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INTERVIEW A Superstar Meets a Rabbi

ISRAEL PLAYED HOST THIS JULY TO AN unusual emissary: American basket­ball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the former Los Angeles Lakers su­perstar. Abdul-Jabbar was in Israel as spokesman for the Adidas Three on Three Streetball Challenge, an international youth-basketball tournament. But he took the opportunity while there to visit Israel's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Yisrael Meir Lau, on behalf of a family friend who had helped liberate Lau from a German concentration camp in World War II while serving in the U.S. Army's all-black 761st Tank Battalion. The meeting helped serve Abdul-Jabbar's most passionate cause: promoting a greater appreciation of African-American history— a cause that led him to write the book "Black Profiles in Courage," published last year. He spoke with Newsweek's Mark Dennis in Tel Aviv last week. Excerpts:

DENNIS: What is your family's connection to Israel's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi? ABDUL-JABBAR: My dad, a policeman, was the immediate supervisor of Leonard (Smitty) Smith, who helped liberate Buch-enwald concentration camp, where Rab­bi Lau was held. My dad and Smitty be­came friends, but we didn't know he was a war hero until much later. He's in a book, which is also a documentary, "Liber­ators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II," about the black soldiers' experi­ence in the war. The last time I saw Smitty, he said he had friends in Israel, and he asked me to visit the rabbi.

How was your meeting with Rabbi Lau --- It was very emotional. He was the youngest Buchenwald survivor, only 7 years old. Be­cause of that he became a poster boy of Hitler's cruelty. He remembers the 761st and was very thankful. He said people can earn their place in eternity in one moment, and that's what his liberators did. --- How does this personal connection to the rabbi also reflect your own historical re­search and book? --- Most American-history books deal only with slavery and civil rights. I wanted to show there's more to African-American history. He said people can earn their place in eternity in one moment, and that's what his liberators did in World War II and other, more important role models than athletes and entertainers. I profiled Smitty's unit in a section of my book on the history of blacks in the military. These guys were given hell. They trained in the South. Almost any white man in a position of authority [belit­tled] them. Even bus drivers. The morale officer of the 761st was [major-league base­ball's first black player,] Jackie Robinson. He refused to sit in the back of the bus, and only the commanding colonel stopped his court-martial. Lena Home was brought to enter­tain Italian and German POWs, but the black troopers couldn't come in. She refused to play until they could. --- Did you work with any historians while re­searching the book? --- I did all my own research. I did it while still a player. I wasn't a member of the disco set. Instead, I read. --- This book reflects your frustration with America's educational system. What are some of your criticisms? --- There never was a serious effort to educate black people in our country. And there's still a [resistance] to educating blacks. When the Civil War ended, there were 4 million illiterate black field hands. Blacks have not been able to catch up to whites be­cause of the burden of ignorance. --- What's the solution? --- Black parents must get involved in then-school districts. But we have one-parent homes where the parent has no education. If that situation is allowed to fester, we'll have a problem. One thing I find appal­ling is that I watched the civil-rights move­ment get access to education for blacks. But many black kids today don't care about education.

As a practicing Muslim, how did it feel to at­tend Friday prayers at Islam's third holiest site, Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque? --- My Arabic wasn't good enough to follow the entire sermon. The mufti quoted Ben Franklin and was exhorting America to live up to certain issues of justice that Ben Franklin pushed. I got mobbed outside Al Aqsa. People kissed me, had me kiss their kids. There were a few angry, politically motivated people who told me not to be used as a propaganda tool by Israel. --- How do you react to that? --- Because of all the emotional baggage, it's easy to get the issues confused. I under­stand the need for Israel to exist. At the same time, Israel's existence has resulted in the disenfranchisement of the Palestin­ian population. I'm sure if a community of Jews was being treated like the Palestini­ans here, [Israel] would be up in arms. --- How does your focus on education relate to basketball? --- [Coach] John Wooden was right when he said the most intelligent basketball players are also the most effective. Too many play­ers come into the NBA who haven't been to college. There's a whole lot of immature people who are ignorant and come from a pampered existence. This is what has led to the decline in the playing level. They don't see education as being any use to them. --- What about the allure of NBA money for the vast majority of basketball-playing kids who can't count on anything from the sport? --- It's like dangling a brass ring that nobody can really reach.

NEWSWEEK JULY 28, 2004 U. S. AFFAIRS

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