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THE JEWISH NEWS
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© 1987 by The Detroit Jewish News (US PS 275-520)
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CANDLELIGHTING AT 5:09 P.M.
VOL. XC, NO. 21
Stagnant Kashrut
We are disturbed to learn that limited progress has been made by the
Council of Orthodox Rabbis over the past five months in its commitment to
hire an administrative director of kashrut.
A recent series in The Jewish News showed that while Detroit's
reputation for the processing of kosher beef is good, the weak link in the chain
between slaughterhouse and kosher consumer is the retail butcher shops.
Some of these shops have no supervision. Others are "inspected" by Rabbi
Jack Goldman. And even supervision of shops provided by the Council of
Orthodox Rabbis has been lacking.
A handful of recent events underscore the need for acting diligently to
hire a kashrut administrator:
• Suspecting a butcher under its supervision was selling non-kosher
beef, members of the Vaad hired a private investigator. During this
investigation, the allegedly non-kosher beef still was being sold to consumers
who believed it was kosher. The mashgiach ultimately claimed to have found
non-kosher beef and Vaad certification was removed.
• A mashgiach states he is compensated for his services directly by the
butcher he is supervising and accepts payments in cash for tax reasons.
• Rabbis who are members of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis state they
will not permit the beef of certain butchers into their synagogues because the
rigorousness of their own Vaad's supervision is suspect.
The community interest requires that internal disagreements and turf
battles be set aside and the Council of Orthodox Rabbis act expeditiously to
hire a kashrut director who is given the clout to provide the level of
standardization — and confidence — needed to make Detroit a true model of
kashrut.
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To My Grandchildren:
For Thee I Continue To Weep
D
IRVING FIELD
60 Minutes with Mike Wallace, not 48
Hours with Nick Nolte.
ear Jon and Diana,
Because of distance
involved, your grandmother
and I do not see you often enough. The
telephone is OK but limited, and does
not take the place of a hug and a kiss.
For that reason, I decided to put some
of my thoughts on paper.
While in the military service,
your grandfather received two insig-
nificant medals. My immediate
superior, Sergeant Murphy, was a 55-
year-old career Army man, who had
never been overseas, never finished
high school, and was drunk most of the
time. He had a chestful of them. How
ridiculous, I thought. If medals are to
be awarded, give them to the Salvation
Army, not the United States Army.
Cults: How do we allow them to
rear their ugly head. How do we con-
done, and stand aside, watching such a
waste of young people. How is it possi-
ble for Jim Jones to be able to brain-
wash a community of 900 men, women
and children, to commit suicide en
masse. Is it not another nail in the
coffin of the American Empire? I weep.
From the Bible: "And they shall
beat their swords into ploughshares,
And their spears into pruning-hooks,
Nation shall not lift up sword against
Nation, Neither shall they learn war
any more, But they shall sit every man
under his vine, and under his fig tree;
And none shall make them afraid".
Disney World — Gate, not
Watergate or Iran-gate. Sesame
Street, not Wall Street.
Michaelangelo, not Andy Warhol.
Placido Domingo, not Madonna. Ab-
bott and Costello, not Poindexter and
North. Cousteau, not Schwartzeneger.
"Nova", not Clint Eastwood. Humane
Society, not the Ku Klux Klan Society.
The future appears none too
bright for our work force. It looks as
though we are no longer in a competi-
tive market. General Motors, and
other leading corporations, are laying
off thousands while building factories
outside of the United States. Why?
You ask. Because the average hourly
wage of a Mexican worker is 69 cents
versus $9 in U.S. wages, however, is
not the main problem. Productivity is.
We are slipping. In kid's terms, poor
productivity means we are not putting
in an honest day's work.
Irving Field of Farmington Hills is a
retired clothing store owner. This letter
was written to his grandchildren in Los
Angeles.
Samantha Smith, where, oh
where, do we find more Samantha
Smiths? You left a legacy for all young
people to follow. Now your voice is stil-
Where, oh where, do we
find more Samantha
Smiths. Now your voice is
stilled and I weep. Rest in
peace, Samantha.
led. And I weep. Rest in peace,
Samantha. Rest in peace.
You say you want to be a re-
searcher, a scientist, a physicist.
GREAT. Find out what causes crib-
death, cancer. Help harness tornadoes,
earthquakes, and find out what makes
a school of whales beach themselves.
Above all, bear in mind that mush-
rooms are for salads, not for other
Hiroshimas.
Damion Todd is 17 years old. He
was convicted of first-degree murder,
which carries a mandatory sentence of
life in prison, without parole. He shot
and killed a high school student,
attending a back-to-school party. His
mother, Pamela, wept uncontrollably
Continued on Page 28
Evangelical Surprises
Protestant evangelicals have been getting a bad rap, according to a new
study commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League of the B'nai B'rith. The
wave of anti-Semitism that many Jews had expected to emerge from the
current renaissance of evangelism has not occurred, concluded the survey of
1,000 theologically conservative white Protestants. Ninety percent of those
polled rejected the idea that Christians are 'justified in holding negative
attitudes towards Jews since the Jews killed Christ." Thirty-four percent said
God views Jews "more favorably" than gentiles because the Bible says Jews
are "God's chosen people." Only five percent said they had an "unfavorable
view of Jews."
There was also an apparent gap between evangelicals and the
anti-Semitic statements of their leaders. For instance, 86 percent of those
polled disagreed with the 1981 claim of a southern Baptist leader that God
"does not hear the prayer of a Jew."
Evangelicals' assertions that they have the inside track on "the truth" is
discomforting and unsettling. Such noise is the stuff of intolerance and
bigotry. But the ADL study — the first of its kind in 20 years — underscores
the fact that we must look beyond the rhetoric of the pulpit and deeper than
our own apprehensions. We must look at people's actions, at their basic sense
of decency. Sometimes, we may even be surprised that people are more decent
than we assume.
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