Friliay, March 6, 1981
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Vaad Dispels Hope of Eruv Now, May Reconsider Next Fall
(Continued from Page 1)
congregants who daven,
the conscience of the
people who have a need.
I'm telling the rabbis,
`Rabbis, we need an
eruv.' "
Rabbi Jack Goldman,
administrator of the Met-
ropolitan Kashruth Council
of Michigan, who is re-
garded as a maverick, spoke
on behalf of the Conserva-
tive and Reform Jews. We
have to be concerned for the
Conservative and Reform
Jews — they're Jews too."
Rabbi Goldman questioned
the vote taken by the Vaad
—linst the eruv. "I can't
gine that this vote could
conscientiously be taken
unless the community need
was really taken into ac-
count."
Rabbi Henoch Millen,
headmaster of Yeshivat
Akiva, who recently became
a member of the Vaad but
did not vote on the eruv is-
sue, spoke saying, in effect,
that the decision of the
Vaad should be respected
and that by their presence
at the meeting they would
probably reconsider the
matter. "We came here to-
night to ask the Gedolah
Yisroel who are the gedolim
in our town to reconsider
the question ... I'm sure they
will reconsider the matter."
He made several references
to Gemara and other
sources in his talk.
When Rabbi Millen was
given another opportunity
to speak, he remarked that
two of the rabbis who voted
against the eruv were
Lubavitch, and by their tra-
dition were against the eruv
even before they voted. He
suggested that the two,
whose names were not men-
tioned, should have been
disqualified.
Alex Saltzman gave an
impassioned appeal on
behalf of his crippled
grandson also seated in
the room. Larry Singal
remarked that the "Vaad
should address them-
selves to the needs of the
community. The needs
have changed; they are
greater."
Rabbi Sidney Green,
rabbi for the Jewish Home
for Aged, asked "If the vote
of 8-7 were in favor of an
eruv, what would've hap-
pened? Do individuals have
the right to build an eruv
themselves?"
Rabbi Eliezer Cohen
made a pointed remark
when he said, "I don't see
why we have to wait till
next year for the same an-
swer."
What never was deter-.
mined in the Vaad's re-
sponse to these questions
what is the basis for
Vaad's decision against
the eruv. Frequently, the
word "need" arose in the
questions and remarks, but
the Vaad never stated what
they determined consti-
tuted a need.
Before taking its vote,
the Vaad brought the
issue before Rabbi
Moshe Feinstein, re-
garded as the expert on
Halakhic matters. What
Rabbi Feinstein said is
that if the Vaad saw the
need in the community
for an eruv, then it should
be created. The Vaad de-
liberated the matter and
the result was the vote
against the eruv. The
question of need still
stands unresolved.
Noting the angry tone of
the forum, Rabbi James I.
Gordon, spiritual leader of
Young Israel of Oak-Woods,
a leading proponent of the
eruv, said that the forum
was to be a dialogue. "Our
letter (of invitation to the
forum) was misinterpreted.
Everyone read into it revolt
and rebellion.
"It was our intention to
set up a dialogue with the
Beth Din so that the Young
Israel community would
ask questions. It was not our
intention to invite anyone
else from the community."
A member of the Vaad,
Rabbi Gordon defended the
Vaad's right to vote. "It was
a vote taken in the finest
tradition of democracy."
In response to the dis-
gruntled, Rabbi Gordon
said that "whatever the
rabbi poskins, you are
duty-bound to follow that
psach.
"We have a great deal to
learn before the rabbis' re-
consideration. I hope all of
us can work together."
A petition containing 529
signatures of persons in
favor of the eruv was pre-
sented at the meeting.
Plans for an eruv have been
under consideration by the
Orthodox community for
the past 10 years. ,
Proponents of the eruv
stand firm when they say
there is a definite need in
the community. In an ear-
lier statement, Rabbi
Goldman said:
"I feel very strongly
about the issue concern-
ing the effective im-
plementation of an eruv
in our community. Such
an act would do much to
enhance the observance
of the Sabbath, and, in
general terms, it would
make Jewish living in
Oak Park and Southfield
much more pleasant and
enjoyable, by allowing
those with small children
to utilize their buggies on
the Sabbath, and by
allowing those unfortu-
nates who are restricted
to wheelchairs to come to
the synagogue, without
violating the Sabbath."
Rabbi David A. Nelson,
spiritual leader of the Con-
servative Cong. Beth
Shalom said:
"In the name of commu-
nity cooperation and
mutual respect I support the
concept of the eruv. Surely,
it would be helpful to many
who strive to observe
Shabat in a traditional fash-
ion. I do not understand why
it is possible to establish an
eruv in Baltimore and many
other cities and yet, in De-
troit, it is not possible. It is
my hope that the eruv will
become a reality in Detroit."
Eruvin exist in various
communities in New York,
North Miami Beach,
Teaneck (N.J.) and Toronto.
Karen and Gary Davidoff
of Huntington Woods, in a
letter protesting the Vaad's
vote against the eruv,
stated in part:
"By denying that there
is a need for an eruv the
Council of Orthodox
Rabbis also denies that
young women with small
children ever have
spiritual needs which go
unmet because they can-
not ever pray with a con-
gregation on Shabat or
Yom Kippur. There are,
at most, 65 Festival Days,
High Holy Days and
Shabatot in any given
year if none of the Festi-
vals or High Holy Days
fall on Shabat. Of these,
12 are days on which car-
rying is permitted.
"This means that in an
ideal year, given perfect
weather, perfect health, and
Yom Tov on weekdays only,
a whole family can attend
services together only 20
percent of the time. Since
we know that ideality is sel-
dom, if ever, reached, we
can reduce this number to
ten percent, and probably be
closer to reality. This is
plainly unjust; and could be
misconstrued as an unfair
decision made by a group of
men who haven't the sen-
sitivity to realize its impli-
cations for women and then a radical course of ac- to concede that the rabbis
tion, involving significant who opposed the eruv are
young families."
In their letter to the changes in the structure of (Continued on Page 10)
Young Israel membership the Vaad must be pursued.
Rabbis Gordon, Joshua This is obviously the task
Sperka, Samuel Prero and for us as rabbis.
"On the specific issue of
Feivel Wagner stated:
Selectrics
"The four Young Israel the eruv, the community
Full
must
make
itself
heard
rabbis voted for the pro-
Warranty
posal. Its defeat, by a vote again, as it did years ago
of 8 to 7, indicates the when action on the eruv was
342-7802
position of the Vaad that first initiated. Not to do so is
there is no community-
wide need for an eruv,
though they conceded
that there are individuals
whose particular needs
should somehow be re-
solved.
"This impasse brings a
serious problem to the fore.
We believe that the present
administration of the Vaad
is not responding to the
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