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ETHNIC J Anita's Kitchen • Cafe Francophile • Cajun
CUISINE: Station • China Express • El Pistolero • Honey

Tree • India Delight • Par's Kitchen • Pizza Plenty

Continental Meats • Continental INCREDIBLE
Sandwich • Farmington Fruit Market •
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Cookie Nook • Fry Bar • Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream •
Harry's • Hollywood Squeeze • Incredible Spud
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12

Friday, March 20, 1987

LOCAL NEWS

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Agency Changes Push
Religious Pluralism

Staff Report

Precedent-setting changes
in how the Jewish Agency
reviews requests for funding
from religious movements,
coupled with opportunities for
representation at the upcom-
ing World Zionist Congress,
provide Diaspora Jews with
the means to promote reli-
gious pluralism in Israel.
Charles Hoffman, a
Jerusalem Post editor whose
controversial series last June
in The Jewish News on the
Jewish Agency and the rela-
tionship between its leader-
ship in Israel and fund rais-
ers abroad helped change
attitudes toward supporing
Reform and Conservative
programs, told Jewish Wel-
fare Federation leaders Tues-
day night that problems sur-
rounding religious pluralism
in Israel aren't as bad as they
seem and Disapora Jews have
more means to change the
situation than they may
know.
Hoffman was in Southfield
as part of a nine-city speak-
ing tour.
The ability to promote
plurlism can come through
the election of delegates to
the World Zaionist Organiza-
tion's World Zionist Congress
in December, Hoffman said.
American Jews, however, are
faced with an array of
choices, from the Zionist
Organization of America to
Hadassah, and often cast
their votes with these organ-
izations as opposed to Mercaz
or Artza, which represent the
Conservative and Reform
movements. The result is
that both movements have
small representation and get
a small share of the $60 mil-
lion WZO pie.
The Jewish Agency, with
its $400 million annual
budget, has greater opportu-
nity to aid the Reform and
Conservative movements,
Hoffman said. But its leaders
have been reluctant to re-
spond to their requests, de-
spie being on record in sup-
port of religious pluralism.
Hoffman said that while
there may not be official dis-
cimination, it doesn't mean it
doesn't exist. Citing the
Aliyah Department of th
Jewish Agency as an exam-
ple, Hoffman said the de-
. partment!s , head was asked
why newcomers were not of-
fered Reform and Conserva-
tive" activities in absorption
centers and was told it would
"confuse the new immig-
rants."
He also claimed the agency
often used a double standard
in evaluating allocation re-
quests, with Reform and Con-
servative groups being told

only services to individuals
were funded. But looking in
the agency's budget book, do-
zens of institutions got sup-
port, he added.
Hoffman's series on the
Jewish Agency was a catalyst
in the creation this past De-
cember of a special process to
review requests for funding
from Orthodox, Conservative
and Reform groups. And last
month, $3.2 million was allo-
cated, with $1.6 million going
to the Reform movement,
$800,000 to the Conserva-
tives and $700,000 to the Or-
thodox.
While the dollar amount
may be small, Hoffman
termed the allocations a
breakthrough for the Reform
and Conservative movements
and an indication of how con-
certed pressure from Dias-
pora Jews did bring about
change.
He claimed a resolution
passed last June by the agen-
cy's Board of Governors for
the "thorough study of (the
agency's) programmatic rela-
tionship to all branches of
Judaism and development of
equitable guidelines for
appropriate maximum in-
volvement of all branches (of
Judaism)" gives Diaspora
Jews a significant opportu-
nity to increase their in-
volvement in promoting
pluralism in Israel.
The Conservative and Re-
form movements were
"latecomers" as far as
Zionism goes and only began
building a presence within
the past 20 years, according
to Hoffman. The Orthodox
were more instrumental in
the founding of Israel and
have final say in major reli-
gious issues.
While Hoffman said Or-
thodox comprise about 20
percent of Israel's Jewish
population (approximately
300,000), there are about
15,000 members of the Con-
servative and Reform move-
ments.

Matzah Factory
Re-Opens At JCC

The popular Matzah Fac-
tory experience fOr
youngsters will be sponsored
again this year by the Jewish
Community Center and
Lubavitch.
Youngsters will have the
opportunity to bake their own
matzah at the center, begin-
ning Wednesday and running
through April 7.
For information on hours of
operation and group schedul-
ing, call Jo Greene at the
Center, 661-1000.