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Friday, February 6, 1987
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
■.■
II
Continued from Page 17
MALTER FURS
22
Israelis In America
THURSDAY UNTIL 9 P.M.
Says Micha Lev: "The chil-
dren are an invisible commu-
nity because the yordim are
not affiliating . . . so their chil-
dren are not so involved as
American Jewish children.
Unless the American Jewish
community reaches out to
these children, demographi-
cally we are causing a tragedy.
We don't have to condone or
condemn yordim to take care of
these Jewish children."
Interestingly, in Detroit,
many Israelis are giving their
children a strong Jewish edu-
cation.
"A lot of Israelis, because
they're well off, part of the
status is sending their kids to
Hillel," Shalom Lev observes.
His oldest son, age 6, attends
Hillel Day School. "We're sur-
rounded by Jewish education,"
he says.
But Lili Cahlon'argues that
"nothing is enough" to give her
sons a strong Jewish identity.
"The only thing that is enough
is to be in Israel or to be Or-
thodox. I don't think any of the
methods used here are a
guarantee for the continuation
of Judaism."
The Cahlons' three sons
attend public school in Roches-
ter Hills, overwhelmingly
non-Jewish. Lili says she hopes
to link her sons to a Zionist
youth group but "they don't
publicize themselves enough.
It took us six years to find out
they existed."
Shalom Lev is more optimis-
tic. "I think my son gets a bet-
ter Jewish education here than
he would have in a public
school in Israel."
Many Israeli families speak
Hebrew at home. This does not
stop the Americanization of
their children, but does provide
them with a second language,
something most Americans
lack.
Leeat, the Shevachs' 15-
year-old daughter, answers
her parents in English when
they address her in Hebrew.
"When I have to I'll talk He-
brew," she contends.
She hopes to attend a one-
year high school program in Is-
rael for children of Israelis. She
does not think she will blend in
to her Israeli environment
"When I'm in Israel I feel
American," she says.
Ruth Carmel sees her chil-
dren's Americanization as the
"price" she must pay for enjoy-
ing America. "My culture, it's a
very small part of my children.
I wonder really how much they
understand . . . You speak He-
brew to them, but they don't
read Hebrew literature," she
says with feeling.
z
ionism called for the In-
gathering of the Exiles in
Israel. Does the fact that
at least ten percent of those in-
gathered now live abroad point
to the failure of Zionism?
Micha Lev thinks not.
"Ninety percent of Israel's
population — with the con-
stant wars, economic depres-
sion, enormous national obli-
gations — 90 percent have
stayed and the borders have
not been closed to them. They
could leave if they wanted to."
How does he rate Zionism in
light of the massive emigra-
tion? "When I went to school, if
somebody got 90 percent on a
test, it was probably an A," he
says wryly.
Lev's optimism is probably
little comfort to Benny
Schwarz. "I feel the situation is
beyond the preaching stage. At
least what we can do is to keep
the spark (among the Israelis
here) and to preserve it as
much as possible. And if one of
these days the spark comes
back to Israel, then at least we
did something." -
Some do go back, although
not many. "Of 30 families that
come, five or eight go back," is
Zvi Shevach's rough estimate.
"Zionism won't help" bring
Israelis back to Israel, Ruth
Carmel believes. "Quality of
life is the thing, not money. Is-
rael should be an attractive
place to live. It won't help Is-
raelis to have shlichim (Israeli
emissaries here)."
If the Israelis are here to
stay, then American Jews and
the Israelis themselves must
admit this fact and act upon it.
The Israelis will always long
for the land they left; whether
their children become Ameri-
can Jews or merely Americans
will depend on the help Israeli
families get in plugging into
the American Jewish infras-
tructure.
They are a most unusual
immigrant group, the only one
who comes saying, "We're
going back." Clearly the spark
still burns within many. The
extent of their connection to Is-
rael shows up in thir dreams
and in their unconscious be-
havior.
When Nira Lev — who has
lived in the United States for
14 years — recently visited
Mexico, she was asked where
she was from.
She replied, as if by reflex,
"Israel."0
.4
.4
4
A
Calif. Senator
Has To Pay
Sacramento, Calif. (JTA) —
The California State Senate
will not pay the $20,000 out-
of-court settlement of a libel
suit on behalf of former state
Sen. John Schmitz, who de-
scribed attorney Gloria Allred
as a "slick bitch lawyeress" and
an audience she addressed as
containing "hard, Jewish and
female faces." •
Allred, of Los Angeles,
brought the suit against
Schmitz in 1982.
Schmitz agreed to publicly
apologize to Allred.
.4
.