Ruth King

The Pope's Visit to Israel

This writer confesses to mixed feelings about the Pope's visit to Israel. On one level, it was a profoundly moving expression of support and reconciliation. Pope John Paul is one of the leading religious leaders of the past century who has left his mark on the new millennium. On the other hand, the Vatican's agreement with Arafat over Jerusalem immediately preceding the visit was profoundly troubling and the Pope's visit, not without reason, is being celebrated by Arafat as yet another victory for the Palestinian Authority at Israel's expense. Unfortunately, Jews have largely ignored the long-term unfavorable implications of the agreement with Arafat, and instead they have carped and complained over the Pope's supposedly inadequate "apology," particularly his failure specifically to apologize for the indifference of the Vatican during the Holocaust.

On this we demur. Haifa University professor Steven Plaut, who was also deeply moved by the Pope's visit, observes that it is true "the Pope did not state as explicitly as he might have what exactly the Church's sins of omission and commission were during World War II. Instead he lumped these crimes together with all the rest. He might have discussed them specifically. We know what they are and so does he."

If we are honest, apologies are due from dozens of sources. President Roosevelt, a great leader and president, would not alter harsh immigration policies; Winston Churchill, the towering figure of the past century, locked the gates of Palestine, effectively sealing the horrific fate of millions of Jews; prominent Jews in America, including Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, would not risk their influence and proximity to President Roosevelt by pleading the case of their endangered brothers; Hollywood producers ignored Ben Hecht's entreaties to speak up on behalf of Europe's threatened Jewish community; and an unbelieving and frightened Jewish American community remained silent. And, while we are at it, where is the mass mea culpa from the thousands of Jews who turned a blind eye to the atrocities committed by the Communists? How many defended the corrupt Soviets even as they sought to bring their terror to our hemisphere in Nicaragua, in Guatemala, in Peru and in Cuba?

No doubt there is blame to go around, but apologies are not what is important at this point. The real answer to the Holocaust is a strong, impregnable Jewish state. After the Lebanon War, American Jews began to abandon Israel. The going became rougher in the face of a media barrage against Israel's justified invasion, and knees buckled. The rest is history. Israel, confused by American pressure, and misled by its leaders took giant steps toward the abyss.

Jews should not be dithering about the form of the Papal apology, which constituted a giant step from the point of view of the Catholic Church. Jews should be reevaluating their own behaviortheir continued effort to push Israel over the edge in the name of a false peace, their strengthening of her enemies, their willful blindness to the threats and open hatred of the Arabs that promise to consume the Jewish state.

More Reform Follies

AFSI received several letters critical of the "Reform Follies" item in one of my earlier Outpost columns, and I quote a portion of their indignant comments:

"But Outpost's Feb. 2000 article regarding Reform Judaism and the Environment was outrageous!!!! First, what on earth does Reform thought on the environment have to do with Israel? Is AFSI now a sounding board to attack non-observant Jews? I realize that the AFSI leadership are primarily right wing Republicans which [sic] oppose 'left wing' environmental conservation efforts, which is their right, but if AFSI wants to be a serious player in the fight for Israel's survival, I think it would be wise to lay off the attacks regarding things having nothing to do with Israel."

And here is another quote: "While global warming is still a hypothesis and not fully proven, we do know that automotive pollution is the most serious of all forms of air pollution, producing contaminants that add to ozone based smog, and generating many carcinogenic compounds that directly affect human health. Judaism stresses Tikkun Olam, repair of our world and fighting all forms of environmental pollution is certainly valid from a Judaic point of view."

Sorry guys, but you simply do not get the point. As individuals, Jews may work on behalf of any number of politically correct (and yes, probably wrong) notions

Outpost               - 10 -               April 2000