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Report from Philadelphia
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For sisters Susan Waller (left) and Robin Ayoob, America's support of Israel is not negotiable (ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / DAILY NEWS)
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By Carla Anderson
andersc@phillynews.com
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The smell of warm corned beef and mustard drifts out the door of Murray's Delicatessen on a recent clear day, beckoning dozens of customers in the leafy Philadelphia suburb of Bala Cynwyd. Less than two weeks after Osama bin Laden threatened further attacks against America if it continues to support Israel, diners in this largely Jewish suburb wonder whether some Americans will blame Israel for this new war and rekindle hatred toward Jews. "As horrible as it is. . .this could be the best thing that ever happened to Israel," said Susan Waller, who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and now lives in Cherry Hill. "Even if you're an anti-Semite, you have to admit there's nothing that warrants what bin Laden did. Now the rest of the world knows what Israel's been dealing with all these years. Maybe she'll have more allies now." "Everyone is tense, anxious, watching the TV without end," said Mary, whose husband lived through two years of combat in World War II. She asked that her last name be withheld. "Unfortunately, anti-Semitism never really went away." Their voices are just some of many in this area's almost 5 million people, a diverse and struggling metropolis born of immigrants and religious freedom. Throughout the city, from the Italian restaurants of South Philadelphia to the diners north of Roosevelt Boulevard, thoughts of Israel and its role in the current crisis take a back seat to worry about whether this city is safe. The birthplace of American democracy, Philadelphia is only an afternoon's drive from both New York and Washington, D.C. And Philadelphians, true to their loyal tradition of close-knit neighborhoods, are more concerned about home. "I feel like now. . .we stood for freedom, but now we are no longer free at this point, not free from worry, real, serious worry," said Marie Perry, speaking over the clink of china and the chatter of locals at the Penrose Diner in South Philadelphia. "I come to work I drive past the airport, and then right past the airport is the Navy Yard. Past the Navy Yard is the refineries. Think about what kind of target that could make. "And this is only the beginning. Now it's opening mail. Are we supposed to be afraid to open mail now?" In this part of the city, home to generations of Irish and Italian immigrants, few people care whether the Saudi terrorist bin Laden hates Israel, or why he suddenly became such a violent enemy. They just care that he did. "I'm hoping that Israel stays with us in this fight. We were always there for them," said Perry, who added that she understands why her friend recently opted not to get into a cab when she saw the driver was wearing a turban. She wants all non-citizens to be required to carry ID, and thinks Arab Americans should learn to deal with increased scrutiny. "My comment is, get used to it," she said. "I don't really feel that we should, as a country, any more worry about the foreigners coming in." Others hate how defensive they now feel. Jessica Fesi, who grew up in Port Richmond, resents the new suspicions she feels toward some of her immigrant neighbors. It never occurs to her, she said, to think about Israel's role in global politics, or whether her colleagues are Jewish. But she does notice if someone looks Arab. "It's horrible that when you go on a train and see someone that might be Arab, you second-look them now," she said. "I mean, I work with people who are Arab, and in a way you feel bad, because you know they had nothing to do with it, but it's like, oh my gosh, in the land of the free, you're honestly scared because of how they look." Fierce patriotism and staunch support of President Bush bring automatic, while not necessarily passionate, support of Israel in the Country Club Diner of Northeast Philadelphia, a traditionally white, working-class part of the city. Denise Breault, whose brother, a member of the Air National Guard, was recently called to serve in the Middle East, said she regards Israel as an ally even though she has no personal loyalty to the country. The way she sees it, America's new enemy is found among angry Muslims. "We were brought up believing one thing, and they were brought up to hate everything that we stand for," Breault said. The Palestinians and their problems, she said, seem like just one more international dispute that the United States has been called upon to settle. "If it's going to get to the point where we are attacked on our own soil because people are expecting us to step in, then it's something we are going to have to do," she said. It isn't until you go to the African restaurants in West Philadelphia, where Muslim immigrants from Africa and Central Asia have opened a vibrant array of shops and restaurants, that passions flare on behalf of the Muslim people in the Middle East. In this community, Israel is a violent oppressor of Muslims in Palestine, and the U.S. government has supported that oppression - and is now attacking their fellow Muslims in Afghanistan. "It's not just Palestine, although that's one," said a woman named Shireen as she ticked off a list of grievances with the U.S. government. "Go back to the Taliban. The U.S. didn't want the Soviets in Afghanistan, so they trained these people. Then when they got what they wanted, they left, and these countries were left to deal with the refugees." Shireen, a Muslim woman who also asked that her last name be withheld, said over lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant that the war is giving her a new passion for Islam as well as the country of her birth, Pakistan. The way she sees it, U.S. policy is blind in its support of Israel, is slanted against the Arab world, and has invited much of the hatred the country is now experiencing. She said U.S. bombs are now killing innocent people - and possibly her relatives. She has cousins who live on the Afghan border. A former charter school teacher who is now attending graduate school, Shireen, like many of her fellow Muslims, is well-educated and not poor. She's an American citizen. She grew up in West Chester. And she is just as comfortable in jeans as she is in traditional Muslim garb. Like many other Muslims in America, she believes the rumor - discredited by the networks - that the media tried to incite prejudice by showing old television footage to make it appear that Palestinians were celebrating on Sept. 11. Shireen expects the situation to get worse, since Muslims, angered by the loss of civilian lives in Afghanistan, are losing patience with what they view as Israeli oppression of Palestinians. This is particularly troubling for her, she said, because she loves both of her countries. She feels that Americans are loving people and she has never been the target of prejudice. "It's like, if your parents do something that you know is wrong, you still love your parents," she said, pent-up tears bringing a quiver to her chin. "If you have a drug-addicted father, someone who's in trouble, you want them just to wake up and see the light. That's how it is for me, now, to know that my country is doing these things." Abdoul Ba, a Mauritanian Muslim who fled war in his own country before immigrating here from Somalia, said he thinks the United States should reconsider its unquestioning support of Israel. But he thinks the conflict cannot be solved through more war. "War is always wrong, and terrorism of any kind is not good," he said. "But Palestinians are out of their homes, out of their towns, since years and years now. "Israel, on the other hand, what happened in the Holocaust, nobody should wish that to happen to anyone." its people - is not up for negotiation. Ayoob points to Israel's intelligence network as a reason for optimism. "It's because Israel's intelligence is so high that she's been able to continue to exist," she said. Waller's allegiance is also unshakable. "If I had to pick a loyalty, which would it be? Am I Jewish, or American?" mused Waller. "To tell you the truth, I really don't think I could separate the two." *
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