FRUIT & GIFT BASKETS LETTERS For all occasions Nation-Wide Delivery The Perils Of Fanaticism I commend Rabbi Avi Shaf- ran's article on "The Perils of Pluralism" July 11). It is honest, forthright and eloquent. In al- most all instances it parallels many of my own feelings. I was brought up on the Orthodox tenets of Judaism and although I consider myself to be non- observant, my philosophical bias leans towards that of the Or- thodox. I too, like Rabbi Shafran, feel that ultimately we are all Jews and that we need to learn to at least be understanding of, if not in agreement with, each other. There is a point, however, that Rabbi Shafran's article seems to have not addressed. There are those among us, be they ultra- Orthodox, Conservative or Re- form, who practice Judaism dog- matically and hypocritically ne- gate the basic ethics that are Judaism. I refer most recently to the secular and Orthodox Jews in Israel today who are at war with each other. My anger for what they are doing takes no side. We need to be united in a world that continues to hold us in contempt just because we are Jews. Instead we are fueling the fires of their hate. I suspect that Rabbi Shafran's article was motivated by the re- cent condemnation of all or- thodox Jews because of- the ac- tions of a few. I support his clarification but would like to hear more from him on his feel- ings regarding the Jew who ob- serves Halachah piously while he destroys the property and threatens the safety of fellow Jews who do not observe the way he does. Sheldon L. Smith Southfield The 'Former' Is Very Active "Purely Commentary" July 11 refers to "former Reform rabbi Samuel Silver who now resides in Florida." Rabbi Samuel Silver is not a former Reform rabbi. He is still a Reform rabbi — he is a very much alive, very active Reform rabbi, who, in my opinion, is a very unique rabbi who retired from his pulpit in Connecticut at age 65, moved down to Florida and decided the retirement life was not for him. He created a new congregation which, today, is about 300 families. They built a new syna- gogue in Delray Beach, Fla. and it is thriving — as a Reform Jewish congregation served by a popular Reform rabbi named Dr. Samuel Silver — nothing "former" about him! Leonard N. Simons Southfield Jaffe Reveals His 'Real Goals' Hymie Cutler's letter (July 4, "The Real Goals of Prof. Jaffe") is loaded with inaccuracies, some his own and some taken from a superficial article by R. Medoff on the New Israel Fund, recently • printed in Midstream. As for the facts on what my "real" goals are, let me note that I believe in de-politicizing the Jewish Agency by separating it, unilaterally, from the World Zionist Organization. I advocate more control by donors and fed- erations over the $420 million they send to the Agency each year, and much more personal involvement by donors and fed- eration leaders in their philan- thropic effort in Israel and in running the Jewish Agency. I also feel very strongly about the need to link up private philanthropy with exciting, struggling, grassroots, volunteer, non-profit organizations who are contributing to the quality of life and social services in Israel. Although I am proud to be the first Israeli chairman and a co- founder of the New Israel Fund, for several years I have not been directly connected with it, having moved on to other, equally- interesting catalytic social wel- fare projects in Israel. Compared to the Jewish Agency ; the New Israel Fund is small potatoes (i.e. less than $1 million spent in Is- rael in 1986). In fact I proposed that the Agency could easily swallow the NIF by setting up its own, independent, $20 million non-political fund for innovative, non-profit organizations over- looked by present mainstream philanthropy. Private and direct donations are becoming increasingly popu- lar as more people question the present political structure of the Jewish Agency. I don't really care whether donors receive their IRS tax deduction by sending their Israel-bound money via the PEF Israel. Endowments Fund (342 Madison Ave., New York 10017) or through the NIF. More than half of the NIF grants are now "donor-directed" (earmarked) ; leaving little leeway for board- directed grants. Once donors know what organization or non- profit activity they want to sup- port in Israel, they can freely choose either vehicle to get the funds here, without overhead in both cases. The present NIF board mem- bers are indeed a varied lot, but I have never heard them polled re- garding their political view on, for example, a Palestinian state. The IRS simply does not allow anyone, including the United Jewish Appeal and the Jewish Agency, to use American charity in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. I personally resent that restric- tion, because I'd like to see a large Jewish presence in these areas, and the U.S. government, not the NIF board, dictated this reality when we founded the Fund back in 1979. If Hymie Cutler is really seri- ous about fighting for "A Safe Is- rael," he shouldn't spend his energies on the small fry New Is- rael Fund. Actually, he should be here with us, where most of the serious action is taking place. And bring the kids along too. Prof. Eliezer D. Jaffe School of Social Work, Hebrew University, Jerusalem " PhaCer dPliV • BECaLLSE you CIEIEV.TE tfie crEty tEst RODNICK BROS. 26571 West Twelve Mile Road at Northwestern Hwy. 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