THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Boris Smolar's `Between You .. ,and Me' Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, JTA (Copyright 1982, JTA, Inc.) THE LUBAVITCHER AT 80: No Jewish personality has, in the last 40 years, contributed so much to the strengthening of Jewish identity and Jewish religious edu- cation in this country as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson, whose 80th birthday will be ce ated worldwide on Sunday by his Hasidic followers a many thousands of sympathizers. The event will be ma ed, among other events, by a four-hour satellite tele- vision transmission from New York which will start at 9:30 in the evening and will be watched in Lubavitcher centers all over the United States and Canada. The Lubavitcher Rebbe is a man of a great knowledge in sciences which he studied at the University of Berlin and later at Sorbonne University in Paris. His approach to implanting and fortifying Jewish education is a combina- tion of Yiddishkeit and worldly methods. In this respect he is the Maimonides of our time. HIS INFLUENCE: The Lubavitcher Rebbe is doing now what Maimonides did in his time. He is concentrating on guiding "the perplexed" by interpreting, in a modern way, all cardinal questions of religious philosophy, among them proof of God's existence. The influence of the Lubavitcher Rebbe is strong not only among his Hasidim, but in American Jewry and in world Jewry in general. Since he immigrated to the U.S., in 1941, and started to develop an intensive Jewish religious education program, Hasidim has become a very popular movement among American Jews, including young American-born Jews. American publishing houses are now publishing at- tractive and valuable books on Hasidism and on the life of the Hasidim in New York; serious articles on the Lubavitcher Rebbe and his movement have begun to ap- pear in leading American newspapers; Jewish scientists — professors in universities — "discovered" links between religion and science and became Hasidim. Today there is even an organization of religious scientists, and some of its members can be seen at the "get-togethers — the Lubavitcher Rebbe's "Farbrengen" — which take place on special occasions at the Rebbe's headquarters in Brooklyn, and which are always overcrowded. Twice a week, on Sunday and Thursday evenings; the doors of the Lubavitcher Rebbe are open for private audi- ences known as "yekhidus." Jewish leaders, rabbis, businessmen, housewives, government officials, students and persons from all walks of life come to him in these evenings for advice Or blessing. He also receives letters from Jews all over the world seeking hiS counsel. HIS PROJECTS IN ISRAEL: In Israel, the Lubavitcher movement conducts a very wide program of_ activities. There is the Kfar Chabad settlement of Lubavitcher Hasidim. There is the "Rehov Chabad" in the old city of Jerusalem; on a narrow street in the very heart of the Arab section of the Old City with a renovated prayer and study-house which was built some 150 years ago by the Lubavitcher Rebbe of that period. There are Lubavitcher projects and institutions in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Haifa, Beersheva, Eilat, Safed and in about 20 other localities in all parts of Israel. The Rebbe in New, York encourages American Hasidim to settle in Israel. Senate Unit `Passes Bill . Backing "Israel WASHINGTON — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday ap- proved a resolution requir- ing the U.S. to end its finan- cial support for the United Nations and withdraw from the General Assembly if the UN ever expelled Israel. The sponsor of the resolu- tion, Sen. Daniel P. Moyni- han (D-N.Y.), said there was a serious threat in the UN to expel Israel unless the full Senate passes the resolution. The resolution was op- posed by the State Depart- ment, which preferred a version calling for un- specified U.S. actions if any democratic _country were expelled from the UN. Ties, Reg. $20-$50 $10 Study PLO, Syrian Impact in -Lebanon, Jackson Urges > WASHINGTON (JTA) — part of an exhibit called Sen. Henry Jackson (D- "Zahle-'81." Zahle is the Wash.) said that the Ameri- largest Christian town in can government and people Lebanon which was should know more about under siege by Syria for what the Syrians and the more than 90 days last alestine Liberation year. The exhibit is sponsored anization are doing in by the American Lebanese ebanon. He said their occupation League, an American has had a "disastrous im- group, and by "Help Leba- pact" on Lebanon and the non," a non-profit organiza- Lebanese people want to tion in Lebanon which seeks have their own country to help Lebanese Moslems back. and Christians caught in Jackson described Leba- the civil war. The exhibit was put on non as having been at one time the most advanced of display in one fo the hearing the Arab countries. He rooms of the Senate Foreign made his remarks after Relations Committee by viewing photographs of civi- Sens. Edward Kennedy lian casualties in Lebanon (D-Mass.), Rudy Boschwitz inflicted by the Syrian (R-Minn.) and George forces and the PLO since Mitchell (D-Maine). It may 1970. be taken on a tour of major The photographs are cities in the U.S. Friday, March 26, 1982 1 Belts, Reg. $19-$60 $10 Gloves, Reg. $25485 $10 SALE THRU APRIL 3 EVERGREEN PLAZA 12-MILE AT EVERGREEN 569-5523 OPEN DAILY & SAT. 10-6, THURS. 'TIL 7:30