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24 Friday, January 12, 1919

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

A Routine Night on Guard Duty in Jerusalem

By STEVE SCHIFF

JERUSALEM — For al-
most a year, - since my wife
and I made aliya to Israel
from Detroit, I have been
doing civilian guard duty in
my Jerusalem neighbor-
hood. Up until last night,
the once a month shifts were

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mostly pleasant evenings
out with a friend, a chance
to exchange rumors about
the housing shortage and to
commiserate with each
other over the 40 percent in-
flation rate.
The initial training ses-
sion involved a half-an-hour
lecture-demonstration on
the use of the old American-
carbines and the opportu-
nity to fire 10 bullets at a
practice range out in the
hills near Bethlehem (10
out of 10 on the target,
thank you). It was all very
innocent (despite the use of
a rifle for the first time in
my life) and was generally
more humorous than sol-
emn for the new recruits.
Of course, there was the
evening last summer, dur-
ing one of the periods when
a spate of bombs had gone
off and others had been -dis-
covered in Jerusalem,
which temporarily jolted me
from this feeling of calm:
We were walking past a
bus while it was inching

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its way up a steep hill
when we heard a loud
explosion and saw a puff
of smoke from the back of
the bus. Within seconds
the passengers had
scrambled (I should say
panicked) out of the bus,
one old woman injuring
h6rself as she tried to es-
cape through the win-
dow. The army and police
and civilian guards were
on the scene in a matter of
minutes, but it all turned
out to be merely a blow-
out on one of the rear
tires.
What 'made an impres-
sion on me was the fear of
these people and, flat tire or
not, I was initiated into the
reality of living in an
environment where ter-
rorism was more than a
news story from some far
away place. But, since that
evening, the monthly guard
duties had taken on the
more usual calm pace and
good camaraderie that it
had offered before.
Then a few nights ago a
very small incident oc-
curred which I have been
thinking about ever since,,
and which has disturbed
me, maybe more than the
incident warrants.
Nonetheless, I have thought
about it and have tried to
decide whether I have any
right to generalize from it or
make conclusions about my
own reaction and psychol-
ogy, let alone the psychol-
ogy and effect on this society
as a whole. I'm not sure I
have that right or that I'm
correct in my analysis, but
I'm not totally convinced I
haven't seen some kernel of
truth either:
We were walking in one of
the partially constructed
apartment buildings that
dot our particular
neighborhood when we
spotted an Arab in kafieh
carrying a bundle in each
hand. (In the 11 months I
had been doing guard duty
this was the first time I had
ever had to ask an Arab, or
anyone for that matter, to
show his identity papers.)
Curiously enough, in the
seconds.that elapsed during
which I asked the man to
stop and in which he duti-
fully obeyed, I flashed back
to the only other time that I
had wielded any officially
sanctioned authority, my
days as crossing monitor in
elementary school.
The 'analogy would be
humorous if it weren't for
the fact that for the first
few seconds I rather
enjoyed the feeling that I
had the power to stop
someone and the satis-
faction that that person
so obediently listened to
me. I was disappointed at
my reaction, but I was
aware of it.
I know that guard duty in
Israel is a valuable public
service and needed in the
light of the reality of ter-
rorist attack. But, I'm not so
sure I don't hurt (as well as
help) innocent people in the
course of that duty. I'm not
sure that in spite of my own
politeness and the Arab's
equally polite demeanor, I

didn't degrade him and, in
the process, myself.
I felt dirty and abusive as
I shined the flashlight in his
face to verify that he was
the same Arab from Hebron
that his identity papers
stated he was. In my very
small role I truly felt like
the representative of a con-
quering nation and bur-
dened with all the conflict-
ing emotions that go along
with that position.
- I'm not trying to make
any point about the right of
Israel to guard against ter-
rorism or the necessity of
taking measures which
would be considered ex-
treme in a more normal
situation. But, I do hope
that the sensibilities which
made me feel ashamed at
playing the role of "con-
queror" might somehow be
incorporated into the
decision-making process of
the nation.
To what extent it can
compete with the very
real issues of security
and defense, I'm not sure.
But, at the point when Is-
raelis feel no confusion
about their role, then for
me, the real danger to Is-
rael will have begun.
The alternative of being a
conqueror is certainly not to
revert to being the con- *-
quered. How we balance the
requirements of security
with the moral issues of
political and personal be-
havior will determine, in
great measure, the future of
this country.
A hostile Arab world will
have achieved a great vic-
tory if it is able to separate
Israel from the long, moral
tradition of the Jewish
people. To continue that
tradition, in the face of the
constant military threat, is
as great a challenge as any
other this nation faces.

Married Students
Studying Together
at Yeshiva School

NEW YORK — Six mar-
ried couples are among
• Yeshiva University's Ber-
nard Revel Graduate
School's students (19 per-
cent of whom are women)
and all are effusively
enthusiastic about the
benefits they feel joint study
can bring to Jewish family
life. .
"We have to face a
reality," says Rabbi Barry
Freundel, assistant rabbi of
the Great Neck Synagogue,
who is working towards a
master's degree in Bible
while his wife works
towards her master's degree
in Hebrew literature.
"The return to Jewish
roots is a very real phenom-
enon and inmany cases it is
impeded by a belief that
women will not grow intel-
lectually if they choose an
Orthodox life-style. This
kind of family study is the
best way away from that
limited view. It's the wave
of the future. NOW husbands
and wives can stay in better
touch, instead of having the
woman lag progressively
behind as the years go on,"
he said.

AJCongress Tells Support
for Late Dr. King's Goals

NEW YORK — On the
eve of what would have been
the 50th birthday of Martin
Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 15,
the American Jewish Con-
gress issued a call for re-
dedication to the goals of so-
cial and economic justice
embraced' by the fallen
leader.
"It would be a fitting trib-
ute to the life .and work of a
great American," said
Howard M. Squadron,
president of the AJCon-
gress, "if we could achieve
in 1979 the goals that_ Dr.
King expressed so
eloquently and fought for so
courageously — full em-
ployment, decent housing,
good schools and true equal
opportunity for black
Americans.
"That is'why we endorsed
and worked for the
Humphrey-Hawkins Full
Employment Bill and are
most gratified by its pas-
sage.
"We believe there is no
reason why the American
people must accept the

cruel paradox of a society
in which there are mil-
lions idle who are able to
work while schools,
housing, health facilities
and other vital institu-
tions need to be built and
staffed, while necessary
antipollution installa-
tions exist only as bluep-
rints and while mass
transportation steadily
deteriorates.
"The time has come to put
the unemployed to work at
building the many pub
assets that our society li
been denying itself."
Squadron noted that
American Jews and Israelis
both honor the memory of
Martin Luther King, Jr. On
a hill in biblical Galilee,
near Nazareth, a forest has
been dedicated to Dr. King's
memory. Planted by the
Jewish National Fund, the
forst is sponsored by the
black and Jewish members
of the United States Con-
gress. UN Ambassador An-
drew Young is also a spon-
sor.

Rebbe Calls for Awareness
of the Sanctity of Marriage

NEW YORK — The
Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi ,
Menachem M. Schneerson,
has called for renewed
awareness ofthe sanctity of
marriage and the holiness
of Jewish family life.
Speaking on the evening
of his 50th wedding an-
niversary, the Rebbe said
that "marriage and Jewish
family life are sacred, pure
and holy. It is little wonder
that the constant talmudic
and halakhic reference to
marriage is with the word
tkidushin,' which means
consecrated and holy."
The laws of `Taharat
Hamishpaha' - the sanctity
of Jewish marital life - are
prescribed in the Torah and
explained at considerable
length in the Talmud and
Shulkhan Arukh — the
Code 'of Jewish Law.
"Jewish families have
scrupulously observed
Taharat. Hamishpaha
through the millenia.
Though not often spoken of
in public, observance of
Taharat Hamishpaha is
the most important ingre-
dient and cherished aspect
in the foundation of the
Jewish, home," the Rebbe
said.
The laws of Taharat
Hamishpaha, among other
things, prohibit any physi-
cal contact between hus-
band and wife during cer-
tain periods of the monthly
cycle for at least 12 consecu-
tive days, which may be re-
sumed only after immersion
in a mikva.
"The abstinence does not
impair the relationship but
factually enhances it. And
its strict observance is also
very important for the phys-
ical and spiritual well-being
of the offspring. The laws of
Taharat Hamishpaha are
many, and its meticulous
observance brings a magni-
ficent new dimension to the
wholesomeness and quality

of life in the Jewish home,"
the Rebbe said.
The Rebbe said that
though it takes the dedica-
tion of both husband and
wife to observe Taharat
Hamishpaha, it is primar-
ily the role of the woman to
see that it is carefully kept
in all its details.

Returns for Trial

JERUSALEM -- Morris
Glickman, an Australian
attorney charged with theft
and fraud amounting to
$875,000 was extradited to
Australia at the end of De-
cember.

Australian authorities
accompanied their extradi-
tion request with 2,000
pages of documents.

Benefits Asked
for Homemakers

WASHINGTON — The
American Jewish Congress
says that the nation's rising
divorce ate makes it "im-
perative"10 give homemak-
ers Social Security credit for
their household work.
Testifyin g at a public
hearing of the Advisory
Council on Social 'Security
of the Department o
Health, Education and We
fare, Dr. Martin Hochbaum,
director of the American
Jewish Congress Commis-
sion on Urban Affairs, said,
"Women who are divorced
after less than 10 years of
marriage receive. no Social
Security protection as de-
pendents.
."Even if a woman is mar-
ried for more than 10 years
and even if she goes to work
after her children are
grown, her old-age benefits
will be less than half of what
her husband receives be-
cause of the years she was
not covered by Social Secu-
rity."