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March 21, 2003/Adar2 17 5763, Vol. 55, No. 30
Reacting to war
American and Valley Jews share mixed feelings
JEWISH NEWS STAFF
AND RACHEL POMERANCE (JTA)
While President Bush was laying down the gauntlet to Saddam Hussein, giving him 48 hours to choose between peace and war, the streets in New York were marked by drunken celebration.
Emerald-clad St. Patrick's Day celebrants and costumed Purim party-goers masked the general anxiety of impending war the night of March 17 as the government's Department of Homeland Security upped its terror gauge to high alert.
New Yorkers at packed Purim parties guarded by security said Jewish events and institutions would be likely targets in case of terrorist attack.
But the revelers said they were just as concerned about their safety anywhere in New York, listing the subway, major bridges and tunnels as flashpoints of anxiety.
"I don't feel nervous being Jewish. I feel nervous being a New Yorker," said Karen Sinai, 25, at a Chabad-Lubavitch Purim party on the top floor of a Manhattan building.
New York lacks the sirens and shelters that Israel has in place for emergencies, the law student said, and its island status makes evacuation difficult.
"I feel vulnerable here," Sinai said.
On the eve of war, Phoenix-area Jews expressed reactions and emotions including confidence that the war is justified, mixed feelings about the decision, compassion for Iraqi citizens, questions about President George W. Bush's motives and concern for Israel's safety.
For some, war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq is the right move.
"I view (Hussein) as the equivalent of Hitler in the 1930s," said Neil Hiller, past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. "We have to act now or be forced to do something later."
Barry Kluger of Scottsdale, a public relations profess-ional, agrees.
"Iraq places little value on freedom, democracy or life itself, he said. "We should act swiftly, with minimal casualties and restore freedom, aid the people and bring democracy to the region."
"I think Saddam's over-throw would benefit Israel as well as the entire free world," said Ken Schnitzer of Scottsdale. "This is not just an Israel issue, it is a world issue.
"If this man gets ahold of weapons of mass destruction, this means that he could reach countries more far-reaching than Israel. His overthrow would also show other totalitarian dictators around the world that Saddam's type of menacing behavior will not be tolerated by the free world."
Others have mixed feelings.
"I have such a queasy feeling in my stomach this morning," said Janet Arnold, director of the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company.
"Several months ago I was rah-rah war... then I gave much more thought to it and have come full circle to thinking this is not the way to solve any problem. I shudder at the thought of the loss of human lives on all sides and the devastating effects on the families."
The thoughts of Iraqi citizens are on many people's minds.
"I hope (our soldiers) show as much compassion as possible toward the Iraqi people and that they will be waving American flags rather than Kalashnikov rifles," said businessman Mickey Turken of Phoenix.
"I don't approve of using violence as a way to fight violence, and I would have rather seen a United Nations coalition use non-military means to remove Saddam Hussein," said Len Gutman, president of Phoenix's Open Door Communications. "How-ever, I believe Iraq poses a serious and present threat to the world and given the United Nations' inability to enforce its own resolutions, I think we are justified in using military force to do their job for them."
Some question Bush's motives and feel action against Iraq sets a dangerous precedent.
"I think the U.S. should have done something about Saddam Hussein right after the Gulf War ended, and he gassed the Kurds," said Sally Baker, of Great Ideas, a public relations firm. "The timing for this war feels too politically motivated."
"What kind of a leadership are we showing when we say it is OK for our country to go in and overtake another country?" asked Kae Knight, a local member of Jewish Women International. "I think when we set a precedent like this, we are saying 'if it's all right for us, it's all right for others,' and it's not. I would prefer no war."
Tobee Waxenberg, director of Pardes Jewish Day School Middle School in Scottsdale, said, "I think there is a lot of stress that people can't really put their finger on, but they feel nervous. We're all very concerned about Israel."
Rachel Pomerance writes for Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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