t• t.cifeJri 4 Friday, December 20, 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 48076-4138 Telephone (313) 354-6060 PUBLISHER: Charles A. Buerger EDITOR EMERITUS: Philip Slomovitz EDITOR: Gary Rosenblatt CONSULTANT: 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 OFFICE STAFF: Lynn Fields Marlene Miller Dharlene Norris Phyllis Tyner Pauline Weiss Ellen Wolfe ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Lauri Biafore Allan Craig Rick Nessel Danny Raskin 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 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 r- /