2 Friday, Agri!' TT 198 - - THE DETROIT JEWISH NEVUS Purely Commentary Democracy as an Adjunct to Freedom and as A Challenge to Those Selecting Leadership By Philip Slomovitz Freedom and Democracy as a Passover Theme Freedom, the right to speak one's mind, to criticize, is closely allied with democracy. Without the democratic principles to be guided by, there can be no freedom, no indepen- dent thought or action. Passover is the proper occasion to take both into account, to study their values and show concern for their enforcement. If there is to be a proper interdepen- dence of the two ideals, there must also be responsible leadership. A nearly-forgotten question is being raised anew. It can be summarized by inquiring: Who selects leadership, and is it self-perpetuating? To it is again being posed the quesiton, how democratic is the Jewish community in its selection of leadership? In Jerusalem, in Washington and even in Vienna, these queries gained listening ears. In Israel, critics of the most recent approaches to the issue created by the enormity of the new U.S. policy of providing armaments to Saudi Arabia caused some columnists,to ask: who selects spokesmen for American Jewry? The explanation lies in rotations of chairmanships and the selectivity inherent in organizational forces. It may well be asked whether the Conference of Presidents is the recognized and delegated body to speak for Jewry, or whether rump groups should be given status. It may well be asked whether a group described as "32 prominent Jewish Republicans" should have been elevated to the dignity of a Jewish intermediary in the matter involving U.S. military provisions for Saudi Arabia. But even that apparently self-appointed group could not exercise unanimity. It was reported that a decisive statement to the President, who met with the 32 Republicans, was edited, and by editing it the sense of protest was denuded. This is what forces raising the question as to who represents Jewry and what responsibility do the chosen exercise. The entire question of American support for Saudi Arabia in the form of massive arms provisions needs to be reviewed. The sentiments are that the opposition must not falter. Therefore, submission to the plan must be challenged. Even if Israel is muting the issue, the matter of Middle East peace affecting the peace of the world must not be ignored and the arms proposals for the Saudis should be challenged. The suggested Russian threat in that immediate sphere is subject to scrutiny if it is Saudi Arabia that is selected as the defender of American rights. It could be imaginary, the Saudi power being only in its oil fields. Submission to that power permits the Saudis to advocate a Jihad against Israel and to be the chief disseminator of the falsified, fabricated Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Against such threats there can be no sub ' sion, but Israel Foreign Ministry spokesmen have advocated "muting." A very fe American Jews who are selected as spokesmen for Jewry have yielded to such subm - , sions. This is the cause for a re-evaluation of the responsibility demanded of those chosen to be leaders for Jewry. It is not a pleasant subject, but it is on the agenda, and it must not be ignored. Jewish leadership demands courage clothed in dignity. That rules out fear and submission to pressures, regardless from whence they stem. Passover's spirit will be elevated by the consideration of such new challenges in Jewish life. It isn't enough to talk about freedom, unless it is imbedded in the democratic way of life. That in turn, demands adherence to duty. Let those who speak of the liberties in responsible community structures help strengthen the foundations of organized Jewish life with the dignity of freedom-democracy as guidelines. Asimov's1n the Beginning' Answers Fundamentalists By JOSEPH GUTMANN In the light of the head- line "Fundamentalists Start Lobbying for Creationism in Michigan," which appeared in the De- troit Free Press on April 3, the book "In the Beginning" by Isaac Asimov (Stoneson Press and Crown Pub- lishers) is most welcome. Asimov, perhaps best known as a writer of science fiction, has 220 books to his credit, including his im- pressive scientific books on biochemistry and enzymology. Asimov, who was born in Russia in 1920 and came to the United States at age three, has a reputation not only as a suc- cessful author of science fic- tion, but as a serious scien- tist who was a professor of biochemistry at Boston University's Medical School. For the last 100 years, Asimov relates, Western civilization has propounded two accounts of Creation. One account is religious, and is found in the Hebrew Bible written several thousand years ago in an- cient Judah; the other ac- count emerged in the 19th Century from the laboratories. These two versions of Creation have constantly clashed; they became the center of controversy in the famous trial of John T. Scopes who in 1925 at- tempted to teach the Darwinian theory of evolution to high school students in violation of Tennessee law. Once again the con- troversy has flaired anew. This time a powerful drive is under way throughout the country to teach chil- dren in the public schools that the world was divinely created. The campaign is being spearheaded by members of the Moral Majority, a religious- political aroup, whose spiritual head is the evangelist Reverend Jerry Falwell. Falwell and his Moral Majority followers aim to discredit the theory of evolution, to turn the clock back to the Middle Ages, by introducing so-called "sci- entific creationism" into our schools. Scientific creationism is nothing more than an attempt to cloak a fundamentalist Christian ISAAC ASIMOV belief in the language of sci- ence. According to the De- troit Free Press article, if Falwell and his organiza- tion succeed in their lob- bying campaign, Michi- gan schools will have to teach the biblical version of Creation in biology classes alongside the ac- cepted Darwinian theory or evolution. The state of Arkansas,already passed a law requiring public schools to give equal treatment to both ac- counts of Creation, and parents in several Michi- gan counties are pressur-' ing school boards to in- clude the biblical crea- tion story in the cur- riculum of their schools. "Belief in a supreme be- ing," according to one re- Michigan sponsible superintendent, does not be- long in a public school, as our Constitution clearly separates Church from State. Asimov makes ap- parent that all biblical statements rest on faith in God's supreme authority, and fundamentalists can tolerate no argument against them. Science, on the other • but has no place in public hand, accepts nothing on debates or in public institu- faith alone, but only on evi- tions. dence that can be observed Attempts to argue that and measured. the Universe and the Earth Although James Usher, the Anglican archbishop, were created at the same decided in 1654 that Crea- time, or that God accom- tion occurred on Oct. 23, plished Creation in six days, 4004 BCE, and orthodox are doomed to failure since Jewish belief traces crea- they fly in the face of scien- tion back 5741 years (to tific logic and knowledge. "In the scientific view," 3760 BCE), scientific evi- Asimov asserts that dence estimates that our earth came into being about change is inevitable and "the work of Creation has four billion years ago. What Asimov makes never ended and may never amply clear is that sci- end." Asimov writes in a ence simply cannot be reconciled with religion lucid and sometimes in spite of fundamentalist witty style. With his sci- efforts to do so. The He- entific observations brew Bible is essentially there is no cavil. His book a document of faith writ- serves as a powerful ten by the ancient Jews to antidote to fundamen- better understand their talist thinking. As a Jewish biblical universe and their God before modern science commentator, however, Asimov's rendering of the emerged. first 11 chapters of Genesis As a document of faith where all events and hap- leaves a lot to be desired. penings are inspired and di- His mode of commenting on each verse in the creation rected by Divinity, the Bible belongs to the personal con- accounts is patterned on science of each individual, such famous 11th-12th Cen-• Jew and Christian alike, tury medieval Jewish com- JOSEPH GUTMANN mentators as Rashi, Ab- raham ibn Ezra and David Kimhi. Like them, Asimov at- tempts to annotate each verse cited. In his comments he gives scientific, historic, mythological and etymolog- ical explanations. These ex- planations are sometimes insightful, but all too fre- quently contain glaring his- toric errors, such as the be- lief in Akhenaton's monotheism, brilliantly formulated by Freud, but long discarded by scholars. His oversimplification and inadequate under- standing of the complex Graf Wellhausen JEDP documentary theory of the Bible, his often unsound etymological derivations of such Hebrew words as Nephilim, neshama, Ashkenaz, are serious weaknesses which could have been avoided had the author consulted such authoritative books as Prof. Harry M. Orlinsky's "Notes on the New Translation of the Torah" and his "Under- standing the Bible through History and Archaeology." Hopefully, Asimov's many Christian readers will be sufficiently influ- enced by his book to side against the mounting cam- paign of the Moral Majority. For his avid Jewish readers, I would suggest that they peruse In the Beginning" with the same scientific skepticism that Asimov ad- vocates, and that they con- sult more scholarly books on the subject, such as those by Harry Orlinsky. Finnish Settlers Are Pioneering in Israel By ELLEN DAVIDSON Israel Govt. Press Service JERUSALEM — They number some 50 souls and came from Finland to live in Israel nine years ago. Their home, the tiny village of Yad HaShmona, is now five-years old. It is situated on a hilltop amid the pines of the Judean Hills near Jerusalem, with a spectacu- lar view of the Mediterra- nean coast some 50 kilometers (31 miles) away. Their children, fair- skinned and blond in strik- ing contrast to their darker Israeli schoolmates, speak Hebrew. They are a special phenomenon in Israel's 33 years of existence Chris- tian settlers who have come to take part in the rebirth of the Jewish state. Yad naShmona is one of two predominantly Chris- tian settlements in Israel. Deeply religious, its mem- bers chose the name, which 56:6-7)." means "memorial to the The settlement, which re- eight," in remembrance of sembles a typical Israeli eight Jewish refugees who moshav (collective farm), were mistakenly handed has been warmly received over to the Nazis by Finns in by Israelis; its industrious 1942. Of the eight (out of self-reliance strongly re- more than 2,000 Jews shel- sembles similar pioneering tered in Finland during the efforts by Jews who have war) all died except for one cultivated fields and or- now living in Israel. Their chards all over the country. deaths, and those of the six A full-fledged member of million other Jews who Israel's settlement associa- were killed in the Holocaust, have long trou- tion, the Finnish moshav is bled many Finnish con- not, however, a farm. It is an industrial village, a new sciences. A spokesman for this - type of enterprise now small community ex- springing up which is de- plained their feelings: signed to provide services "We came here to make and manufacturing. A few members of the vil- amends for what hap- pened in 1942. We be- lage are temporarily em- lieve," he said, "in the ployed in nearby Messianic vision and the Jerusalem: two nurses work passage from Isaiah at Shaare Zedek Hospital reading 'Also the sons of and three persons are the stranger, that join licensed tour guides. themselves to the Lord, Settlers earn their main in- even them I bring to my come from a small furniture holy mountain' (Isaiah factory and three gues- thouses. The community hopes to have a swimming pool and a large dining hall soon. The Finnish sauna and clear mountain air cur- rently attract guests from Finland, most of whom come on specially pack- aged tours arranged- 'n Helsinki. Slowly, housing is being built by the Finns to absorb new settlers, replacing the small, cramped homes they now inhabit. To finance these projects, Yad HaSh- mona has depended on aid and contributions from Fin- land to supplement the as- sistance every settlement receives from the Israeli government. All work, even digging foundations and making cement building blocks, is performed by members of the settlement, who are helped by a small number of volunteers.