an author. 1 take it for what he
says ihat lie doesn’t feel ade
quate for the job.”
Goodfriend said that should
President Reagan accept Wie-
sel’s resignation, the U.S.
Holocaust Council will likely
recommend that he remain as
honorary chairman of the
group. He indicated that Wie-
sel’s involvement with the
council’s current effort to
build the world’s second larg
est Holocaust museum, next
to Yad Vashim in Israel, is
critical.
"He is it. Wiesel’s leader
ship is vital to the building of
the museum,” said Goodfriend.
“It’s his name that adds pres
tige to our project. It will not
be as respected if he resigns."
A paid staff employed by
the council will continue to
handle the day-to-day details
of the building of the new
C
Isaac Goodfriend
museum in Washington. D.C.
Goodfriend said everything is
set for actual construction.
“The shovels are ready to be
put into the ground."
The main task for the coun
cil is meeting their financial
goal of collectingSKH) million.
"The council will not fall
apart, but it will be set back
quite a bit if he resigns,” said
Goodfriend. “Wiesel is not a
politician. He doesn’t mince
words. But, he was the right
person for this job and in my
opinion, he still is.”
THIS WEEK
Enhanced 911 8
A Jewish Scarlett? 12
Singles .....20
Arts & Entertainment 22
Business 24
Obituaries 27
Classifieds 27 & 28
10 & 25 years ago 31
In support of Soviet Jewry
Members of more thay 40 Jew ish organizations participate in a refusnik roll call during the 1986
Women's Plea for Soviet Jewry. See story, page 2.
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