66 Friday, June 6, 1986 IS YOUR CHILD THEN GO TO THE THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS GOING TO SUMMER CAMP? SUMMER CAMP SPECIALIST in the WEST BLOOMFIELD PLAZA 6690 Orchard Lake Road West Bloomfield, Michigan 851-6232 Boys' and Young Men's Wear C Official Camp Outfitters For WE HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE RIGHT SUPPLIES TO SEND YOUR CAMPER AWAY, FOR A FUN SUMMER. • Official Camp T-Shirts And Sweatshirts. • Custom Printing On All Duffle And Laundry Bags while you wait. WALDEN SEA-GULL M A TANUGA m TAMAKWA P TAMARACK CAMPS S WAHANOWIN ONE STOP SHOPPING FOR ALL YOUR CAMPER'S NEEDS As always... Half the calories of butter & twice as goo : Most people are surprised to find out that Philadelphia Brand cream cheese has always had half the calories of butter or margarine. But fortunately they've always known that Philly cream cheese tastes twice as good. The good news is, now that they know Philly cream cheese—either soft or regular—has half the calories of butter, they can enjoy twice as much Philadelphia Brand cream cheese—or twice as often. Whether you use our super-spreadable soft package, or the regular Philly cream cheese, your whole family will enjoy a terrific spread. What a mechayeh for your bagel, matzoh, bially or toast! So, pick up a package of Philly cream cheese, because half the calories means a great deal. K certified Kosher TORAH PORTION A Sense Of Family And Need To Belong BY RABBI IRWIN GRONER Special to The Jewish News The Torah reading of Bamid- bar describes a census of the children of Israel during the days of Moses. Each tribe was to be numbered and the total fig- ures are tallied. In the midst of this seemingly prosaic report, the Bible intro- duces a profound spiritual in- sight: "Take ye the sum of all the congregation in Israel ..." By what method? "By their families and by their father's houses." Every person was .re- ckoned not as a separate and de- tached individual, not as an in- terchangeable unit in a series, but rather as a member of a mishpacha or family, in rela- tionship to his father's house. Home, family, lineage, ances- tors, in short, a sense of belong- ing — I can think of no greater yearning, no deeper hunger in our age than the need to belong, to be linked with others by ties of affection and regard. During World War II, London was bombed so relentlessly by the Luftwaffe that children were sent to the countryside. A little boy separated from his mother and unaware of her location, reacted to his plight by declar- ing, "I am nobody's nothing." Each of us wants to be some- body's something. Material possessions do not necessarily answer the hunger for belonging. Are the victims of insecurity, loneliness and isola- tion limited to the poor and un- derprivileged? Not necessarily. Consider a gifted and promising young man or woman who feels rootless and alienated. Consider a successful entrepeneur who realizes one day that his home is not his castle. Consider a woman, outwardly graceful and serene, but inwardly distressed because she feels unloved and unwanted. Consider an older person who seemingly has all the material security he desires but who deserves that his coun- sel is not desired, his presence not welcome. A sense of belong- ing has little to do with what a person has, but rather with what he- experiences. The Bible instructs us re- peatedly that men and women need someone, and something to cling to. They need the inspira- tion of a Tradition; the sense of relatedness to others; - the secu- rity of a home. Robert Frost's definition of a home is well- known: "A home is where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." We all need the strength and support of home and family to find stability and serenity. We need friends and community to feel worthy and valued. The imagery of Pirkei Avot conveys this truth so vividly. "The righteous person is like a tree planted by streams of water," declare the sages, "and even if all the winds of the world blow upon it, it cannot be Irwin Groner is rabbi of Cong. Shaarey Zedek in. Southfield. stirred from its place." To be- long to a family, and to a his- toric community, is to have one's life anchored in the soil of a profound attachment. The need to belong is of spe- cial concern to us as Jews — one of the oldest peoples on God's earth — because we taught the world the meaning of having Bamidbar: Numbers 1:1-4:20 I Samuel 20:18-42 roots, of being part of a historic nation. When we enter a synagogue, we encounter words of the Bible, and prayers of First Century Palestine : . . and of Seventh Century Babylonia and of France and Germany of the Middle Ages, as well as of con- temporary America. We are re- freshed and invigorated by the continuous stream of a tradition that has flowed on through the lives and teachings of prophets and sages, saints and scholars. To affirm loyalty to this 'people and to share in its life is to ab- sorb Israel's strength and cour- age and faith. The great task of the Jewish community of today is to re- spond to the challenge of this to help each Jew sidrah realize that he counts because he is a member of a family, he has a distinctive lineage, and a shared victory with Jews all over the world. We need to strengthen and support the in- stitutions where we rediscover our roots -- the home, the fam- ily, the synagogue, the school — for they alone shape and fashion an authentic and fulfilling Jewish identity. — Yeshiva U. Names Michigan Grads Twelve Michigan residents re- ceived degrees from YOhiva University in New York City during the university's 55th an- nual commencement exercises this week. They are: Lisa Borsand, B.A., Stern College for Women; Jay Jubas, B.A., Yeshiva College; Alissa Leiderman, B.S., Stern College for Women; Jonathan Leiderman, A.A., James Striar School of General Jewish Studies, and B.A., Yeshiva Col- lege; Pearl Stein, B.A., Stern College for Women; Ivy Stein- metz, M.S.W., Wurzweiler School of Social Work; Lillibeth Mandel, B.A., Stern College for Women; Daniel Rosenthal, B.A., Yeshiva College; Joel Ross, B.A., Yeshiva College; Saul Ruber, B.A., Yeshiva College; Gayle Selesny, Hebrew Teacher's Diploma, and B.A., Stern College for Women; and Jay Tilson, M.A., Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology.