European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a a the stars and stripes Friday november 30,1990crisis in the Gulf jewish gis defending Arab soil ironically a common foe unites these religious political enemies a amps Dave Didio David Woller a a. I have a Job to  by Ron Jensen staff writer Rhein main a Germany a if David Woller were simply a tourist he could not even consider a visit to saudi Arabia. Jews Are not allowed in the desert kingdom Home of the two most holy moslem mosques. But because he is a staff sergeant in the . Air Force the saudi government will Overlook his religion if he is called to participate in operation desert shield. He will be welcomed by a nation that has for years been openly hostile to the jewish Homeland of Israel. A saudi Arabia has sworn to destroy Israel. That a always been an Arab goal a said the airman with the 1945th communications group. A a in be been to Israel. I have family in  however he added the oath he took to join the air Force demands that he go wherever his government tells him to go. A so i guess i will Quot he said. A my father will probably be irate. In fact he will be irate. He wont understand. My Mother will be More vocal. She can to understand either. A but i have a Job to  when Woller was interviewed earlier this week he was expecting orders sending him to the desert at any moment. A i done to want to go Over there and fight for Arab goals but i do feel we have american interests and american goals a he said. Chaplain capt Irwin Lenefsky the jewish chaplain with the 17th signal in in Frankfurt acknowledged that a jew in the american military probably will struggle Over participation in operation desert shield. A on the other hand i guess a jewish person realizes that a person like Saddam Hussein is an evil person a he said. A this hand is in a lot of terrorist acts against  eliminating Saddam a threat would Benefit Israel Lenefsky said. The . Military is giving no special consideration to jewish service members sent to saudi Arabia a Pentagon spokesman said. Air Force maj. Doug Hart said that All troops Are being briefed on saudi religious sensitivities and that chaplains of All faiths Are being deployed in the Region. He said he is not aware of any cases of jewish troops Yew a  showered with loves amps Ken Georgs from an air base in saudi Arabia pc. Paul Kent left and sgt. John Atkins both of the Natii airborne corps from fort Bragg n.c., have a Chance to talk with their stateside loved ones. The two soldiers Are using Auto on telephones set up in former Field Shower stalls. It is an improvised three Telephone setup that allows troops free 10-minute Calls via . Bases. An average of 185 Calls Are being made daily. Refusing to deploy to saudi Arabia because of religious objections. Its not Clear How such a situation would be handled if it came up. A i done to think you could Call that a conscientious objector situation because cos Are morally opposed to All War a Hart said. A my first reaction to a jewish service member refusing to go to saudi Arabia on religious grounds is that it just  Wash. You can to pick the wars you want to  the end result of such a situation would probably be Legal action possibly a court martial he said. The jewish population within the military is Small about 7,500 of a Force of More than 2 million Active duty personnel. That a less than four tenths of 1 percent. The jewish population of the United states is less than 6 million about 2.45 percent of the More than 240 million americans. The animosity Between the Arab world and Israel also can affect people who have nothing to do with it. One Philadelphia television cameraman covering operation desert shield was denied a saudi visa because he had visited Israel several years earlier and still had that visa in his passport. However the staff at the saudi embassy in Washington eventually relented but Only after the israeli visa was blackened beyond recognition. The causes of this hatred and distrust Are both religious and political said Peter Hefron a professor of International relations with Troy state University in Europe. A there Are some people that think the Koran has anti jewish aspects a Hefron explained. The Koran the sacred Book of the moslem is composed of revelations said to have come to Mohammed in the late 6th and Early 7th centuries. In it Mohammed criticized local jewish tribes which to some Means the Book is anti jewish. The moslem acknowledge that christians and jews received revelations from god but say they have corrupted them. Moslem believe the jews Are not the chosen people Hefron said a which of course is rely offensive to the  Hefron said it is important to remember that jews and moslem have lived together for More than 1,000 years mostly in peace Ana within the same National boundaries. The bad feelings Between the two Are More a result of the zionist movement that gathered steam around the turn of the Century. Zionism a the term was coined in 1893 a is an age old jewish aspiration for a Homeland. European jews believed that their salvation could occur Only in the holy land and they sought to carve that land from what was Palestine. They achieved this goal in 1948, when Israel became a  arabs perceived zionism As european imperialism and began to View the jews in their midst with suspicion expelling Many of them from their Borders. These jews moved to the new Homeland and developed a growing distaste for the Arab world they had once shared. This feeling erupted into armed conflict in 1948, 1956,1967 and 1973. Each time the israelis withstood a United Arab attack despite being outnumbered in population 100 million to about 4vi million. To a the israelis feel very uncomfortable a Hefron said. A they feel As if they Are surrounded by  for the arabs he said it is important to their sense of Unity that they share an enemy. A Israel performs that function of being a common enemy a he said. But for now Israel and saudi Arabia share a common foe. Although the Arab world prefers Unity it does t want dominance by any one Arab state and so fears iraqis Arsenal of weapons. Israel worries that Saddam a successful control of the Arab world would Lead to an inevitable attack on it. So it is that operation desert shield presents a Covey of strange bedfellows in the arabian desert including jewish service members defending islamic soil. If Woller goes soon he will probably be in saudi Arabia at the time of hanukkah the eight Day feast lights commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 . For the Holiday Woller Hopes to have a bit of Trade tonal Holiday vegetation that will be rare even in a desert where All Plant life is scarce a a Jed like to have a hanukkah  he said. Contributing to this report staff writer Chuck Vinch in Washington to