•
62 Friday, May 2, 1986
.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
FOCUS
FitANKLIN
Racquet Club & Spa
IN
c)CICI
-
(-A\A\L
29350 Northwestern Hwy. Just North of 12 Mile
pv
For Reservations: 352-8000
Who Determines Who Is 'Religious'?
BY DR. EMANUEL RACKMAN
Special to The Jewish News
NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
SUNDAY BRUNCH EVERY WEEK
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
MOTHER'S DAY SPECIAL BRUNCH & BUFFET
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
EGGS - BACON - SAUSAGE - EGGS BENEDICT - SERVED TIL 2 p.m.
CHEESE BLINTZ W/Strawberry Sauce
SERVED ALL DAY. ' Broccoli
W/Cheese Sauce—Buttered Carrots
PARSLEY BUTTERED POTATO—GRAND SALAD BAR—SWEET TABLE
CAJUN SHRIMP—TERIYAKI CHICKEN
CHEF TO CARVE: Roast Beef—Leg of Lamb—Turkey Breast
Reservations:
352.8000, Ext. S7
4p
$an
Adults
u
$450 Children
under 12
MOTHER'S DAY FASHION SHOW
lUIUUSI I
In The Southfield Hilton's Grand Ballroom
04,
Mother's
Day
Sunday
May 11
Adults
$11.50
Children
$6.50
Discounts
for
Seniors
11:00am
to
4:00pm
-
FASHION SHOW
Apparel by • FANCY THIS • ROSELYN S
Jewelry by • JANICE HADDAD
• A Flower for Mom • Door Prizes
• Live Entertainment
Enjoy tempting appetizers, fresh salads, juicy carved meats
and other entrees, delicious side dishes, and a special
assortment of desserts.
Call for Reservations
557 4800
-
SOUTHFIELD HILTON
17017 W. Nine Mile Road
Southfield, MI
Give today
Your donation to the Association for Retarded Citizens will help
improve the life of a child or adult with mental
retardation — and support research into treatment and
prevention of the condition in others.
Jewish Association for Retarded Citizens
17288 W. 12 Mile Rd., Southfield,-MI 48076
(313) 557-7650
He build thiarc
Association for RetardeclCitizens
are confronted with their pursuit
I do not like being called a dati religious" with this kind of con-
a religious Jew. And I am not cern and "less religious" with the of the strictest measures vis-a-vis
God and the most compromising
lack of it.
alone in my dislike of the term.
of standards vis-a-vis their
I would much rather relate the
Moreover, I shudder when a Jew
"more" or the "less" to the man- fellowmen?
feels that he must sheepishly con-
There is one more reason why I
ner in which a Jew conducts his
fess to me that he is not religious.
He may be more religious than I, business affairs, how meticulous- dislike claiming that I am a dati.
though it may appear that I do ly honest he is in his concern for By retaining that term and using
more things that are identified other people's money, how careful it prolifically, I am contributing to
he is with his speech, how chari- the most serious division of our
with the tradition than he.
Indeed, no one should ever table he is, how neighborly, how people in millennia — a division
civic-minded. But we have come to that threatens the future of Israel.
speak of himself as "religious". To
The term is inviting civil strife.
be religious is a goal to which one
I don't believe that anyone really
aspires and only one who is ar-
planned it that way. It just hap-
rogant claims that he has already
To be religious is a
pened. But the trend must be
achieved it.
stopped. The datim and the
Similarly, no Jew ought affirm goal to which one
chiloniim (irreligious) can refuse to
that he is not religious. Once he
be described as such.
has identified with the Jewish peo- aspires, and only
Perhaps even political parties
ple, he has already made himself one who is arrogant
should cease to describe them-
a party to the Covenant. He may
claims that he has
selves as "religious." Movements
even deny that there is a God, but
may do so. So may schools. But
he already subscribes to one term already achieved it.
political parties are organized for
of the Covenant — the responsibil-
power, and power inevitably cor-
ity of Jews for each other.
rupts.
How I wish that I could elimin-
No "religious" political party
ate the term from the vocabulary equate religiosity with orthopraxis
ever succeeded in functioning with
of our people! Christians are more and that demeans the term. It is
a view only to the realization of
astute. They speak of themselves more showmanship than cleaving
religious goals. And the State of
as practicing or non-practicing, to God — ostentation rather than
Israel has provided no exception.
and virtually all Jews are practic- piety.
My late revered father dis-
ing Jews — some more so, and
I have no solution to the pro-
some less — but once a person couraged the use of two pairs of blem how religious movements in
asserts that he is Jewish, he is tefilin in prayer, though many
Israel will influence legislation
already a pfacticing Jew in a very Jews do just that. He relied on the
without their own political parties,
significant way. He has placed mandate of several giants of the
as they do in the United States
himself within the fold — and that Talmudic tradition who expressed
and Britain. But I do know that
is no insignificant deed.
the view that to be so observant
one immediate desideratum is to
One of the sad consequences of gives others the -impression that
stop talking of ourselves as reli-
the use of the term "religious" is one is superior to others.
gious or irreligious.
that almost everywhere it has
Modesty in one's religious obser-
If all of us were simple practic-
taken on an obnoxious meaning. It vance is as much a cherished value
ing Jews, the so-called secularists,
is assumed that it refers only to as modesty in attire. Today we are
and the religionists would have
Commandments that pertain to witness to the rejection of both
taken a giant step forward to win
man's relationship with God.
values — but not by the same peo-
the respect of those whom they
Thus in Israel, for example, in a ple. The modest in attire are usual-
would like to see cherish the
co-operative residential facility in ly immodest in their claim to be Jewish tradition and its excep-
which the owners have agreed to religious, while the immodest in tional values and way of life.
be "religious," a person who attire are usually very modest in
This would be step number one
observes the Sabbath and dietary denying that they are religious.
in the battle against both a di-
laws might not be expelled even if
He was equally resistant to the vided camp and enormous losses
he is a proven thief or embezzler, "glatt kosher" movement. First, to assimilation.
while one who is honest and neigh- he felt that one ought' not en-
borly might be excluded because courage a practice that not all
he parked his car there on the Jews can possibly observe. If all
Sabbath.
Jews observed it, the supply
Yet what Jew does not know would never equal the demand.
that the Commandments pertain- And for a Jew to engage in a prac-
ing to man's relationships with his tice that is unavailable to all Jews
fellow men are at least as impor- often serves only the ego and not
tant as the ones that have their one's spiritual excellence.
source exclusively in the Written
Second, to insist on "glatt
and Oral Law?
kosher" is to denigrate that which Detroiter Elected
Moreover, the use of the term the sages have ruled is kosher. It
"religious" for the Command- is tantamount to a rejection of the At Men's Assembly
ments pertaining to the relation- Oral Law and its custodians, the
Sheldon B. Satovsky of Cong.
ships between God and man en- rabbis and their published works. Shaarey Zedek was elected
ables some Jews to boast about
One of the greatest rabbis of the executive vice president of the
being "more religious" than last century felt that it was a form Great Lakes Region of the Inter-
others. And this is usually not on- of heresy for one to act in such a national FederatiOn of Conserva-
ly arrogance on their part, but a way that, in effect, the action tells tive Jewish Men's Clubs at its
violation of the very tradition to the rabbis, "We question the 57th annual spring convention.
Elected with him were:
which they profess loyalty.
validity of your rulings. We will do
Stewart Silverman of Cong. Beth
For example, there has been a better!'
tendency in recent years to pro-
rlb my late father's reasons, I Achim, vice president; and Alan
mote the more meticulous obser- add my own. When one day 'I shall Levenson of Cong: B'nai Moshe,
vance of the Jewish.dietary laws. face our Maker in judgement and recording secretary. Dr. Harvey
Frankly, I am no champion of this He will accuse me of being lax Nussbaum of Adat Shalom Syna-
trend. It is usually described as with regard to the dietary laws,' I gogue became honorary past
the "glatt kosher" syndrome and .shall at least apologize and ,ex- president.
Other Michigan delegates were
there are very cogent Halachic and plain that I was equally lax in my Haro ld Bake r Leon Warner
moral reasons for resisting it.
behavior toward my fellow man. I Michael Wainer, Maynard
I will enumerate these, but to had no double standard.
Feldman, Leslie, Hubert, Carl
with ,I. want tqotress that
lylit41
(
vtko
Lichtenstein Norbert Aeinstein,
Jews Inie
.` p
_ one Vqiiabal "More/ he, "— np,
f
'
—
FOR MEN
R'(!f
Ts, arne.
ilf341*T1 f2,1
41'p
;41P40f4:4144WjiiiiYeigt,fitinTAVATASYGI*51:11VONSWAW00141/.:4NOZAUirti $411:444:161W-A WANS
VANWO4NC.M.Wf
tVetreetWeir VCONit
8