For Bradley, It’s Tea and Sympathy on Farrakhan

Mayor Tom Bradley received praise, and hot herb tea for his cold, instead of criticism Sunday when he discussed Louis Farrakhan at a West Los Angeles synagogue.

The hospitable reception came during an important appearance for the mayor. Memories are still alive of Jewish anger at Bradley for delaying criticism of Farrakhan until after the Black Muslim minister spoke at the Forum last September. In that speech, Farrakhan continued to show hostility to Jews and Jewish institutions, calling Israel “a wicked hypocrisy.”

Some Bradley supporters have expressed concern the furor might cost him a portion of his traditional Jewish support during his gubernatorial campaign this year against Republican Gov. George Deukmejian.

The Big Question

Sunday’s speech did not answer that big question. But it provided the mayor with a friendly audience at University Synagogue in Brentwood to explain his handling of the Farrakhan speech. His hosts, including Rabbi Allen I. Freehling, brought him paper cups of hot tea as he coughed his way through a speech and a question-and-answer period. And most important, Freehling introduced the mayor by praising him for limiting “much of the harm that could have been wrought by Minister Farrakhan.”

Freehling portrayed Bradley as the physician-in-charge “when the disease of prejudice” manifested itself in Los Angeles during Farrakhan’s visit.

“As is true within the field of medicine, we found that many of us, who believe ourselves to be practitioners, disagreed about the ways that his menace to our well-being should be fought,” he said. “Typically, among friends, our various opinions were expressed candidly and with enthusiasm. In the midst of our debate, some of us found fault with the chief physician’s handling of the case.

“However, let it be said and understood that even during this very public discussion that focused squarely on the best ways of severely limiting the damage that a bigot such as Louis Farrakhan could do, our abiding respect and affection for Mayor Bradley never wavered, because his long public record and personal belief system proves him to be a man of peace and justice, a healer where there is pain and one who constantly calls for reconciliation when disagreements among peoples emerge.”

Starts Coughing

As Bradley began his speech, he started coughing.

“Someone told me this was chicken soup,” Bradley said, after sipping the tea. “It isn’t working.”

The more than 100 in the audience laughed, then listened quietly while Bradley discussed Farrakhan. During a question-and-answer period afterwards, they asked him relatively few questions on the subject, seeming more interested in education, welfare, the Police Department and oil drilling in the nearby Pacific Palisades.

Bradley made clear the importance he attached to his appearance.

“I have never had this bad a case of laryngitis combined with a chest cold that has literally put me in bed for the first time,” said the mayor, who canceled plans to fly to Sacramento for a speech to state employees Sunday afternoon. “But I thought this invitation and your expectation that I was going to be here this morning was too important to let anything like that keep me away.”

Mayor Is Conciliatory

Bradley was conciliatory, explaining he and black leaders believed they had reached an agreement with Farrakhan in which he would refrain from attacking Jews in his Forum speech if Bradley and other black leaders did not attack him.

“We were mistaken,” Bradley said. Speaking of Farrakhan, he said “He assured us his word was good and his promise would be kept. We kept our word and did not speak.”

“I am sorry we were not able to spare the community what I thought was a grievous hurt,” Bradley said.

In response to a question about how the black community feels about Jews after the Farrakhan controversy, Bradley urged looking ahead. “That’s the best way in my judgment to put this issue behind us, to take the positive angle and emphasize it, not try to go back and see if we can do an autopsy and discover who, when, where, how much anti-black, anti-Jewish feeling there may be.”