San Diego (special) -- In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, the items came into the HERITAGE first one by one, then in a flood.  

Irv Jacobs, who along with his wife Jacqueline regularly contributes a column on art to us, told of attending a pair of classes in creative writing on Sept. 12 and 13, where the professors, including one who was Jewish, were quick to sympathize with the Arabs and to blame the United States for siding with Israel in the running Middle East dispute.

"This provoked a variety of opinions from the students, heavily in sympathy with the 'maltreated' Palestinians and even the Taliban and Osama bin Laden," Jacobs wrote.  "They were largely fearful that the 'simpleton rightist Bush Administration' would blindly proceed to pulverize those poor and other nations."

An opinion was expressed by professor and classmates that when a bomb destroyed the Oklahoma City federal building, the country was quick to blame the Arabs, yet it turned out to be a domestic terrorist, Timothy McVeigh.  Now, in their view, the effort was being made to scapegoat the Taliban.  Jacobs said he had been silent up to this point, but now the professor demanded to know his opinion.

"I started by pointing out that it is our duty to study a situation fully and distinguish between scattered voices in a free society and those of our responsible leaders...I pointed out it never was U.S. policy to go after the Arabs after Oklahoma, but that the Clinton administration did its homework and came up with McVeigh in a very few days.  I reminded the sympathetic women in class that the Taliban had reduced all its women professionals to begging on the streets.  This in turn made health care for women non-existent since they also have a notion that women should never be examined by men.  Lastly, the Taliban just months ago destroyed a world art treasure that existed for 1,800 years or more, even against the please of the entire world.  

"We must maintain the perspective tha the people who run Afghanistan and those they harbor are essentially insane, to do what they do. ... He asked me if I thought the Afghans were behind this week's bombings.  I said probably, but I'm willing to wait until the data is compiled with discipline.  At that point another older man in the class reported that not an hour ago, Colin Powell had stated publicly that Osama bin Laden was responsible.  Neither the Professor onor any other in the class had yet heard of such a quoate, but the Professor was taken aback and was already in a denial/ skeptical mode."

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From Mary Ann Scher, president of the United Jewish Federation, and Gary Jacobs, UJF campaign chair, came an e-mail memorandum addressed to members of the  San Diego Jewish Community:

"You will soon be receiving information on how to directly help the victims and their families of the incomprehensivle and horrendous acts of terror perpetrated against our nation on September 11.  UJF, in partnership with our national organization, United Jewish Communities, has opened an Emergency Relief Fund, enabling the San Diego Jewish Community to act as one.  In advance of our formal mailing, checks made payable to UJC Emergency Relief Fund can be mailed to UJF, 49850 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 921223.  Thank you for your continued compassion and extreme generosity."

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Our reporter Gerald Greber passed on a commentary by Harriet Wolpoff, director of the Jewish Learning Center at Congregation Beth Am.  "The time of this writing is only three days after the tragic terrorist attacks on the United States," Wolpoff wrote.  "In order to increase the force of good in the world, JLC children wrote letters thanking particularly the firemen and policemen of New York for their heroism and sacrifices."   Here is what the children had to say to the emergency workers:

"Our nation's new found power is capitalized by your heroism."

"Through the blinding veil of evil, smoke and ash, your heavenly light shone through...May we not discriminate against a whole race for the bad of some."

"We know you're tire but still help everybody."

"Me and my friend are going around and asking people for donations of money to send to the New York hospitals.  Even if we can't help everyone we can help some and that can make a difference."

The students also wrote letters to the terrorists:

"Since you're doing this, you make us stronger and you don't know it."

"You may crash our buildings, and our symbols of peace and freedom.  But you can never destroy our spirit.  You will never change our beliefs.  You will never win."

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Kolenu is the publication of the Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School. In it was a message to parents from Catherine Butler, a counselor at the day school.  "Our children want to help.  The message is loud and clear and we must act.  On Tuesday as I walked around talking to the children, it was clear that they felt helpless and buffeted by the winds of uncertainty and fear.  I said to several classes, 'We can do something!'  And they wanted to know what.  

"When we return from Rosh Hashana, each classroom will have a container or envelope for the children to make their own personal donations, which will be sent to the hatsalah, the Jewish paramedic ambulance service, which is actively involved in rescue activities in New York.  Please do not offer to make a donation (although we will be happy to receive it, just separately from the children!)  Allow them to recycle cans and bottles, and donate the proceeds, or check their own savings banks for coins.  They can check the cushions of your furniture to find coins that have slipped in.  No mater how little, no matter how much, it is of great importance to their mental processes in times like this to feel that they can do something and to donate their own money. . ."

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San Diego School Board member Sue Braun has a granddaughter, Emily, in kindergarten.  The little girl's mother did not turn on the television while the children were up, choosing instead to tell her that "some very bad people did some very bad things and hurt a lot of people in New York and Washington, that her aunt and uncle and their friends were safe and fine, some very smart and good people were working hard to find a way so this would never happen again."  Little Emily looked up at her mother Jennifer and said, "Mommy, I wish Abraham Lincoln were here now."  Braun said she thought about her granddaughter's remark all night.  "I guess we need a lot of Abraham Lincolns now," she said in note ot HERITAGE.  "It is interesting how young children think."

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Mayor Itzhak Mirone of Afula had been among a mixed delegation of Israeli Jewish and Arab mayors who visited San Diego in 1999.  He sent this message to us:  "We are completely shocked at the horrible acts and the unimaginable loss of lives of thousands of innocent people, in New York and Washington D.C.  At these difficult moments, you are all in our thoughts and hearts.  Our condolences and deepest sympathy, to the people of the United States."

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Aaron Lerner, who runs IMRA, an independent news service in Israel, interviewed Dan Perry, the Associated Press bureau chief, about a report that the AP was forced to withhold video footage of Palestinians celebrating in the streets of Nablus after hearing about the deadly attack on the World Trade Center.

Perry responded:  "We are acting to assure the safety of our staff. The safety of our staff is paramount.  At this point we believe there to be a serous threat to our staff if the video is released and we have protested this to the PA."

Q: How does the Palestinian Authority make sure the world believes it is anti-terrorist?  
A:  It makes terrorist threats against a wire service photographer.

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Marty Block, San Diego chapter president of the American Jewish Committee, issued a statement which not only prayed for the victims of the attacks, but also urged Americans not to take out their hurt and anger on innocent people.

"As such events have sometimes provoked violence directed towards innocent Americans on the basis of ethnicity, origin of birth, or religion, the American Jewish Committee urges that no further acts of violence are committed against any American or resident of our nation as a response to this horrific tragedy."

The fear that some people, in their anger, might wrongly and unjustifiably strike out at innocent Arabs or Americans of Arab origin was compounded by the news that three airplane hijackers had lived in the Clairemont area of San Diego and in Lemon Grove.

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The Zionist Organization of America praised two U.S. Senators for expressing the viewpoint on NBC's Today Show that it would be a justifiable act of self-defense for the United States to kill terrorists. Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla) said "We should do everything possible to render incapable any potential adversary, while Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) said it would be appropriate for the U.S. to kill terrorist Bin Laden.

"Senators Graham and Klein are right about the need for strong U.S. action against individual terrorist leaders, just as Israel, acting in self defense, has been eliminating terrorist leaders," said Morton A. Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America.  "Palestinian Arab terrorists are murdering Israelis almost every day, and Israel has every riht to strike at killers before they kill again."

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On Sunday evening, HERITAGE contributors Jay & Louise Winheld attended a prayer service at Chabad Hebrew Academy featuring Chabad rabbis from throughout the region-Scripps Ranch, La Jolla, University City, Del Mar, La Costa and Tijuana.  

Rabbi after rabbi suggested that it was both a time for unity in America, and a time for the unity of all Jews.  And, indeed, said Jay Winheld, who is active in the Reform movement, "the people were warm and welcoming."

On the other side of the mehitza, he added, "Louise met some people who were warm and cordial to her." 
 

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Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, 
Criticized Rep. James Traficant (R-Ohio) for a floor speech in which he blamed the terrorist attacks on the United States' support for Israel.

""Such language is muddle headed and disgraceful, particularly at a time like this," Forman said. "...It is wholly unaccewptable to try to scapegoat Israel, our one Democratic ally in the Middle East, at this tremendously difficult time.  And it is even lower to try to blame this unprecedented catastrophe on our partnership with Israel-a partnership which enjoys overwhelming American support, regardless of political party."

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Sometimes reading the mail feels like a movie that has run back to its starting position.  Excuse me, but I think this is where we came in.