THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, December 10, 1982 23
Superficial Beliefs Hurt Intergroup Relations
By REV. FRANKLIN
LITTELL
National Institute
on the Holocaust
PHILADELPHIA — A
generation ago, before the
many experiments with
liturgies and modern trans-
lations, it was still possible
to call out the number of a
Psalm during services in
Protestant congregations
and have most of the con-
gregation join in repeating
it together by memory. Two
generations ago, whole con-
gregations could respond to
a call to sing a hymn — by
memory, without support-
ing instruments, in har-
mony.
Unfortunately, along
with the loss of historical
consciousness many of our
Protestant congregations
have also lost most of the
oral tradition. They are
condemned to sit silent
while someone reads, to sit
silent while a musical group
performs.
Fortunately, there are
still sections of American
Protestantism where the
oral tradition is still alive.
This is the primary strength
of "Bible Christians" and
"Evangelicals," and the
primary reason why they
are often outspoken and
forthright in their support
of Israel's survival and
wellbeing. They have not
forgotten the Christian's
heritage and indebtedness
to the Law and the Jewish
people.
Those of us who stand
in the "mainline" Protes-
tant tradition — a proud
term often self-applied to
the Methodist, Con-
gregationalists, Disciples
and Presbyterians —
have accepted the impor-
tance of scientific study
of texts and traditions.
We defend critical, com-
parative study of both.
Unhappily, many have
forgotten that unless there
is built in from the days of
youth a rich body of
memorialized material,
critical study alone is de-
structive and — in the end
— self-destructive. Without
the oral tradition, in critical
study the spiral is
not upwards to a finer and
richer affirmation of the
truths of the faith, but
rather downward toward
unbelief and indifference.
The reason, in sum, why
"liberal" Protestants are
often apparently indifferent
or hostile to the Holocaust
and a restored Israel is sim-
ply this: they have forgot-
ten, or perhaps in the Sun-
day schools of recent de-
cades they never learned,
their Bible. They are de-
pendent entirely upon tra-
ditions built up over the
centuries, traditions un-
tested by and often con-
tradictory to, the truths
found in the Hebrew Scrip-
tures and the Christian
apostolic writings ("New
Testament").
Dependent upon tradi-
tion, they are frequently
cultural anti-Semites (Kul-
turantisemiten) without
realizing it. And when push
comes to shove, they take
positions hostile to the sur-
vival of the Jewish people.
The cure for this pre-
dilection, if curing is
possible for those al-
ready corrupted, is two-
fold. One cure emerged
from the Church struggle
with Nazism, and it has as
yet been largely neg-
lected by the leaders of
the "mainline" Protes-
tant churches. During the
Church struggle, as every
participant and teacher
involved in it emphasizes,
the resisting Christians
re-discovered their Bi-
bles.
The second cure, related
to the first, is for "mainline"
Protestants to face with
honesty the degree to which
the Holocaust calls the cre-
dibility of their faith profes-
sion into question. •
Two Locations for Menora
By RABBI SAMUEL FOX
(Copyright 1982, JTA, Inc.)
Hanuka candles are tra-
ditionally lighted in the
synagogue and in the home.
Some authorities claim
that this is done because the
actual miracle which is
celebrated by the Hanuka
holiday occurred in the Holy
Temple in Jerusalem. Since
the synagogue is modeled
after the Temple, it is there-
fore in place to light the
candles in the synagogue.
Other authorities claim
that this is done for the sake
of travelers and guests who
do not have a home to go to.
They can therefore enjoy
the candle lighting in the
synagogue.
Generally, it is claimed
that lighting the candles
in the synagogue fulfills
the religious requirement
of publicizing the miracle
by spreading the vision of
the lighted candles in a
public place to as many
people as possible. The
candles in- the home are
lit only at night, but the
candles in the synagogUe
are lit in the morning -as
well.
Some of the commen-
taries on Jewish law claim
that this is done because the
candelabrum in the Temple
was lit in the morning on
occasions when the lights
had gone out after having
been lit in the evening.
Again, the Hanuka can-
delabrum in the synagogue
is representative of the can-
delabrum in the old Temple.
Generally speaking, since
the synagogue is a public
place, lighting the candles
in the morning as well as in
the evening represents a
further attempt to publicize
the miracle of Hanuka.
There is nothing in the
Christian apostolic writings
("New Testament") — not
one single verse! — to jus-
tify the traditional teaching
that with the coming of
Jesus of Nazareth an end
was marked to the history of
the Jewish people. There is
nothing in the Christian
scriptures — not one single
verse! — to justify the tradi-
tional teaching that "the
new Israel" supersedes "the
old Israel."
There is nothing in the
Christian scriptures to jus-
tify the hostility to the
Jewish people which has be-
come part of traditional
preaching and teaching, ex-
cept by the most distorted
and tortuous twisting of
proof-texts out of context.
The resistance to
study of the lessons of
the Holocaust and the
Church struggle is slowly
being overcome. Dozens
of courses are now taught
in Christian colleges and
congregations, where
only a dozen years ago
the total was only 10 or a
dozen. Hundreds of
Christian congregations
now observe • Yom
HaShoah (Holocaust
Memorial Day), where
nine years ago there were
only seven in the U.S.
Every month now dozens
of articles and books ap-
pear from the presses,
written by Christian
teachers (especially in
West Germany, the
Netherlands and North
America), which struggle
with the correction of
Christian false teaching
about the Jewish people
and seek the interpreta-
tions and form of words
which build toward
brotherhood rather than
alienation.
The cynical will observe,
with considerable justifica-
tion, that the time is late.
But this is truly a case of
"better late than never!" As
long as we enjoy the
privileges of fellow-
citizenship in a land of reli-
gious liberty, we Jews and
Christians have the chance
to live in true fraternity
rather than suspicion and
To Add A Touch Of
Elegance
Include
MUSIC
Call
BOB WEINBERG
559-7742
A Happy and Joyous
Chanukah
To Our Many Friends
Kosins
Uptown • Lathrup Village; Southfield at 111/2 Mile • Phone 559 3900
Big & Tall • Lathrup Village, Southfield at 11 Mile • Phone 569 6930
-
-
you're tired, disgusted, sick, want to move, retire, you name it . • •
here are is some
Wnportant things you shoutd know about!
worth more than you think. Let us help you establish and receive the
buversil mooth transition to
for it.
list ot waiting cing, and a s
our practice
'l "Full Going Concern Value
We
have
and
growing
a new
owner long
are of
areas
which
we tor
have
expertise.
3. Proper
allocation
the in
sales
price
tax special
purposes,
finan Prof essionals should come to
f you move quickly and your practice is active. If it is not
2.
nals.
Going Concern Value" for your practice. In most cases we can
pr ofessio
4. 'Time
is on your side — only'
active it must be sold immediately.
Prof will
essional
practice sales is aver y unique specialty .Weve been doing Accounting and
6. 6. You
get the
'Tax Y work
cash
ou o ut exclusively for Health Care Professionals for over 13 years. We have an
intimate understanding of your problems and opportunities.
Call us, we have rnany practices ior sale.
Best Wishes For A
Healthy and Happy
HANUKA
MR. and MRS. MARVIN M. TAMAROFF
and Family
Housing Decline
JERUSALEM (ZINS) —
The housing market in the
Jerusalem area has sof-
tened by 50 percent over
last year. Jerusalem con-
tractors attribute the
change to fewer immig-
rants, and foreign buyers
who now prefer high-yield
Israeli investments.
alienation.
"Ecumenical coopera-
tion" in America has a new
boundary line, in short: no
longer intra-Christian, let
alone intra-Protestant, true
ecumenism now includes
both Jews and Christians.
Your Guests Deserve
The Finest At
Your Party
TaMaRCIFF
BuicklOpel Honda]
353-1300 • 28585 Telegraph
Across from Tel-i 2 Mall — Near 1 2 Mile