THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

40—BUSINESS CARDS

40—BUSINESS CARDS

MAZOR'S UPHOLSTERERS

Kitchen chairs. In by 9, out
by 5. Antique sofas, chairs
and plastic covers.

493 0216

-

JOAB'S PLUMBING

Call DAVE
Eves. 544-4315

Wet damp; leaky basements
made dry. Five year written
guarantee. Experienced — low-
est price.
LICENSED & INSURED

Remodeling Repairs
Sewer Cleaning — Sump Pumps

Licensed — Insured

J. Shevach

FRANK'S WATERPROOFING
559-7398

851-2118

MOVING?

LOU'S PLUMBING
Repairs & Alterations
Reasonable.

GIVE
US A
CALL

Licensed Master Plumber.

541 5008

-

557-8688

FINEST CUSTOM
PAINTING

Drywall and plaster repairs.
Wallpaper removal. Wall wash-
ing. Work myself at competitive
prices. For details call eves.

5443118
REFRIGERATOR &
FREEZER REPAIR
All models and makes.
Service charge $10.
All work guaranteed.
Over 10 yrs. experience.
Call eves and Sunday
from 8 to 8.
967-2103 or 967-3187

BRAD CARTER
CARPENTER

Specializing in..
BASEMENT
REC ROOMS

352 0345
HOT ROOFING

-

COMMERCIAL
WATERPROOFING BASEMENTS
Save $$$
Free Estimates
Work Guaranteed
Mr. Offman Licensed Contractor

883-3939

50—PERSONAL

FREE
To a good home. Wirehair
fox terrier, 2 1/2 year old
male, neutered. Good with
children.

CHIMNEYS

Brick Restoration.
Rebuilt-Repaired-New.
Tuck pointing, flashings,
cleaned and screened. All
851-3396
work guaranteed. Free Es-
timates.
53—ENTERTAINMENT
Licensed and Insured.
VERSATILE sophisticated party
532-5168
music. Call 326-6995.

STROLLING violinist. Sings,
CUSTOM PAINTING
plays guitar. 661-2357.
AND WALLPAPERING
QUALITY WORK
REFERENCES
BIRTHDAY PARTIES
JOE BENITAH
And other Special Occasions.
For FREE Estimate
273-6716
Call 559-6317
Clowns,- juggling, magic,
music dance, Puppets,
ALL LEAKS STOPPED
balloon sculpture.
by DAN'S ROOFING

Repair work, hot tar, metal
decks and gravel roofs.

Free Estimates

FOR

I will play and sing the
great tunes from the 20's,
30's, 40's and provide my
own piano.

• PROMPT • DEPENDABLE
• PERSONAL SERVICE
• 19 YEARS EXPERIENCE
• QUALITY WORKMANSHIP
• INSURED & LICENSED #58420

•

:14

LICENSED & INSURED
#58420

ave
b enkoff
CUSTOM PAINTING &

DECORATING

CALL FOR

FREE

yott

ESTIMATE

358-5038

JULI US
293-172.3

IT'S DE-LIMIT,
IT'S DE-LUXE,
IT'S DE-LOVELY.

WANTED

.

CAM 0 N
CARICATURES
BY

FOR ANY OCCASION

542-8186 ,

Readers Forum

APPLE PAINTING
& WALLPAPERING

Quality work at affordable prices.
Experienced. References.

JEFF LINDAU
Piano/Song Stylist
646-9531 (after 6)

This Space
Reserved for
Your Ad

Call 424-8833

ENRICH YOUR SIMCHA

(Happy Occasion)
With a melodious dynamic
Israeli-English and Yiddish folk
singer, guitarist.

Please call

399-0079

Friday, January 20, 1984 11

Materials submitted to the Readers Forum must be brief. The writer's name will he withheld from publication upon
request. No unsigned letters will be published. Materials will not be returned unless a stamped, self-addressed envelope is
enclosed.

Jewish State
of Surinam

Editor, The Jewish News:
I noted your comments
pertaining to Surinam as
"Jewish State" in Purely
Commentary in the Dec. 30
issue of the Detroit Jewish
News with interest.
You and your readers
may be interested in the
enclosed reprint from the
American Sephardi, Vol-
ume 3, No. 1-2, pages 79-84,
September 1969 by Rev.
Abraham Lopes Cardozo of
the Spanish and Portuguese
Synagogue in New York
who previously served as
spiritual leader of both the
Sephardic and Ashkenazic
congregations in Surinam.
In addition, I am enclos-
ing an information sheet
provided by the Surinam
Tourist Development Board
entitled "Joden Savannah."
These items have been in
my files since 1977.

Dr. Milton K. Miller

(Editor's note: The fol-
lowing is but a brief por-
tion of the Cardozo mate-
rial submitted by Dr. Mil-
ler.)
* * *
The year 1968 marked
the 400th anniversary of
the synagogue in Cochin,
India. It also marked the
300th anniversary of the
construction of the first
synagogue in the "Jewish
Savannah" in the Dutch
colony of Surinam, South
America. This synagogue
was replaced by a monu-
mental structure inaugu-
rated in 1685, which was
later abandoned and is now
but a ruin.
Funds have been found to
restore not merely the beau-
tiful synagogue, but also the
cemetery and the rest of the
amazing Sephardi settle-
ment. The work was begun
in 1968.
There are several com-
mon denominators between
these events. Both the gov-
ernment of India and the
government of Surinam
have issued special stamps
(India one stamp, Surinam
a set of three) to commemo-
rate the occasion and to pay
homage to their respective
Jewish populations. Thus,
for the first time in
philatelic history, we see
synagogues on stamps.

Galilee
Invitation

Editor, The Jewish News:
To elaborate on Carl Al-
pert's Dec. 30 article on set-
tling in the Galilee, allow
me to inform your readers
that the Tzfat Community
Building and Development
Foundation, a non-profit
organization, stands ready
to assist olim in all aspects
of their absorption — hous-
ing, employment, educa-
tion, etc.
Potential olim, as well as
those interested in invest-
ing in or simply visiting the

Upper Galilee region are
invited to contact me at
POB 632, Southfield 48037
(tel. 313-569-5639), or
David S. Bedein at POB
321, Tzfat 13100 Israel (tel.
067-30448).
The mountain air, rich
historic atmosphere and
cordial hospitality of Tzfat
beckon you, and we at the
Tzfat Community Building
and Development Founda-
tion are at your service.

RAFAEL-R. WESTON,

Director, Business and
Public Relations

* * *

`Baal Tshuva'
Is Questioned

Editor, The Jewish News:
One of the most interest-
ing developments in Jewish
life in recent years has been
the growth of the so-called
"Baal Tshuva" movement.
It consists of Jewish men
and women, most of them
young and with meager
Jewish backgrounds, who
have "returned" to
Judaism.
In practically all in-
stances the kind of Judaism
they have found so appeal-
ing is ultra-Orthodox both
in practice and belief. This
is not surprising since they
are in need of two things
which a fundamentalist
approach to religion pro-
vides, certainty of ideology
and a highly-structured
routine.
These are not unintelli-
gent people. On the con-
trary, most of them have
searched for answers to the
questions that beset them in
the sciences and in political
ideologies.
Lacking direction and
a sense of purpose in
their lives, they discover
in the ultra-Orthodox in-
stitutions to which they
are attracted concerned
teachers and a support-
ing environment in which
they can turn over con-
trol of their lives to what
they come to identify as
the divine will.
We must take this phe-
nomenon seriously. It is one
response to the anxiety and
uprootedness which have
become endemic in our
time. It is a recognition of
the fact that science and
technology, which can tell
us much about the "what" of
life but nothing about the
"why" of life, offer us few
clues as to the difference be-
tween right and wrong or
whether or not our lives are
worth living.
The old solutions to the
problem of the purpose of
our existence — pursuing a
career, raising a family or
working for the welfare of
society — no longer satisfy.
There is a sense of
apocalypse in the air. Alco-
hol and drugs have lost
their ability to satisfy and
what better course is there
to follow than to turn to
religion for guidance?
It is difficult to argue with
this conclusion, at least on

the surface. But doubts may the prophets of the Bible,
legitimately be raised when calls for the Jews to assume
these young seekers after their responsibility to God
answers are taught that it is and to other Jews. It is not
possible to gain all knowl- the voice of a madman but
edge from the study of an- that of the Jewish con-
cient texts. Since the "Baal science.
However, -Ages made two
Tshuva" requires certainty,
he must be kept from influ- glaring errors indicating
ences such as the study of unfamiliarity with
history and philosophy Kahane's philosophy. First,
which may undermine his Kahane does say what
should be done with Arabs
new belief system.
He must even cut him- who refuse to leave Israel.
self off from other groups Those Arabs who do not
of Jews which do not pledge loyalty to the Jewish
share these newfound state and work to
views. Otherwise, he may strengthen it would be ex-
recognize, as modernist pelled.
No state, and certainly
Jews do, that the study of
our revered texts does not the Jewish one harbor-
not replace the use of ing the remnants of Jewish
survivors in Eretz Yisrael,
reason and experience.
Despite these and other is obliged to tolerate a Fifth
shortcomings the "Baal Column of aliens. To claim
Tshuva" movement has otherwise is to condemn Is-
succeeded in bringing back rael to suicide.
Kahane is one of the few
to the fold a number of
people who would otherwise also willing to identify the
have been lost to us. It can- Arabs within Israel for
not, however be the only an- what they are — a domestic
swer for most of us, because, threat, physically and polit-
unfortunately, with the in- ically. For this, he is pil-
tensity of religious practice loried.
The second error of Ages
it demands from its adhe-
rents, often comes narrow- was his total missing of the
ness and even fanaticism. target for Kahane's wrath
The result is a depreciation and contempt. It is not the
of the human mind and ul- "House of Glatt," i.e. the Or-
timately -of the human thodox who are practition-
being as a person capable of ers of ritual but not believ-
a "joint partnership with ers. They are not Kahane's
prime focus. Rather it is the
God."
What we need today is a Jewish establishment of
modern "Baal Tshuva self-appointed and self-
Movement," which involves perpetuating "dwarfs" (to
a genuine spiritual re- use Kahane's term) who
awakening of our people, lead Jews and their com-
and yet, is open to the cur- munities to disaster.
Michael Drissman
rents of our time; one which
Executive Director,
will supply emotional sup-
Jewish Idea
port for our people without,
at the same time, segregat-
ing them from the rest of the Balance of Power
world.
TEL AVIV (ZINS) — Gen.
Happily, some begin-
nings in that direction are Aharon Yariv, former direc-
already evident in groups tor of Israeli military in-
which meet both in syna- telligence and head of the
gogues and elsewhere for Center for Strategic Studies
study and worship, but they at Tel Aviv University, be-
must be replicated and fos- lieves Israel holds the edge
tered all over the country. in the Middle East balance
Admittedly this is difficult of power.
He told reporters recently
to accomplish but it is the
only way we will be able to that Israel's Arab enemies
produce Jewish men and outnumber Israel's soldiers
women who are nurtured by 3-1, but that the Arabs are
the faith of our ancestors deeply split. At this time, he
and are effective citizens of said, only a surprise attack
the societies in which they. could defeat Israel.
live.
To do less is to diminish Romanian Aid
us as human beings, and
Romania today has
that certainly was not the 30,000 Jews out of the pre-
intent of our ancient sages war Jewish population of
and teachers.
800,000. Some 10,000 of
David L. Lieber them are survivors of the
University of Judaism,
Los Angeles Holocaust, aged and alone.
More than half of the
Jewish population is over 65
Did Ages Miss
years of age. They benefit
a wide variety of social
Kahane's Point? from
services maintained by the
Editor, The Jewish News:
Romanian Federation of
The article by Arnold Jewish • Communities, sup-
Ages raised the question, ported by American Jewish
"Kahane: Madman or Pro- Joint Distribution Commit-
phet?" (Jewish News, Jan. tee funds. JDC is spending
13). Having posed it, Ages more than $4 million this
answered his own question year in Romania.
when he pointed out that
Kahane, seeing the unfold-
Expectation makes a
ing history of the Jews as blessing dear.

