16 Friday, August 12, 1983
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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Editor, The Jewish News:
day of national celebration,
My friend, Rabbi Jack which the prophets prom-
Goldman, has misread my ised us some day it would
article on Tisha b'Av. Ac- become?
cording to him, the article
Maybe if we have the
implies, "It seems that the courage to begin that dis-
whole message of Tisha cussion, we might be in-
b`Av is archaic, obsolete, spired to overcome the divi-
passe." I nowhere use such sive barriers between Jews,
words. The whole first half the sins of senseless hatred,
of the column showed the and the denial of others
power of Tisha b`Av and the which threatened the very
case for it as a superb redemption we are living
spiritual expression of through.
Jewish memory, preserva-
Irving Greenberg
tion of Jewish suffering and
catastrophe.
* * *
It is suggestive that the
Reader Defends
mere expression of ambiva-
lence is interpreted as a
Talk
Show Host
total rejection of the day. I
Editor,
The
Jewish News:
have no quarrel with the
During his talk show on
entire case for the ongoing
WXYZ-radio on Thursday
validity of Tisha b'Av. The
crucial point of my article is, morning, Aug. 4, 1983,
however, that an equally Mark Scott stated categori-
cogent case can be made cally, "Israel is the only ally
that something is being that the U.S. has in the
transformed in Jewish Middle East."
He repeated that state-
reality.
-I freely concede that the ment and continued, "I am
final redemption is not here. against foreign aid but I
make an exception in the
'However, we begin to ap-
proach mockery when we case of Israel. We should
fail to deal with ther shift- support our allies and Israel
is our ally."
ing realities.
Thus, I Wonder at the
With all its imperfec-
tions, is there any doubt self-appointed spokesper-
that our ancestors would sons for the Jewish commu-
have been delirious with nity who charged him with
joy at the sight of being anti-Semitic only a
present-day Israel? Are few weeks ago.
Although Mark Scott is
we so besotted with our
dreams of perfection that forceful in his exposition of
we cannot appreciate the his views, there appears to
incredible, earthy, be no justification for the
flawed yet miraculous opinion that he is not fair.
Morton Hack
redemption growing be-
fore our very eyes? Must
(Editor's note: Self-
we wait for the Messiah appointed is an inappli-
before we show in any cable term applied to
way the remarkable duly elected representa-
tives of civic protective
reality of a reborn Israel?
In the past the Halakha movements. The talk
has taken the vital events of show moderator's
our lifetime and turned applause for Israel is a
them into ritual, into obser- welcome gesture. It does
vance, into celebration. not in any sense erase the
Formalistic repetition of week-long abuse of this
words that deny the reality newspaper prior to the
of the rebuilt Jerusalem is Aug. 4 quotation which
no more halakhic than act- occasioned the protests
ing as if these are purely against the talk show's
secular developments that long record of discour-
carry with them no reli- tesies.
(Protests against un-
gious significance or mes-
sage.
dignified and prejudiced
The inability to confront talk shows came from a
this need is ideological, and representative commu-
that ideology leads to the nity, and they inspired
implication that I totally leadership action.)
repudiate Tisha b`Av. I
made clear that I continue
to observe it, even as I noted
how the Jewish people, in AJCongress
the absence of halakhic
guidance, is "subverting" to Show 'Fixer'
the day from within.
The local American
The least we can do is ar- Jewish Congress affiliate
ticulate the ambivalence will show the film, "The
and thus begin the process Fixer," at 7 p.m. Sunday at
of halakhic consideration. the LaMed Auditorium of
The least we can do is to the main United Hebrew
commemorate Yom Schools building.
HaShoa and celebrate
There is an admission
Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel In- charge. The public is in-
dependence Day). I also ask: vited. For ticket informa-
what is the least we should tion, call Ida Burstein,
do to begin the process of 557-4228; or the AJCon-
turning Tisha b'Av into a gress office, 357-2766.
m)