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MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE
To Banish Terrorist’s Family,
Tie Them To The Crime: Koch
By Tim Boxer
ASKED Ed Koch what he thought of Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon’s proposal to banish the families of suicide bombers
from their homes, as a deterrent to terrorism. Some pundits have
even called for the death of parents who encourage their children to
blow themselves up in order to kill Jews.
“You
can’t just kill the mother for giving birth to a suicide
bomber,” the former New York mayor replied.
“But
if you tie them to the crime, then you have a case. You can
prosecute them as accessories. They can be held accountable and
punished.
We
talked at the sixth annual dinner of the Museum of Jewish Heritage
at the Waldorf-Astoria, where guest speaker Bill Clinton
stood in for Hillary who was too busy being a senator.
“I
always love being with Koch,” Clinton said.
Picking
up on the suicide bombers, the former president said, “People have
been ill served by leaders who sanction suicide bombers. It’s the
darkest, most twisted thing a people could do. We cannot allow
madness. We will have to have a change in leadership among the
Palestinians.”
Clinton
told of his recent visit to Dubai where the king said, “I do not
condone suicide bombing. I wonder what will happen to their souls.
It’s against our religion. What can I do about it?”
“Say
it in public,” Clinton urged the king.
New
York City District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, museum
chairman, honored Irving Schneider, a museum trustee and head
of Helmsley-Spear realty.
“When I want to know what
happens next week,” Morgenthau quipped, “I call Irving. He is a
week older than I am.”
The
guest of honor, who built children’s hospitals on Long Island and
Israel, explained his deep commitment to the Jewish people:
“My mother and father came from Ukraine, not knowing
a word of English. I could have been a victim of the Holocaust.”
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