WORTH NOTING ON TV

WEDNESDAY

The Longest Hatred (PBS, 9-11:30 p.m.): Anyone aware of the "ethnic cleansing" going on in the former Yugoslavia knows that racial animosity - and the violence that goes with it - is a continuing problem. This program dissects one of its longest and most terrible manifestations: anti-Semitism. It is being billed as TV's "first" in-depth analysis of this scourge, but even if it isn't quite that original, it does offer an investigation unusual in its detail, completeness, scope, and ecumenicalism. It draw s on prominent Muslim, Jewish, and Christian spokesmen and scholars in America, the Middle East, and Europe - and it doesn't leave out what's happening today as it places the problem in a very large historical canvas. It also doesn't leave out interviews with the source of the problem: antiSemites themselves. The long documentary is in three parts, the first - "From the Cross to the Swastika" looks at the relations of Judaism and Christianity from the Roman period until today. "Enemies of the People" shows the link between an extreme brand of nationalism and anti-Semitism. And the anti-Semitism inflamed by Arab-Israeli clashes is the subject of the last section, "Between Moses and Mohammed." THURSDAY

Earth and the American Dream (HBO, 8-9:30 p.m.): Here's a fresh approach to Earth Day, an event being observed in a somewhat more familiar way on several other networks (check local listings). Noted filmmaker Bill Coutune uses varied documentary sources to tell a tale about the Western discovery, conquest, and partial destruction of the American land, beginning with Columbus and continuing through settlement and industrialization, ending with today. The historical subject is well-known, of course, but in

this case it is seen through an environmentalist's eyes, as viewers realize the price paid for achieving the American dream.

Please check local listings for all programs, especially those on PBS.