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4 Friday, December 20, 1985
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
THE JEWISH NEWS
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CANDLELIGHTING AT 4:44 P.M.
VOL. LXXXVIII, NO. 17
December Dilemma
The Christmas season has become a difficult time for individual
Jews. Some writers in recent weeks have suggested that non-Christians
would not be offended by public celebrations of the holiday if they felt
more secure about their own beliefs. (A related -theme is developed on
Page 25 of this issue.)
Parade Magazine on Dec. 8 published a large advertisement for Jews
for Jesus with the hradline: "Sure I'm Jewish. And I celebrate
Christmas." A Detroit Free Press article Dec. 12 described a number of
non-Christians, including Jews, who celebrate the "secular" aspects of the
holiday. That article was intriguingly titled "Separating Christmas from
Christianity."
As individuals, personal feelings of discomfort during the Christmas
season are strongly related to our desire to be part of the majority. Few
people have the inner strength needed to be considered "different," a
"loner," part of the minority, especially when our American world places
such a heavy economic and social emphasis on the "secular" celebration of
Christmas.
Even Christian leaders bemoan such secularization: -A Presbyterian
minister in Birmingham last year disagreed with the majority at a school
board meeting considering the appropriateness of student field trips to his
church's Christmas pageant and display. He strongly stressed the
religious aspect of the holiday. But his view was not supported by the
U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the display of a creche scene in.,
Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with several justices stressing the secular
aspects.
Locally, Federal court decisions have banned creche displays in
Birmingham and Dearborn, although Dearborn city fathers have
sidestepped the ban by selling a tiny _parcel of city hall property to a
private group. Madison Heights, Berkley and other cities have not been
challenged for their creche scenes, while almost every city feels compelled
to have some type of Christmas decoration on city hall.
No one wants to play the Grinch at Christmas time, and we certainly
don't begrudge our Christian neighbors their joyous celebrations, be they
religious or secular. Perhaps it is time that our civil liberties groups,
Jewish organizations and the courts came together for a lengthy,
reasoned consideration of all the issues involved, including majority and
minority rights. Hopefully, the decision will not be handed down the
week before Christmas.
A Painful Reminder
Peaceful civil disobedience has its own logic. One knowingly breaks a
law to make a moral point. and one knows that in such an infraction, a
penalty must be paid. From this stems the courage that is requisite for
such an act.
Last Friday, five Washington area rabbis were sent to prison for 15
days. They had violated a Federal law last May when they held a
peaceful vigil outside the Soviet Embassy in Washington
It is both sad and compelling that the rabbis chose to go to prison to
draw public attention to the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union.
Next Friday, the rabbis will be released from federal prison in
Virginia. They know they will be returning to a world where they can
pray, study Hebrew culture and gather in synagogues as they wish. For
t Jews, such liberties are improbable if not impossible.
,
OP-ED
Battle Atop Jerusalem:
Mormons Vs. Orthodox
BY KATHY GANNON
Special to The Jewish News
Jerusaleit — From a turmoil-
engulfed perch atop Jerusalem's
Blount Scopus the eye locks on the
stone-encased Old City guarding
3difices sacred to the world's three
major religions — Judaism, Chris-
tianity and Islam.
This dishevelled perch is clut-
tered with heavy equipment and
mostly Arab construction workers
racing to erect the skeleton of the
Mormon Center for Near Eastern
Studies befl-e the rains begin. An
arm of the Provo-based Brigham
Young University, the center is the
eye of the hurricane-like protests by
ultra-religious Jews fearing a per-
manent Mormon presence signals
the start of proselytizing, that could
confuse and even cause the
religiously-weak Jew to stray.
The Mormons, members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of the
Latter-Day Saints, number only a
handful in Israel and have promised
there will be no proselytizing in Is-
rael. Any students found seeking
converts among the Israeli popula-
tion would have their studies cut
short and would be shipped, post-
haste, back to the United States. It
wasn't a "gentlemen's agreement,"
says center director David Galbraith,
an Israeli resident for the past 17
years. The promise was put in writ-
ing.
But, the "ultra-religious" are
unconvinced. Moshe Dann, director
of special projects with Yad L'Achin,
the organization leading the pro-
tests, says "the center will be a mis-
sionary and propaganda center." For
the validity of that statement, Dann
credits "all our sources and informa-
tion found in the Mormon mission-
ary manuals and Mormon publica-
Kathy Gannon is a Canadian free-lance
writer currently living in Israel.
tions." The protesting Jews charge
Mormon followers are committed,
through their faith, to proselytize.
They put no weight in the Mormon
promise not to seek converts in Is-
rael.
Dann said the protest could end
up in court. He would divulge little
about this possible court action, ex-
The ultra-religious say
the Mormon Center will
be used for missionary
work and propaganda.
cept to hint that it would involve
the Mormon institution here" and
certain (Israeli) government officials.
And this battle, which has raged
since late last year, threatens to go
beyond the legal system and spill
over into the Knesset. If necessary,"
Dann said, the Jewish protesters
will press the Israeli government to
enact a "special bill" to stop con-
struction on the Mormon Center,
scheduled to open in mid-1987.
Dann hints at improprieties
that, if repeated, would be bountiful
fodder for lawsuits. The proof of
these charges exists, insists Dann,
who says a battery of lawyers are
now preparing the evidence on
which the threatened court case is to
be built.
Attempts to find a middle
ground have failed. Galbraith says, a
hint of frustration in his voice,
With each meeting we start from
the beginning."
The size of the center — large
enough to accommodate a dormitory
to sleep 200, classrooms, offices, two
400-seat auditoriums, theater and
small gymnasium — has fuelled the
Continued on. Page 32
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