Jewish Council

The Baltimore Jewish Council said yesterday that it would not join a protest of black separatist Louis Farrakhan's expected attendance at a NAACP-sponsored summit here Sunday.In a meeting yesterday, council officers decided with "absolutely no dissent" not to take part in the demonstration against the Nation of Islam leader, said Arthur Abramson, executive director. The council is an umbrella group for 50 Jewish groups and congregations in the Baltimore area."Tactically, media attention is exactly what practitioners of hatred and anti-Semitism want," Dr. Abramson said.

Alan D. Hecht, a retired insurance executive active in his industry for more than six decades who was also a national leader in his field, died of congestive heart failure April 2 at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and hospital. The Pikesville resident was 94. Born in Baltimore, he was the son of Lee I. Hecht, an attorney and judge of the old Appeals Tax Court of Baltimore, and Miriam Dannenberg Hecht, a homemaker. Raised on Bateman Avenue, he was a 1936 graduate of Forest Park High School, where he was editor of the yearbook.

The same day President Bush portrayed himself as a "lonely little guy" faced with "powerful political forces," several dozen members of the Baltimore Jewish Council arrived on Capitol Hill to lobby members of the Maryland congressional delegation.The state's two Democratic senators, Paul S. Sarbanes and Barbara A. Mikulski, immediately announced their support for the loan guarantees during a meeting with the group. And Ms. Mikulski issued a press release the following day criticizing Mr. .. Bush for advocating a delay.

Think globally; expense your upgraded hotel room locally. City Councilman Ken Harris spent 10 days in Israel recently as part of the Baltimore Jewish Council's annual mission to Israel. The Weinberg Foundation picked up most of the tab - as it has for the many Baltimore politicians who have taken part in the trip over the years. Harris was left with a $995 bill, however, because he opted for a private hotel room. He asked the city to reimburse him. "Because it was an educational [trip]

A dozen Baltimore-area teen-agers sat around a conference table yesterday morning, struggling to describe what many called a life-changing experience: a trip to Israel to meet youths who were just like them, and yet so different."

More than 500 Jewish leaders from around the country meeting in Baltimore yesterday heard dire warnings of a drastic rise in anti-Semitism, increasingly expressed in anti-Jewish and anti-Israel rhetoric by European populist politicians and Arab religious and civic leaders. Irwin Cutler, a human rights lawyer and member of Canada's Parliament, told the members of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs that he sees a convergence between traditional anti-Semitism and an exhortation to genocide that "calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews wherever they may be."

It once was common wisdom that the American Jewish community could be counted on for its support of liberal causes. But signs have emerged of a shift to the right by many American Jews, particularly on such issues as tax relief, school vouchers and affirmative action. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, an umbrella group that coordinates public policy for local community relations councils and national agencies, convenes its annual meeting today in Baltimore, facing the reality that consensus among Jews on some political and social issues may be harder to achieve than in the past.

When members of the Baltimore Jewish Council built a $350,000 Holocaust Memorial near the Inner Harbor in 1980, they hoped it would stand for all time as a grim reminder of mankind's capacity for evil.But the memorial turned out to be too grim, in more than one way, and has been replaced by an intentionally more palatable work of architecture that strives to convey a similar message.Starting with a dedication ceremony at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Lombard and Gay streets, visitors will see a redesigned monument that is far less stark and brutal in its imagery, though still infused with symbolism.

Those who hold or are running for public office should receive close media scrutiny. And where the public interest is vital, that scrutiny should be intense. In the past several weeks, The Sun has published a number of incisive articles about four of Maryland's most notable public officials: Lt. Gov Michael S. Steele, who is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate; Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor; Sheila Dixon, Democratic Baltimore City Council president who would become mayor if O'Malley wins the gubernatorial race; and Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who is seeking re-election.

Think globally; expense your upgraded hotel room locally. City Councilman Ken Harris spent 10 days in Israel recently as part of the Baltimore Jewish Council's annual mission to Israel. The Weinberg Foundation picked up most of the tab - as it has for the many Baltimore politicians who have taken part in the trip over the years. Harris was left with a $995 bill, however, because he opted for a private hotel room. He asked the city to reimburse him. "Because it was an educational [trip]

Those who hold or are running for public office should receive close media scrutiny. And where the public interest is vital, that scrutiny should be intense. In the past several weeks, The Sun has published a number of incisive articles about four of Maryland's most notable public officials: Lt. Gov Michael S. Steele, who is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate; Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor; Sheila Dixon, Democratic Baltimore City Council president who would become mayor if O'Malley wins the gubernatorial race; and Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who is seeking re-election.

Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele announced his bid for U.S. Senate in October with a promise to be a different kind of candidate, to build bridges between citizens and government and to be a voice for all Marylanders. Since then, however, with debates raging on a series of national and state issues - including the appointment of a new Supreme Court justice and the revision of minimum-wage laws - Steele has stayed out of the fray. "I don't need to talk about issues right now," Steele said during a recent interview with The Sun. "I need to establish a relationship with voters."

Men wearing yarmulkes and women wearing head scarves listened intently as Maqbool Patel talked about the way Muslims greet each other. "Asalaam alaikum, peace and blessings be upon you," the co-founder of the Islamic Society of Baltimore told the gathering at Beth Israel Congregation in Owings Mills. "It's very similar to what is said in Hebrew: shalom." At a dinner honoring both the Muslim observance of Ramadan and the Jewish feast of Sukkot, two dozen leaders of the local Muslim and Jewish communities shared their faiths Thursday.

More than 500 Jewish leaders from around the country meeting in Baltimore yesterday heard dire warnings of a drastic rise in anti-Semitism, increasingly expressed in anti-Jewish and anti-Israel rhetoric by European populist politicians and Arab religious and civic leaders. Irwin Cutler, a human rights lawyer and member of Canada's Parliament, told the members of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs that he sees a convergence between traditional anti-Semitism and an exhortation to genocide that "calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews wherever they may be."

Based at St. John's College for the previous four summers, Daniel Heifetz and his International Music Institute brought excitement and charisma - along with classical music - to downtown Annapolis. Having outgrown the available space at St. John's, Heifetz moved the Music Institute this summer to the more spacious quarters of Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. But Heifetz' many local fans will be pleased to hear that the violinist will return to Annapolis with his Classical Band and his daughter soprano Elena Heifetz to present one concert, on Aug. 25. The concert, titled "Voice of a People: The Jewish Soul," will be presented at 3 p.m. at Kneseth Israel Synagogue on Spa Road and Hilltop Lane in Annapolis.

For more than a decade, Deli Strummer was one of Baltimore's most active public speakers on the Holocaust. In schools, in churches and even on local television, she captivated audiences with harrowing descriptions of concentration camp life and narrow escapes from death. But there is a problem: Her story is not completely true. Now, citing a review by top Holocaust experts that exposed innumerable inaccuracies in Strummer's oft-told accounts, the influential Baltimore Jewish Council has removed the 78-year-old Towson woman from its list of recommended speakers on the Holocaust and has advised area schools to do the same.

Men wearing yarmulkes and women wearing head scarves listened intently as Maqbool Patel talked about the way Muslims greet each other. "Asalaam alaikum, peace and blessings be upon you," the co-founder of the Islamic Society of Baltimore told the gathering at Beth Israel Congregation in Owings Mills. "It's very similar to what is said in Hebrew: shalom." At a dinner honoring both the Muslim observance of Ramadan and the Jewish feast of Sukkot, two dozen leaders of the local Muslim and Jewish communities shared their faiths Thursday.

One of Baltimore's most popular sportscasters, Chuck Thompson, was the guest speaker at the Maryland Public Television's All-Star Underwriter's Breakfast at the Camden Club this week. More than 100 people enjoyed listening to his stories and his opinion about the recent brawl at the stadium between Baltimore and Seattle players.He suggested that three days' pay would be a fair fine for the players involved. After all, he went on to say, some of the players get about $6,000 each time at bat, so they would certainly feel the loss of three days' pay.In August, Thompson, who has announced Baltimore sports for more than 40 years, will become the 16th baseball broadcaster to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.*It was difficult not to miss the arrival of talk-show host Oprah Winfrey when she rolled up in front of the Polo Grill in the Doubletree Inn at the Colonnade in a stretch limo.

It once was common wisdom that the American Jewish community could be counted on for its support of liberal causes. But signs have emerged of a shift to the right by many American Jews, particularly on such issues as tax relief, school vouchers and affirmative action. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, an umbrella group that coordinates public policy for local community relations councils and national agencies, convenes its annual meeting today in Baltimore, facing the reality that consensus among Jews on some political and social issues may be harder to achieve than in the past.

A dozen Baltimore-area teen-agers sat around a conference table yesterday morning, struggling to describe what many called a life-changing experience: a trip to Israel to meet youths who were just like them, and yet so different."