Messengers Of Peace

A local activist has launched an effort to counter hateful messages in the media

Amy Mindell - Special to The Jewish News

Local activist Molly Resnick was visiting New York City last spring when a headline in the New York Post caught her eye: "Jihad for Kids on PLO-TV," it screamed.

When she finished reading the article, Resnick set to organizing a grassroots political group she named Mothers Against Teaching Children to Kill & Hate MATCKH).

When Resnick learned that Palestinian children watch TV programs extolling the virtues of becoming a "suicide warrior" and expressing a commitment to holy war, or Jihad, against Israel, she was to take action to educate the community members and take a stand against what she sees as the precursor to terrorism.

"Some experts blame violence in our schools on messages from television, movies, and songs, so how much more dangerous are direct messages upon young children in the Middle East?" said Resnick.

At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, at the Max M. Fisher Jewish Federation Building on Telegraph south of Maple in Bloomfield Hills, MATCKH will host its first ever event, a talk by Jewish activist Ferne Hassan, author of the "Jihad" article that inspired Resnick. Wayne State University Clinical Professor in Psychiatry Emanuel Tanay will speak on the effects of indoctrination on children.

Resnick, a 50-year-old West Bloomfield resident, is not a newcomer to political activism. She co-founded the "Justice for David" committee, which supports the extradition of a Palestinian who allegedly killed 17-year-old Daniel Biom in the West Bank settlement of Beth El.

While the Israeli native says she is working to secure a just peace in the Middle East, and MATCKH is devoted to generating awareness of the Palestinian children's programming, Resnick hopes to alert citizens to the general danger posed by hateful messages in the media.

She says she would like to duplicate MATCKH nationally and internationally. She has fielded inquiries from Florida, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Toronto.

Hassan, who often lectures on Israel-related issues, will discuss what she calls "the indoctrination to hate" among Palestinians. She will screen recent video tapes of recent children's programming from the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC).

Hassan described a February 1998 show as seemingly benign, with a festive tone akin to "Sesame Street," that featured appealing young children in costumes and party clothes, enthusiastic adult actors, and Disney wall-decorations.

The children sit in a semi-circle where they smile and sing. Then a 7-year-old girl rises, Hassan said, and proclaims, "When I wander into the entrance of Jerusalem, I will turn into a suicide warrior in battle dress!" The girl bows as the others clap and shout "bravo!"

Hassan explained that this program, called "The Children's Club," was broadcast the PBC television channel based in the West Bank city of Ramallah, which is under control of the Palestinian Authority. What further infuriates Hassan, she said, is that the PBC has been supported by the U.S. government.

"We want to see Democratic values become part of the conditions as we deal with the Arab world. It's strange that we do not condition our dictates in the Middle East on the respect for human rights and tolerance as we do elsewhere," said Hassan.

Hassan serves as U.S. coordinator of the Jerusalem-based Peace for Generations, a group devoted to creating forums for Jews to discuss the Oslo Accords, the historic international agreement signed by slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat in 1993. The Accords set the peace process in motion.

Jerry Kaufman, president of the Zionist Organization of America Metro Detroit District, said his group supports the July 15 event because, "ZOA takes great exception to those who think Yasser Arafat wants genuine peace with Israel and who pressure Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyhu to give up more land.

"This children's television show comes directly from the Palestinian Authority, and is sponsored by direct U.S. aid. If the Palestinians truly want long-term peace with the Israelis, they should not indoctrinate their children to become suicide bombers. This is a direct violation of the Oslo Accords in which they agreed not to incite violence," Kaufman said.