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10 Friday, October 11, 1985
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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Jewish Welfare Federation
Women's Division
38th Annual
Institute Day
Looking Inside -
Thursday, October 24, 1985
Reaching
Adat Shalom Synagogue
Outside
9:00 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.
•
29901 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills
Keynote Speaker: ,
Blu Greenberg
Author, Feminist: Jewish Leader
WORKSHOPS
"Sharing Concerns — Building Bridges
Worrien's Rights: Nairobi Conference 1985
Jewish/Black Issues
Health Care Law/Medical Ethics
Family and Children's Issues
For reservations, at $ i5 per persOn, including luncheon call 965-3939. Reservations limited.
4
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Genesis: Not Science,
But Science Of Living
BY RABBI M. ROBERT SYME
Special to The Jewish News
Someone asked me recently:
"What is your favorite book in the
Bible?" It is a difficult question to
answer, because there are several
books to which I am partial.
There is the Book of Job, which
attempts to answer the age-old
question: "Why do the good suffer,
and why do the wicked prosper?"
There is the Book of
Ecclesiastes, which deals with the
"pursuit of happiness," and how it
often eludes us. There are some of
the prophetic books: Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Amos and Hosea.
If, however, I had to choose only
one book, it would have to be the
Book of Genesis, which we begin
reading this Sabbath. Of all the
books, in the Bible, the Book of
Genesis is the most controversial,
the most fascinating, and the
most thought-provoking.
Whenever I speak to a group of
college students, the first ques-
tion that is usually posed to me is:
"How can a modern person believe
that God created the world in six
days? Doesn't that contradict sci-
ence?" It is a good question, but it
can easily be answered.
The Bible is not a scientific
book. If you are interested in sci-
ence, do not read the Bible. If you
are interested, however, in the
science of living, then the Bible
cannot be surpassed.
Besides, the point of the story is,
that there is a God — one God —
who created the universe. That
means that the world is governed
by one law, and that is the basis of
science. A scientist begins with
the concept, that the same law
that he discovers deep in the
smallest atom, will apply in the
farthest universe. Basically, that
is what the Book of Genesis
teaches. There is one law, there is
one God. And even though there
are times, when we do not under-
stand life with all its injustices,
even though there are times when
life appears to be a mystery,
nevertheless, it is a mystery with
a meaning, because there is on
God.
Secondly, in the process of cre
tion, the word toy (good) is r
peated several times. The fir
time we are told lo toy (not good
is when God says: "It is not go
for man to be alone."
As two people build a bridge
love that unites them, only the
do they discover life at its highes
at its noblest. And as two souls ar
forged together, onljt then do
loneliness forever fade.
Finally, when you read th
story of .Genesis, you will noti
that no mention is made of th
Bereshit: Genesis
1:1-6:8. Isaiah
42:543:10.
religion or race of Adam. Why? I
order to teach us that if we go bac
far enough we will find that
are part of one family: n
Catholic, not Moslem, not Prote
tant, not Jewish. An echo of th
thought can be found in the wor
of the prophet Malachi: "Have
not all one father? Hath not o
God created us all? Why then
we deal treacherously broth
against brother?"
Martin Buber, in his boo
Chasidthn and Modern Ma
gave a unique translation for th
opening words of Genesis. Rath
than the usual "In the beginnin
God created the world," he tran
lated it in the following manne
"God created the world, for th
sake of beginning, for the sake
making a human beginning."
On this first Sabbath of the ne
year, the Sabbath of Genesi
wouldn't it be wonderful, if we a
tried to make a beginning towa
becoming not only human, b
also humane, loving children
the living God?
Eastern Bloc May Hold
Key To Canada Trials
Toronto (JTA) — Justice Jules
Deschenes, the one-man federal,
commission on war criminals liv-
ing in Canada, is considering a
trip to the Soviet Union and
other eastern European coun-
tries to obtain further evidence
in the cases of eight naturalized
Canadians alleged to have col-
laborated with the Nazis in the
mass murders of Jews and others
during 'World War IL
Canadian public opinion is
split over the trip which is shap-
ing up as an issue of confronta-
tion between Canada's Jewish
community and various east
European ethnic groups, notably
the Ukrainians.
Deschenes, a former Quebec
Supreme Court jtafice, has until
the end of the year, to recom-
mend whether legal action can
or should be taken , against pro-
yen war criminals in Canada, in-
nmatazatismiazimiaocaussom
eluding stripping them of the
citizenship and deportation.
He held a public meeting
Toronto last month where co
flicting opinions were express
on the advisability of his goi
to the USSR. He would al
travel to Poland and the Uni
Kingdom to interview Holocau
surivors and gather documen
pertinent to the eight cases.
Ukrainian, Latvian a
Lithuanian groups in Cana
have appealed to Deschenes
reject Soviet offers of assistan
They claim the Soviets' on
purpose is to discredit easte
European emigres who are fe
vently anti-Communist.
But others point out that
state archives in the Ukrai
and Baltic states, all part of
Soviet Union, are bulging wi
documents which would help
commission in its task.
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