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April 12, 1985 - Image 4

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1985-04-12

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

4 Friday, April 12, 1985

THE.DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

THE JEWISH NEWS

Serving Detroit's Metropolitan Jewish Community
with distinction for four decades.

Editorial and Sales offices at 20300 Civic Center Dr.,
Suite 240, Southfield, Michigan 48076
Telephone (313) 354-6060

PUBLISHER: Charles A. Buerger-
EDITOR EMERITUS: Philip Slomovitz
EDITOR: Gary Rosenblatt
BUSINESS MANAGER: Carmi M. Slomovitz
ART DIRECTOR: Kim Muller-Thym
NEWS EDITOR: Alan Hitsky
LOCAL NEWS EDITOR: Heidi Press
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Tedd Schneider
LOCAL COLUMNIST: Danny Raskin

.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES:
Lauri Biafore
Joseph Mason
Rick Nessel
Danny Raskin

OFFICE STAFF:
Marlene Miller
Dharlene Norris
Phyllis Tyner
Pauline Weiss
Ellen Wolfe

'3‘ PRODUCTION:
Donald Cheshure
Cathy Ciccone
Curtis Deloye
Ralph Orme

1985 by The Detroit Jewish News (US PS 275-520)
Second Class postage paid at Southfield, Michigan and additional mailing offices.
Subscriptions: 1 year - $21 — 2 years - $39 — Out of State - $23 — Foreign - $35

CANDLELIGHTING AT 6:49 P.M.

VOL. LXXXVII, NO. 7

A $100 Million Question

The concept of a national Holocaust memorial museum in Washington,
D.C. is a powerful and important one. Who would oppose a living memorial in
the nation's capital to commemorate the six million Jews who were slain by
the Germans during World War II?
But the project currently in the planning and fund-raising stages in
Washington, at a projected cost of $100 million, deserves to be questioned and
discussed. How much of the $100 million must come from the American
Jewish community? Has corporate America been tapped sufficiently for
funding — and if not, shouldn't large corporations be approached before the
fund-raisers turn to American Jewry? Is it wise to spend tens of millions of
dollars on a museum rather than, say, pouring it into Jewish education as a
means of ensuring Jewish survival?
As one federation executive complained, this project is so sacrosanct that
it cannot be questioned openly and there is no real forum to conduct a
meaningful debate in the community. That is why we felt it important to at
least raise the issue in these pages. (See Page 14).
We do not have the answers to these and other questions, but they should be
asked.

Press On

The Harvard College Library sponsored a day-long conference on the
Jewish press last Monday in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Gag Rosenblatt,
editor of The Jewish News, was one of four newspaper editors from around the
country to serve on the panel exploring the problems and prospects of the
American Jewish press. (See story, Page 10). One of the points he made was
that it took a secular institution like Harvard to devote a full-day conference
to the Jewish press, where such issues as the growing involvement of
federations as publishers and financers of the many of the nation's Jewish
newspapers was discussed. It is time for the major national Jewish
organizations to take a signal from Harvard and recognize the vital role
Jewish newspapers play and the even greater potential they have as a source
of information — and cohesiveness — in the community. The Harvard
conference was an excellent start but there is far more ground to cover. The
next forum should be sponsored by a Jewish organization.

Screening Bigotry

An apology was issued by the U.S. Department of Education for
permitting the circulation of a letter by one of its officials which characterized
this country as "a Christian nation."
Two aspects relate to this expression of regret. One is the legitimacy of
apologizing for errors. No one is immune from mistakes and the White House,
State Department and all government agencies must consider it a duty to
express regret when there are errors.
There is another element not to be ignored. It is the duty to screen letters
and documents when they are issued on an official basis. There was no excuse
for anyone permitting the original statement to be issued. On the face of it, it
was evident that a basic principle was interfered with. The error for which the
Department of Education apologized should never have circulated.

OP-ED

No Easy Solutions Seen
For Problems Of Families

BY RABBI IRWIN GRONER

Special to The Jewish News

The American family is an
endangered species. The increasing
rate of divorce, the alienation of the
generations, parental abandonment,
runaways, illegitimacy, abortion and
other disturbing statistics convey a
grim picture. At the present accelerat-
ing rate of depletion, the United States
will run out of families not long after it
runs out of oil.
The Jewish family has, until the
modern era, been the pride of the
Jewish people and a model for other
cultures. In the Jewish tradition, a
tightly-woven family unit was held to-
gether by common bonds, not only of
kinship but of religious heritage, and
shared history. Religious rituals and
practices were cherished; Sabbaths
and holy days were observed; and the
home was a "small sanctuary" in
which the ideals of religion were car-
ried out in daily living.
Our troubled times have made
their impact on Jewish family life in
America,. as they have on the Chris-
tian community. Divorce, infidelity,
juvenile delinquency, alcoholism and
drug addiction are encountered as
serious problems by those who minis-
ter to the Jewish community.
Problems of the family cannot be
treated as an isolated phenomenon.
They are part of the syndrome that
plagues modern man because of the
unprecedented crisis in values. Our
culture emphasizes individualism and
permissiveness. Strong families are
nurtured by loyalty to, and responsi-
bility for others, and by respect for the
moral authority of parents. High mo-
bility has brought about a loss of a
sense of community, but vital families

Rabbi Groner, of Cong. Shaarey Zedek, is
chairman of the Synagogue Council of
America's domestic affairs committee.
These remarks were delivered at a
national interfaith meeting in Cleveland
on March 24.

require the support of neighborhood
and community.
Religious institutions offer the c\--1
most effective resources that can
renew the strength of the American
family. Churches and synagogues can
reach the hearts .and minds of the gen-
erations and can help restore the fun-
damental values of family life by a
shared commitment and a unified pro-
gram.
Some suggestions:
1. The home must again become a
primary educational institution and
stop delegating the teaching of de-
cency, integrity and responsibility to
schools, social agencies and other in-
stitutions.
2. Parents must again become
parents, and not abdicate their re-
sponsibility and authority. Churches
and synagogues can interpret the
meaning of responsible parenthood
which enables us to resist social pres-
sures and media messages for lower-
ing moral standards and compromis-
ing spiritual values.
3. The last White House Confer-
ence on The Family was held in 1980.
It is time for another conference which
should emphasize the moral values
that are the foundation for noble
families; a conference in which reli-
gious leadership would play an impor-
tant role.
4. Protestants, Catholics and Jews
should create a National Religious
Council for Family Life. Many de-
nominations and religious groups
have developed programs for
strengthening family life such as:
week-end retreats for parents and
children; religious observance in the
home; fellowship groups; "living-room
learning" courses.
We can learn much from each
other. The ideals and values we
cherish, drawn from our common heri-
tage of faith, are the basis upon which
we can revitalize the American family.

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