44
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
t., Friday, April 20, 1984
43,
FOR WOMEN
Women's forum gets answer to query,
`where have allyoung Jews gone?'
DIMONA CHAPTER,
Pioneer Women/ Naamat,
will tour the Detroit Histor-
ical Museum on Wednes-
day. Members will meet at
11 a.m. for lunch at the
Original Pancake House in
Southfield, and the tour will
begin at 1 p.m. Members
may opt to skip lunch and
drive directly to the
museum. For details, call
Frieda Faigin, 356-7119.
The chapter will have a
luncheon and musical af-
ternoon in celebration of
Jewish Music Month at
noon May 1 in the home of
Elaine Kohner, 32759 Olde
Franklin Dr., Farmington
Hills. There is a nominal
charge. For details, call Ms.
Kohner, 851-3662; or co-
hostess Sylvia Binder,
626-9807.
BY ANNE Y. MEYERS
Special to The Jewish News
"Where Have All the
Young Jews Gone," was the
topic Dennis Prager ad-
dressed last week at the
morning session of the
Jewish Welfare Federation
Women's Division Spring
Forum. The author and lec-
turer concluded that most
young Jews have gone out
into the world, often forget-
ting — or never having
learned — what makes
their being Jewish special.
"People are taught how to
be Jewish, not why to be
Jewish," Prager explained.
"Jews do not have a rea-
son to be different," he said.
This is an open society,
why should the Jews want
to survive," he added as he
explained further the com-
plexities and importance of
Jewish survival.
Prager described his
views on Judaism and told
anecdotes from his vast ex-
periences as a lecturer, an
author and a teacher. He
said he believes strongly
that Judaism is for adults.
Adults can understand it,
but children can only feel
Jewish.
Among the reasons for
the declining numbers of
Jews, he said, is the process
of making Judaism of sec-.
ondary importance in the
home. "My thesis to you is
that the average Jewish
home in America, in no area
of life, has demonstrated to
children that Jewish is pri-
mary rather than secon-
dary," Prager stated.
"Whenever there is compe-
tition between a Jewish
demand and a general secu-
lar demand, the general
non-Jewish demand will
prevail," he added.
As an example, he said
that Judaism competes with
Friday evering cheerlead-
ing practice. It is often sec-
ondary to other activities
like cheerleading, and this
common example sym-
bolizes what has happehed
in American Jewish life.
Prager said he feels that
by enrolling Jewish chil-
dren in the public education
systeth priorities are stated.
By sending children to pub-
lic or private secular schools
the parents are saying that
biology, geometry, and
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* * *
NEGBAH - SHALOM -
CHAI CHAPTER, Pioneer
Women/Naamat, will have
a business meeting at noon
Wednesday in the Kristen
Towers, 25900 Greenfield,
Suite 205E, Oak Park. For
information, call President
Iliene Winkelman, 968-
3972.
* * *
Spring Forum Chairman Barbara Zack greets
author-lecturer Dennis Prager at the Jewish Welfare
Federation Women's Division event, which drew over 350
participants. They are shown at one of many display tables
that portrayed the Jewish holidays.
English are much more im,
portant than the study of
Jewish ethics or Israel.
Prager said he feels that
the priority job of teaching a
child about Judaism is left
to an after-school after-
thought, almost a hobby. A
child can't learn in six hours
a week enough about
Judaism to equal 24 hours a
week in other studies. It is
harder to raise a Jewish
child in Detroit than it is in
Jerusalem," he said. If you
want to live in a Diaspora
the efforts have to be dou-
bled."
Prager said that too many
Jews are raised as Ameri-
can secular humanists and
resemble exactly their
Christian neighbors. The
children are told to under-
stand they are Jewish and
different, yet they are not
told how to celebrate that
difference.
Prager has found that
There are two things that
the average Jewish Ameri-
can family asks of its chil-
dren. The first is to chant
his bar mitzvah properly,
the second is to marry an-
other Jew. Unfortunately,
according to Prager, many
Jews simply reduce religion
to pure blood. He asserts,
"We have reduced Judaism
to blood, to the preservation
of the purity of our blood,
not the purity of our val-
ues."
The solution according to
Prager is to demonstrate
that Judaism is primary
and to say no to rival issues.
"There is no such thing as
it. PI I
being too Jewish," he said.
"I relate to the non-Jewish
world as a Jew, one who is
secure, knowledgeable and
practicing in Judaism."
Prager compares raising
a Jewish child to the task of
raising a musical child. If
you want to raise a musical
child, let him study one in-
strument to become a vir-
tuoso," he explained. "As a
virtuoso he can now make
music with other instru-
ments. A child must become
a virtuoso in Judaism and
then join the orchestra of
humanity," he concluded.
Prager, 35, is interna-
tionally recognized as an
author and lecturer on con-
temporary society and on
Judaism. He was director of
the Brandeis-Bardin Insti-
tute in California from 1976
to 1983.
He is the author of two
books, co-authored with
Joseph Telushkin, The Nine
Questions People Ask About
Judaism, and Why The
Jews, The Reason for Ani-
Semitism.
Prager is working on a
book that will document
communism in the 20th
century. Funds for the book
came from a grant from The
League for Industrial
Democracy which is an arm
of the labor movement con-
cerned with the rights of
workers throughout the
world.
Another project in process
is a newsletter that will
begin circulating in 1985.
The newsletter will be
called Ultimate Issues.
4
;....;•Fmvor.
-
- •
OAKLAND HILLS
Women's
CHAPTER,
American ORT, will go to
Stratford, Ont., on May 16,
leaving at 7:30 a.m. from
the Southfield Civic Center.
The feature will be "A Mid-
summer Night's Dream."
Cost of the trip includes
round-trip transportation
and luncheon, taxes and
tips. Friends are invited.
There is a charge. Full
payment is due May 2. For
details, call Dorene Levine,
353-0572; or Leah
Levinsky, 557-2063.
* * *
WOMEN OF JEWISH
NATIONAL FUND will
have a board meeting noon
May 1 in the Sutton Place
Apts. club house. President
Shirley Kraft will host a so-
cial hour to precede the
business meeting: Members
who are unable to attend
should call the JNF office,
557-6644.
** *
NORTHWEST CHILD
RESCUE WOMEN will
haVe a regular meeting
noon Thursday in the
Laurel Woods Apts. club
house. Beverly Yost will re-
port on her recent trip to
Russia.
* * *
° BUSINESS AND PRO-
FESSIONAL BRANCH,
National Council of Jewish
Women, will feature psy-
chologist Jon Clark who
will speak on "Changing
Sex Roles in Male-Female
Relationships" on Thursday
at 6 p.m. at National Coun-
cil of Jewish Women office,
16400 W. 12 Mile., South-
field. Wine and cheese will
be served. There is a charge
for non-members. For in-
formation, call the NCJW,
557-9604.
The branch will meet at 6
p.m. May 10 for its installa-
tion dinner at Machus Red
Fox, 6676 Telegraph Rd.,
Birmingham. There is a
charge. Following the
dinner, Dr. Muriel Wagner,
registered dietician will
speak on fitness and nutri-
tion. The deadline for reser-
vations is Tuesday. Call the
NCJW office, 557-9604.
* * *
WOMEN'S BICUR
CHOLEM ORGANIZA-
TION will hold a regular
meeting 11:30 a.m. April 30
at the MCL Cafeteria meet-
ing room. Plans for the
donor will be discussed.
Campaign volunteers cited
at 38th women's unit event
On May 10, a round of
"Applause, Applause" will
resound through Cong.
Shaarey Zedek for all the
volunteers attending the
38th annual meeting of the
Jewish Welfare Federation
Women's Division.
The event, beginning at
11 a.m., is the traditional
conclusion of the women's
year, which includes active
participation in the Allied
Jewish Campaign and var-
ious educational. and lead-
ership programs.
Among the meeting's
business, officers and board
members for the 1984-1985
year will be elected and in-
stalled by Josephina
Weiner, a past president of
Women's Division.
President Ellen Labes will
present the yearly report.
The gathering also will hear
from Federation President
Joel Tauber, division cam-
paign chairman Marlene
Borman and annual meet-
ing chairman Barbara
Stollman.
"
Highlighting the after-
noon will be a musical trib-
ute to the Women's Division
volunteers. The theatrical
production, including sing-
ing, dancing and slide proj-
ection, has been organized
by Esther Jones, Evelyn
Kasle, Renee IVIahler and
Melba Winer. Participants
in the show are all division
members.
Reservations are re-
quired for the annual meet-
ing, which includes lunch-
eon. For information, con-
tact the Federation
Women's Division, 965-
3939.
SOCIETY
Ron Marx and Shelley
Slonsky of the Cooley Law
School in Lansing attended
the National Jewish Law
Students Network confer-,
ence in Washington earlier
this month.
•