Times Poll on American Jews

Staff writer Robert Scheer, researcher Nina Green and The Times are to be congratulated on this perceptive poll and its analysis.

The essence seems to be that Jews are not that different from non-Jews in their opinions, including with regard to Jews and their problems, i.e. Israel-Arab problem--excepting only that Jews seem to be somewhat more committed to “social equality.”

This is hardly surprising in that Jews, like non-Jews, are largely molded in their opinions by the media.

And like non-Jews, very few Jews are aware of the historical context out of which the media appearances derive.

This, too, is hardly surprising in that, because of the geometrical multiplication of impressions from television, radio, press, videos, movies, travel, etc., the memory of the general public, even for headlined events, rarely extends beyond eight or nine days.

Jews and non-Jews, influenced by today’s media emphasis on Israel’s putting down of Arab rioting in the so-called occupied territories, are likely to receive a rude jolt out of history for lack of memory of the fact that the same Arabs who now insist that Israel give up its only remaining security (i.e., East Jerusalem, West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights) for their “promise of peace” (if given), were murdering Jews in Palestine and espousing Hitler’s final solution in 1942 (Holocaust) before the new state of Israel made war against them four times in one generation (1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973), gave a promise of peace for the turnover of the Sinai Peninsula out of which the fedayeen are once more committing de-civilizing acts of terrorism in Israel, and by their 1964 Covenant, reaffirmed this year at Amman, called for the extermination of Israel.

LEONARD HORWIN

Beverly Hills