THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

48—Friday, Nov. 29, 1974

I R abbi Goldman Says Sabbath Is Key to Jewish Identification

LETTER BOX

Local Affirmative Action Blasted

Editor, The Jewish News:
According to "Affirmative
Action" guidelines, I am a
Caucasian with the majority
status graciously bestowed
upon me. In reality, however,
I am - an Eastern European
Jew—a member of a distinct
minority with a long history
—who came to America after
one of those pogrom-holo-
causts.
With a background like
this,, any one should easily
see what "Affirmative Ac-
tion" means: it _means classi-
fying the citizens of this coun-
try into arbitrary groups, for
the purpose of treating some
differently than others —
legally.
I am rather surprised and
dismayed that you, with a
background similar to mine
but much more learned and
experienced than I, do not
see the danger here to a so-
ciety built on the principle
of equal rights and opportun-
ities, the danger to us Jews,
who are a minority within
the Caucasian majority with-
out even the benefit of Span-
ish surnames.
That the Southfield Board
of Education proposes "Af-
firmative Action" is disturb-

•

MUSIC BY

SAM BARNETT

AND HIS O•HESTRA

.se

968-2563

FACIAL HAIR
PERMANENTLY
REMOVED

ing for several reasons (not
the least one is that we have
here local officials represent-
ing extraneous causes rather
than the best interests of
their constituency, and acting
according to their own con-
science at the community's
expense), but me single
out the one reason which has
prompted me to urge that
you, the publisher of the Jew-
ish newspaper in this com-
munity, get involved.
"Minority" politics have
been injected into a most
sensitive and important area
where such politics do not
belong: education and -
schools. The Jewish sector of
any community must beware
of and oppose such politics,
you know that, because of
long experience and common
sense. And that all three
Jews on the Board of Educa-
tion are among those spear-
heading such programs may
be incidental, but should not
affect our judgment.
_ I urge you to- get involved
in this issue because, unfor-
tunately, favoring one group
implies restricting another
group, especially, in hard
times. Besides, it sets a bad
precedent. And_ who do you
think will ultimately be re-
stricted? All Caucasians fair-
ly and equally, or just the
Caucasian Jews? Your guess
is probably as good as mine.
Voices have been heard al-
ready condemning the undue
Jewish influence in the press,
for instance. Jews are only a
few per cent of the popula-
tion, they say, and yet so
many of them are in the pub-
lishing business. Will, per-
haps, the principle` of "Af-
firmative Action" be applied
to journalism too?
I.._ am looking forward to
Your reaction, hopefully your
willingness to discuss this is-
sue in your paper and to in-
form your readers about it. -
JOSHUA LIFSCHITZ

-

attempted to fill the needs daism and could not, in good
of the wide margin of "mid- conscience, align themselves
dle-American Jewry,"_ those with Orthodoxy. Perhaps
who were not quite ready to there was a need to fill such
join the ranks of Reform Ju- a gap and perhaps there was
not, but it certainly appears
*
that the current effort with
issuing a kashrut guide is a,
Herzl Biography Denounced bit premature.
If the rabbinical corps of
The Jews of Austria, Essays
Editor, The Jewish News:-
About two years ago, an on their Life, History and Conservative Judaism wants
elderly woman approached Destruction) for the British to take positive measures in
.me for advice concerning her Commonwealth edition of identifying itself with Torah
research work on "Theodor Herzl by Desmond Stewart. Judaism, _it should begin
On May 8, 1974, in a reg- with the observance of the
Herzl", which, she said, she
was - doing 'for someone istered letter, I stated, that Sabbath and not with kaSh-
abroad. She visited me on after reading the American rut. Or, perhaps, they should
several occasions and I men- edition I could not give per- begin with a' clear affirma-
tioned some books on Herzl, mission to quote from my tive statement of their ac-
ceptance of Torah mi Sinai.
among them my own, which copyrighted books.
I am astonished to find which to date, so far as
she could find in the British
Museum. I also agreed to be that Hamish Hamilton Ltd. know, they have rejected.
has ignored my refusal to
quoted.
Once they accept an uncon-
When "Treodor Herzl" by be quoted and I am incensed ditional commitment to To-
Desmond Stewart appeared to see my name connected rah as Divine in origin and
in New Y9rk, I was horri- with such a book. It is the binding upon every Jew, then
fied, on reading this evil first time in 40 years that I let them close their parking
book in execrable taste, in have refused permission to lots on the Sabbath, turn 'off
which my name is quoted. be quoted. Mr. Stewart also their microphones; and recti-
Then I remembered the' quotes a number of other fly other Sabbath violations
name of Desmond Stewart, authors - but I do not know in their synagogues.
a friend of the Arabs. Let if Hamish Hamilton Ltd. ap-
The final area of concern
me quote The Times of Oc- proached them for permis-
is the Sabbath. The reason
sion or not.
tober 29, 1968:
I should like _to stress, that for that is that the Halaka
"Mr. Desmond Stewart,
writer and broadcaster, who the best biography of-"Theo- develops a very intimate re-
claimed that an article in dor Herzl" is still the gen- lationship between Sabbath
the Daily Express implied erally recogniZed standard observance and the laws of
that in 1964 he was a "Mosle- work "Theodor Herzl" by kashrut, to the extent that a
Sabbath violator cannot be
vile"• and fascist, lost his Alex Bein.
JOSEF FRAENKEL held responsible for dealing
claim for libel damage in the
(Editcir's Note: The review with kosher foods. The
_ think-
High Court yesterday . . .
Mr. Stewart was ordered to of Stewart's shocking story
pay cost, estimated at 6,000 of Herzl, in The Jewish
Pound Sterling for the six- News, July 15, pointed to the
many errors and 'to the in-
day hearing . . . "
On March 19, 1974, I re- justice done the founder of
ceived from Hamish Hamil- political Zionism by a prej-
ton Ltd. a letter asking per- udiced biographer. Josef
mission to quote from my Fraenkel, author of the above
books (Theodor Herzl,_ des letter, is the London corre-
Schoenfers - erstes Wollen; spondent of The Jewish
Theodor Herzl, a Biography; News).

,Editor, The -Jewish News,
Since its founding at the
Pittsburgh Convention of
1936, the Conservative move-
ment in the United States has

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646-6138

ESTHER and ESTRUS

ALL FALL & WINTER
MERCHANDISE ON

Beisan Recalled Before Attack

Editor, The Jewish News,
Just as my fellow ,Ameri-
Recommended by Physicians
can Sherut La'am (Service
FREE CONSULTATION
to the People) volunteer
SHIRLEY PERSIN
friends who liveed in Ma'alot
Registered Elecirokigist
felt a very personal pain from
ADVANCE BUILDING
the massacre months ago, so
23077 GREENFIELD
- `boom 260
Nr. NorthIPesti 8. 'Providence Hospital
too do I mourn for my
PHONE 557-1108
friends, my neighbors, in Bei-
i 5 Yogis Downtown
Better to lose with a wise san today.
man than win with a fool.
Although Jews all over the
world are feeling great re-
morse, anger, and frustra-
tion, I feel very much alone
in sorrow:
Last year in Israel there
was an -article in the Jeru-
salem Post about Beisan.
• CUSTOM STYLING
• - HAND-CRAFTED
They called this little town
"The Gate of Paradise." I
PHONE 345-535e
PROMPT DELI VERY
laughed when reading that—
MADE IN MICHIGAN
before my year. of living
there began. Since when is
a poor development town in
Israel a paradise, I thought.
Our 30th Year
I moved to Beisan with
four other Americans in
October, while the Yom Kip-
pur War was raging and
most of the men were fight-
ing. They needed teachers
badly, and so we had our
work cut out. This town
;appeared so strange — with
• Steper Imposed
Moroccan Jews of three gen-
• Silhouettes
Color
erations, many being illiter-
• Unique Poses
ate and superstitious -. Their
Weddings
Bar
Mitzvahs
•
way of life •and traditions are
so different than the Euro-
pean Ashkenazi Jews.
We had one small apart-
ment without enough beds,
dishes, not even a refrigera-
tor or hot plate. Four of us
547-7054 or 398-1068
slept on two small beds
pushed together

-
Eyebrows— Neckline— Arms— Legs

ing behind this is that if
one's conscience admits of
Sabbath violation he cannot
seriously be considered a
kashrut observer.
As for your recommenda-
tion that a Sanhedrin be
formed to deal with all of
these problems, that certain-
ly has its merits. On the
other hand, perhaps that, too,
is a bit premature. The To-
rah-committed Jewish com-
munity has thrived in these
two millennia without a San
hedrin. Despite its absence,
we have managed, on the
basis of a life committed
the Shulkhan Arukh and
the teachings of the great
Torah luminaries of every
generation to remain loyal
to our faith,- faithful to our
Covenant. •

That was when Beisan
took care of us. Neighbors
invited us into their homes
and called us family. They
fed us and filled our arms
with fruits, cakes and eggs.
All over the town we were
treated like kings and queens.
In the school where I
• Pant Suits -• Short Dresses
worked, on the street, where
I lived, and all across town,
• Long Dresses • Rain Coats
people said "please come and
visit, come to dinner." This
• Pant Coat • Blouses
was at a time when their
• Slacks • Sweaters
sans, husbands, cousins, were
dying and -prices were out-
rageous.
Thirteen died from Beisan
during the Yom Kippur War,
all in this town felt it. Every-
one shared in the grief and
ceremony when a monument
was erected in the park.
When the massacres in Kir-
yat Shemona and Ma'alot
took place people cried in
the streets — one woman'
screamed, "they're taking
our flowers, our children are
our flowers,"
I left -Beisan in /lily, one
Open Sat., Nov. 30th, 10:30 to 4:30
of the hardest moves I've
ever made. Although for so
many reasons I wanted to
stay, I, myself, was physical-
and
ly, emotionally exhausted. I
SPORTSWEAR
needed to ,get away, my ••
neighbors and friendS did
2838 Cooldige, Berkley, Mich.
also. Some wanted to for
awhile, but they had no
choice. They remained in
Beisan, a little town in dis-
tress but truly the gate of
paradise.
JUDI HEIT

112
OFF

ESTHER

ESTELLES

All Merchandise
Drastically Reduced

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