26 Friday, September 24, 1982 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Religious, Non-Religious Israel Youth Bridge Gap By RABBI DAVID GEFFEN World Zionist Press Service JERUSALEM — Many observers believe that the chasm between religious and non-religious Israelis has been widening rather than narrowing. This is not the place to analyze this re- grettable trend. Various factors have contributed to the climate of hostility, but Yom Kippur 5743 This belt buckle for the kitel, and the shofar be- low, are exhibited at the Wolfson Museum in Jerusalem. The kitel is a white garment worn during High Holy Day services by some Ashkenzi worship- pers. The buckle shows Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac being halted by an angel. • • • • •RENT e VIDEO • GARIIES*; Ideal for... D Fund Raisers Bar Mitzvas Birthdays Graduations Confirmations House and Office Parties n k • • • • • • y no coins . . . unlimited play K a n S t WEEKDAY SPECIAL 0 2 Games for $1.50 with this ad a n A-1 VIDEO GAME RENTALS 827-8880 g a t 9 • • • • ▪ Ms, Pac Man and more • • the degree of separation and segmentation in Israel society is both a harsh ex- pression and a major cause of the problem. A young Israeli, non- religious or religious, can join a youth group of his ideological preference in the fourth or fifth grade and remain in that same group framework until graduat- ing from high school. Par- ents choose to which public schools, religious or non- religious, to send their chil- dren — a choice with momentous implications for the future. Students from different school systems ("streams") have little organized or sys- tematic contact with each other except perhaps in the street or in the local super- market. They literally study, play, eat and sleep in their own frameworks and groupings. Therefore, what the members of each group know about the other they tend to an extent to derive from stereotypes found on television and radio in drama and movies, in literature and •newspapers. Because stereotypes are always black and white, the reli- gious are presented as members of outlandish sects who throw stones on Shabat and the non- religious as people lack- ing morals and given to taking drugs. One of the organizations dealing with this issue is Gesher, meaning bridge, founded 13 years ago to "bridge the gap." Israeli youth of all persuasions have participated in this FALL COOKING CLASSES (BREADS & PASTRIES I With Sylvia Goodman Rich Breads Coffee Cakes & Danish Pastry Pies & Tarts Sept. 30 Oct. 1 Oct. 7 Fridays from 9:30 a.m. $ 12 per session I CHINESE COOKING' With Shirley King $40 Sept. 29, Oct. 5, 12 & 19 Wednesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. complete MICROWAVE COOKING With Vince McCallum Nov. 15, 22, 29 & Dec. 6 $35 Monday evenings from 7 p.m. complete 411 lat- GOURMET COOKWARE APPLEGATE SQUARE Between 12 and 13 Mile Rds. Call for Reservations 356-8889 INEMMOMM11111111, unusual program in Safed which brings together equal numbers of 11th and 12th grade religious and non- religious students for a four-day seminar, under the general heading "How Am I a Jew?". "Some of the recent par- ticipants in our seminars have stressed that all this new technology is making, communication between individuals even more dif- ficult." Speaking is Rabbi Benjie Levene, director of the Gesher seminars. "People are turning in- wards. The new gadgets, the students are telling us, make people feel that they are complete. With their Walkman and their hand- held computer games they don't need anyone else. Fu- ture shock has already ar- rived." Rabbi Levene is the grandson of Rabbi, Arye Levene of Jerusalem, who was recently memorialized on a new Israeli postage stamp. He tours the high schools in Israel trying to sense what is the Jewish pulse of Israeli youth today. In addition to conducting the seminars in Safed and a weekly Beit Midrash study evening in Ramat Gan, he visits close to 100 high schools, both religious and non-religious, annually so he is in contact with the daily problems, lifestyles and outlook of the two groups. Jewish Culture Grants Awarded NEW YORK — The Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture has awarded grants totalling $1,772,500 for 1982-1983 to institutions and individuals in 27 countries on five con- tinents: Foundation grants were made to 71 Jewish cultural, educational and religious institutions and to 418 indi- viduals. A majority of the grants went to countries in Europe. The foundation's institu- tional grants were provided to universities, research in- stitutions and specialized agencies for projects in Jewish research, publica- tions, Jewish education, and Jewish culture. Of the 418 scholarships granted to individuals, 117 were awarded to young men and women preparing to serve as rabbis, educators, social workers, Community workers and religious func- tionaries in communities outside Israel which have a strong cultural need and where such professional personnel are urgently re- quired. The remaining 301 indi- vidual grants went for 106 doctoral scholarships, 99 post-rabbinic scholarships and 96 fellowships in Jewish culture. In Charles Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend," the Jewish character, Riah, was shown to be an ideal type of person. In "Oliver Twist," Faigin the Jew is a scoundrel. Distorting the News A Norwegian photographer is shown positioning Lebanese children atop a destoyed tank near Sidon. This photograph was taken by Time magazine photo- grapher Richard Nowitz. A Young Hungarian Rabbi Studies Talmud at Seminary NEW YORK — Istvan Kertesz, a 26-year-old rabbi from Budapest, Hungary, has accepted a full-year scholarship at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. The Jewish Theological Seminary of Hungary, where he was ordained in March, will be in need of a Talmud instructor sometime in the future, and the administration de- cided that Rabbi Kertesz should be that man. Hon- ored, he agreed to train for the position. "Our Talmud teacher is about 60," said the thin, soft-spoken rabbi. "I hope he can teach for at least an- other 20 or 30 years. But, in case of an emergency, we need another one. So they sought me to be another." Dr. Alexander Scheiber, president of the Hungarian seminary and an honorary alumnus of the New York seminary, wrote to Chancellor Ger- son D. Cohen and asked if Rabbi Kertesz could study in New York .for a year. "Our seminary (in Hun- gary) is not too big. We have only one teacher for each department," explained Rabbi Kertesz. "Here, I can learn more ways than in Budapest. In Hungary, I learned. from (two in- structors) and here I have at least five. Here, I can also see how they teach begin- ners." This is important, he ex- plained, because after he earns his Master of Arts de- gree from the New York seminary, he will return to Hungary to possibly start instructing beginning stu- dents in the Talmud. The New York seminary has given him permission, in addition to his regular course load, to sit in on other classes so that he can ob- serve teaching techniques. "I want to learn how they are teaching talmudic He- brew and how they teach beginners," he said. "I want to see which books they use and see which part of the Talmud they teach." Rabbi Kertesz added that he is looking for- ward to learning from the seminary's renowned fa- culty, which includes famed Talmud scholar Dr. DaVid Halivni. The rabbi said will not have any problems as long as his English holds up. Rabbi Kertesz also speaks German, French, Russian and Hebrew. He has been able to use his languages since the government of his country has allowed him to travel to England, Italy, Spain, West Germany and France on vacation. This is his first trip to the U.S. While it appears that Rabbi Kertesz enjoys a good deal of freedom while living in Hungary, which has a population of 80,000 Jews, he admitted he is not per- mitted to visit Israel. But, he said, he accepts this. Terrorists Destroy Church This Christian church in Damour, Lebanon was overrun by the Palestine Liberation Organization during the 1975-1976 civil war. The PLO later used it as a firing range and garage. The Christian soldier at left was overwhelmed by the destruction and desecra- tion.