Goodman tells Jewish veterans hate crimes must be dealt with

It was to be a pretty ordinary convention for nearly 1,000 Jewish war veterans and their families -- an outing to Las Vegas to enjoy the sun and casinos.

But for the men and women of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States, the good feeling and camaraderie of the annual convention was shattered by the news that a lone gunman had opened fire Tuesday on children at a Jewish community center in Los Angeles.

Wednesday morning, as the news spread that suspect Buford O. Furrow Jr. had surrendered to the FBI in Las Vegas, conventioneers could talk of little else.

Many of the veterans and their wives, who are in the organization's women's auxiliary, were not aware that Furrow had ties to neo-Nazi organizations. Most learned of the suspect's ties to far-right organizations from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who was the keynote speaker at the convention's opening ceremony at the Alexis Park Hotel, and Robert M. Zweiman, the Jewish War Veterans past national commander.

Telling the conventioneers that the suspect allegedly shot at the children to spur others to shoot Jewish people, Zweiman said, "He's talking about you, me."

Although Goodman, a former criminal defense attorney, prefaced his remarks by pointing out that the suspect has a presumption of innocence, he said the shooting was likely the result of "a sickness in his mind."

"This kind of sickness cannot be tolerated, it cannot be excused, it cannot be blamed on anyone else," the mayor said.

"I recognize this: We have to do something about hate crimes," Goodman said. The work to avert hate crimes must start at home, then continue in the schools and society, he said.

"We all have a responsibility, we all have a responsibility to make ourselves heard," Goodman said. He encouraged constituents to come to City Hall if they have ideas on how to curb hate crimes. Following his address, Goodman said he can use the position of the mayor's office to lead by example, get involved in the educational process of building coalitions of civic and religious groups to oppose prejudice and bigotry.

"I didn't mean to be so serious today, but this is a serious issue," he told the veterans.

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., also spoke at the convention. Although she did not refer to the shooting in her address, she spoke outside the meeting hall on the importance of passing new, stronger federal hate crimes legislation, which she has cosponsored but, she said, is "languishing in committee."

"I am convinced, more than ever, that we as Americans have got to break this unacceptable, outrageous cycle of violence," she said. "If it happens to the Jews today, it will be African-Americans, gays, old people, short people tomorrow."

The call for tougher hate-crimes laws got a positive reception from the Jewish veterans. Still, not everyone was convinced that laws alone will make a difference.

"Surely it should be passed," said Morris Fasberg, a member of the organization's National Executive Committee from Lake Worth, Fla. "The question is: How will that help us to reduce the core of this terrible, malignant sickness? We need this law, but they are not going to stop because of the hate law.

"These are people that are corroded with hatred and prejudice," Fasberg said. "They are sick people, but the fact that they are sick doesn't mean they are not responsible for their actions."

Many said they were shocked more by the targeting of children than the Jewish center.

"Last night, as I watched the picture of the children holding hands, walking away with the police officer, I was crying," said William Guralnick, who lives in the San Fernando Valley, not far from the site of the shooting.

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