Trouble in Paradise

Why did Jewish groups follow the Zionist Organization of America’s lead in scuttling Salam Al-Marayati’s appointment to a national commission on terrorism? The reason has much to do with politics, extremism and timorousness — and I’m not speaking of Al-Marayati.

Recently, Jewish leaders of national organizations — nearly all of them in New York or Washington — opposed Al-Marayati’s appointment by House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. I suppose, on the face of it, the man seemed unobjectionable to Gephardt. Al-Marayati is president of the Muslim Affairs Council located here in Los Angeles. He is a moderate Arab American, a member of the underrepresented Muslim community and, not surprisingly, critical of Israel. But he has also made a considerable effort to work with local Jewish leaders, promoting a Jewish-Muslim dialogue. A few who have come to know him — Rabbi Alfred Wolf of the Skirball Institute on American Values and Rabbi Leonard Beerman, emeritus at Leo Baeck Temple, for example — have spoken in his behalf.

Others have taken a more circumspect tack. One official here came out against Al-Marayati, but apparently was following the guidelines laid down by the national leadership back East. Howard Welinsky at the JCRC has been notably silent. When asked about this by Jewish Journal reporter Julie Fax (JCRC’s role, after all, is to work with other ethnic groups in Los Angeles), he replied that no one had asked him for his views.

When I spoke with an official of one important Eastern Jewish group — it is part of the Jewish leadership that makes up the Conference of Presidents of (55) Major American Jewish Organizations — I asked what the basis was for his decision to support the opposition to Al-Marayati’s appointment. It was not a question raised as a challenge; I was looking for information. No comment, was the reply. Later, I learned that no one remembered having been consulted by the Conference’s executive director, Malcolm Honlein. They were not alone.

Why are some Jewish leaders and/or organizations reluctant to disagree publicly or to challenge those on the attack? First, there is an understanding that we must be united. No dissent. It weakens our ability to exercise political muscle. The second reason has to do with fear. The more extreme Jewish groups who are ceaseless in their efforts to “expose the enemies of Israel,” and to force a closing of ranks against critics of Israel — that is, groups such as the Zionist Organization of America and Americans for a Safe Israel — are led by American Jews who distrust Arafat and the Palestinians; they are pursuing policies related to the Israeli peace process that take a decidedly hard and narrow line.

The ZOA’s head, Morton A. Klein (see his letter on p. 35), is smart, energetic and relentless in his efforts. A few years ago, Abraham Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League based in New York, crossed swords with Klein over an invitation the ADL had extended to journalist Thomas Friedman. Klein started faxing press releases that criticized Friedman (no friend of Israel, according to the ZOA) and, by extension, the ADL for selecting him to be a guest speaker. When Foxman tried to counterattack, he was rebuked by the Conference of Presidents and forced to make a public apology.

Other leaders (and journalists) have told me that they feel intimidated by the ZOA. They believe that they open themselves to a full-scale assault and face the possible loss of members or major donors, if not an outright vote of no confidence from their constituents. Silence may not necessarily be a form of courageous behavior, but if the issue at stake is not essential to their organization — such as Al-Marayati’s appointment — it becomes the better part of valor.

If several Jewish organizations were not consulted about the Al-Marayati appointment, let me emphasize that many were included in the Conference’s discussions. We are talking here about the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Major players. My assumption — and here I am guessing — is that they depended on quotes that had been gathered for them by Morton Klein, ever zealous in his efforts to root out critics of Israel. Not one of them ever called Al-Marayati to inquire if he had said what he was quoted (charged) as saying, or what he meant by his statements.

Concerned, I called and asked him about the quotes. Al-Marayati explained that he condemned terrorism, without equivocation. But he also said that if you want to produce change, it is necessary to understand the context, the social forces that help produce acts of violence. Understanding, of course, sometimes leads to empathy for people trapped in a spiral in which they see no hope; but empathy is not the same thing as supporting or condoning acts of terrorism. If a peaceful society is what we are after, then it is incumbent on us to investigate cause as well as to try and locate the terrorists. That investigation for Al-Marayati invariably stops at Israel’s door.

I may disagree with his conclusions, but they are certainly arguments I have heard pronounced by (patriotic) Israelis. They are unacceptable to Jewish leaders here. Nevertheless, there seems to be a reluctance to defend that position in front of non-Jews. When Warren Olney aired his “Which Way L.A.” last Friday to discuss Al-Marayati, not one organizational Jewish leader was willing to go public on the program.

The conclusion that I am forced to draw from this incident is that American Jewish leaders — certainly Morton Klein — apparently cannot tolerate public officials whose opinions on Israel seem to be critical.

I believe this is a public policy litmus test that is seriously flawed. It does not always serve America’s interests. And I have my doubts about it necessarily being in Israel’s best interests as well. The thrust of the majority in Israel is to establish dialogue and rapprochement between as many Jewish and Palestinian groups as possible — doctors, journalists, parents and children, public officials, etc. The thinking is that this might help lead to a strengthened peace. The mindset in America — at least among Jewish organizational leaders — seems to be moving in the opposite direction. — Gene Lichtenstein