56 Friday, September 17, 1976

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

President's Rosh Hashana Message

'Between You . . . And Me'

THE Wlf ITE I- 1()t

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1976, JTA, Inc.)

By BORIS SMOLAR

W.V-;HING -I ON

On the occasion of the High Holy Days, Mrs. Ford and I want
to express special greetings to our fellow Americans of the
Jewish Faith.

The celebration of our nation's Bicentennial has evoked in all
Americans a deeper appreciation of our rich and varied ances-
tral legacy. We have been reminded in a special way that our
national character has been shaped by the accumulated wisdom
and experience of many nations and individuals.

It is only fitting that we express our pride in the indelible
stamp of Jewish wisdom and experience on our way of life.
This influence was strong and vital from the moment the
American continent became a promised land of hope and oppor-
tunity. Our early settlers closely identified with the teach-
ings of the Prophets and dedicated themselves in this spirit to
building a land that would make the vision of the Prophets a
reality.

This was the spirit that sparked our independence and sus-_
tairied us through many difficult struggles on the way to be-
coming a nation. It is also the spirit that has sustained the
Jewish people and brought about the creation of the modern
state of Israel. It is the same spirit that marks the special
friendship of the American and Israeli people and guides us
in our commitment to preserve the independence and security
of both our lands.

American Jews can take satisfaction in their unsurpassed
record of humanitarian concern, civic responsibility and devo-
tion to justice. As individuals and through their organizations,
they have worked tirelessly and unselfishly to live up to the
Faith of their fathers and the aspirations of the Founding
Fathers of our country. With this in mind, Mrs. Ford and I
extend our best wishes for a prosperous, satisfying and happy
New Year.

CRISIS AND EFFECT: The crisis of American cities is being studied by
leading Jewish organizations to establish the extent to which it affects the
Jewish future in communities with a large Jewish population.
The plight of New York City is especially occupying the attention of the
American Jewish Committee, inasmuch as New York is the center of Ameri-
can Jewry, its institutional life and political influence. Substantial cuts have
already been made by the New York municipality in subsidies to Jewish
welfare institutions. Some of them will have to drastically reduce their
budgets. Others may have to merge. The very existence of some of the
Jewish social agencies is threatened. Similarly is the situation in the entire
northeast.
The crisis in the larger cities also has important fallouts on suburbs
where many Jews live. Shock waves are now being felt by suburban Jews
who have been relatively secure in the past. The new economic uncertainty
is having widespread impact on family life. Family -breakups have reached
record proportions.
Middle class professionals — both in the cities and suburbs — are c.
fronting serious economic problems. Many of them are affected by un- -
employment or fear of unemployment — with the attendant family, social
and economic trauma. Many uproot themselves and leave for the south,
southwest and west where federal favoritism has contributed importantly
to the extraordinary economic growth there and
where it is easier to find a job. Many leave their
families behind them in difficult conditions.
Young Jews coming out of universities no
longer have the job security once guaranteed by
the growth of metropolitan areas. Aged Jews
face a sharp curtailment of necessary services.
The increased competiton for jobs is creating- a
new wave of inter-ethnic tensions.
JEWISH EFFORTS: The American Jewish
Committee is now seeking to establish in what
coalitions the organization might be part in ef-
forts to relieve the present crisis in cities with a
large Jewish_ population. The AJCommittee is
especially studying how it might appropriately
involve itself in trying to reduce the decline of
Jewish neighborhoods, and the impact of the
crisis on the Jewish aged, the Jewish youth and
the Jewish unemployed.
While all northeastern centers of Jewish
population have been hit hard by the current
BORIS SMOLAR
malaise, New York City — the national center of
Jewish life — has been hit hardest. The shift of
the Jewish population from New York to the sun-belt states in search for
better economic opportunities'is growing. Jewish aged move there too. Most
of them live on meager savings and income from Social Security.
It is estimated that in the last years New York City has lost more than
600,000 jobs and has now more than one million people on welfare. Jewish
poor are officially estimated to make up about 15 percent of New York's
population which totals about two million people and constitutes more than
a third of the entire Jewish population in the United States.
Not all Jews classified as poor are aged. One finds among them a sub-
stantial proportion of men and women who have not reached as yet the age
entitling them to Social Security.
JEWISH VIEWS: It is the prevailing opinion among Jewish leaders that
civic bodies — Jewish and non-Jewish — could be very helpful in the amelio-
ration of the crisis by demanding federalization of the funds of welfare,
reapportionment of federal expenditures and other total programs. This
opinion is based on claims by experts that the crisis is caused primarily in
maldistribution of federal funds and benefits among states and cities to the
detriment of New York and the entire northeast.
Perhaps the most interesting argument in the claim against
Washington is data showing that New York state has been receiving in
federal aid and benefits only 39 percent of the federal taxes paid, while
politically favored states receive 156 percent or more of taxes paid in.

Jewish Athletes, Like Christian Counterparts, Should Form Union

By HASKELL COHEN

(Copyright 1976, JTA, Inc.)

We note with great in-
- terest the fact that two of
the outstanding col-
legiate basketball players
last year, both of whom
were considered for the
United States Olympic
team and were All-
American caliber players,
who were drafted by the
Boston Celtics and Seat-
tle Supersonics respec-
tively, have refused luc-
rative contracts in order
to travel with a team
known as Athletes in Ac-
tion, a Christian oriented
group of athletes.
The players involved
are Forrest Bayard of
Grand Canyon College
and Ralph Drollinger
from UCLA. Both boys
are religiously inclined
and are active in the Fel-
lowship of Christian
Athletes, a group of non-
Jewish athletes, obvi-
ously, who are serious
about leading strong

moral and religious lives.

In times past we have
pointed out the fact that a
famous former NBA
Jewish player ap-
proached the writer, who
at that time was the pub-
lic relations director of
the NBA, to form' a fel-
lowship of Jewish
athletes. I pointed out to
the player that the idea
was fine, but he didn't
seem to understand that
the fellowship was based
on a religious. -motif —
that the non-Jewish
athletes formed in a
group to have meetings
during the off season at
which time they have
seminars where promi-
nent authorities in the
Christian doctrine and
theology address them.
Also, they have religious
prayer meetings. When
the Jewish player from
the NBA heard this de-
scription of what was in-
volved in such a move-

ment, he backed away
quickly and that was the
end of the attempt to
start a fellowship of
Jewish athletes.
So far as Jewish athletes
are concerned, over the
years they have shown lit-
tle inclination to band to-
gether to discuss their
tradition, cultural and re-

HANK GREENBERG

ligious backgrounds and
just have been content to
let it be known that they
are members of the JeWish
faith. A concession has
been made by many
baseball players, for
example, not to play in the
World Series slated for
Rosh Hashana and Yom
Kippur.
At one time when Hank
Greenberg was with the
Detroit Tigers and they
got into the World Series,
there was a big fuss made
as to whether or not he
should play on Rosh
Hashana. As I recall it,
the matter was taken be-
fore a Reform rabbi who
indicated that for a vari-
ety of reasons it was per-
missible for Hank to play.
Other than this par-
ticular instance, I can't
recall any matters per-
taining to participation in
sports by Jewish athletes
where the rabbinate and
or Halakha was involved,

although we have had a
humorous situation
where Ron Blumberg of
the New York Yankees
tried to date his future
wife and she refused to go
out with him because she
felt he was not of the
faith.
In order to prove to her
he was Jewish, Ron re-
cited to her the Hebrew
blessing over wine. This
particular demonstration
"koshered" the whole
situation, and eventually
the pair were married.
Ken Holtzman of the New
York Yankees' pitching
staff is free to state that
his wife keeps a kosher
home.
Basically, however,
Jewish athletes never
band together, . they
merely lend encourage-
ment to amateur Jewish
athletes and certainly
have never offered any
financial help to prog-
rams such as the Mac-

cabia Games where some
250 athletes, every four
years, are sent over from
the United States to par-
ticipate in the so-called
Jewish Olympics.
As a matter of fact,
Jewish owners — and they
are numerous in baseball,
football and basketball —
have been approach
contribute and to my
lection, not one has
sent in a $10 bill to aid in
financing the cost of
transporting amateur
Jewish athletes to Israel
for these games.
One would have to come
to the conclusion that as
"active_ Jews" 99.9 per-
cent of our athletes are
far off the mark. If is not
our posture to criticize or
suggest that they do any-
thing to change their
thinking or actions, but
the fact does remain that
our athletes make a poor R
showing when it comes to
a display of Yiddishkeit.