EDITORIAL
Shavuot Message
There are several important dates on the Jewish calendar this
week and next, spanning several thousand years but connected in
spirit.
This weekend marked Yom Yerushalayim, the date on the Hebrew
calendar commemorating the day, 20 years ago, when the city of
Jerusalem was unified. And next week will be two decades since the
outbreak of the Six-Day War, a miraculous moment in time when
Israel not only defeated her enemies but sparked a spirit of renewed
faith among many Jews all over the world, including those in the
Soviet Union. For it was pride in Israel's accomplishments during the
June 1967 war that is cited for rekindling the flame of Jewish identity
among many Soviet Jews.
Next week also marks the celebration of Shavuot, the third of the
three major Jewish festivals during which it was customary for Jews
to visit and pray in Jerusalem. It was Shavuot when God gave the
children of Israel the Torah at Mount Sinai, and when the Jewish
people responded to His word by proclaiming, "We will do, and we will
harken!'
The rabbis explain the phrase by noting that the Israelites first
pledged to fulfill God's commandments, and only then seek to
understand them. That is the true sign of trust and belief, and one
that was personified by the Six-Day War and the reunification of the
city of Jerusalem as well. We must have faith and act accordingly; it
is that boldness that created and secured the State of Israel.
Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg brought his warning to Detroit last
week, calling for renewed dialogues between Judaism's religious
denominations both in the United States and Israel. It is a theme that
has been repeated for several years as Jews become increasingly aware
of the present and future damage being created by factionalism.
"Pluralism" and "diversity" have almost become buzz words within
the Jewish community: they've become the right things to say, but
how many of us actually believe?
Until we develop an attitude toward our religious brethren which
says, "Our way is right for us, but we respect your .right to differ,"
religious factionalism will continue to intrude negatively into all our
lives.
Beating the drum for understanding is easy; working toward
understanding is a far more difficult task. But until we achieve it, the
phrase Am Ehad will merely be a slogan.
Am Ehad?
The post-Holocaust Jewish spirit has evolved with a penchant for
slogans. Few Jewish meetings or programs can conclude without a
chorus of spirited greetings of Am Yisrael Chai, the People Israel Live,
or Am Ehad, One People.
Has Am Ehad become a misnomer? Have we allowed factionalism
to inbreed, to blind us to the importance of a united Jewish
community working together throughout the world for the common
good of all Jews and all mankind?
LETTERS
Russians Article
Was Inaccurate
I find your article "The Rus-
sians Are Corning," on May 8 to
be inaccurate and somewhat
alarming. It portrays Israel as
a state that cannot absorb im-
migration due to bureaucracy.
Also, the article tries, indirect-
ly, to legitimize the emigration
of Soviet Jewry to the U.S. and
to question the legitimacy of a
direct transfer of Soviet Jews to
Israel.
Helen Davis' portrayal of
Israel as a crippled
bureaucratic state who will not
be able to absorb mass im-
migration is nonsense. Indeed
Israel — and especially the
Jewish Agency — is plagued
with bureaucracy. Also, im-
migration to Israel is rough,
but so is immigration to the
U.S. . . .
Then why do they drop out in
Vienna? During the first mass
immigration of Jews from
Russia, in the early 1970s, two
basic elements led emigrants to
turn to Israel. At that period
Israel was benefiting from the
Six-Day War success and the
economic success that followed
6
Friday, May 29, 1987
it. At that period, they also had
no alternatives; the Israeli
government was the only one to
take care of the immigration.
Today, Soviet Jews are being
helped in their immigration to
the U.S. by various non-Zionist
Jewish-American agencies.
Further, Israel does not have
the economic appeal to Soviet
Jews as it did in the '70s.
In Order to solve part of the
"drop out" problem Israel has
offered to fly the Soviet Jews
directly to Israel. It will suffice
to say that imigration out of
Russia is primarily done to
resolve the persecution of Jews
by the Russian authorities and
not to help them achieve better
standards of living. Further,
since immigration to the U.S. is
also the desire of many non-
Jewish Russians, and is con-
sidered a privilege, it is hardly
fair that other Soviet citizens
will not be able to emigrate just
beucase they are non-Jewish
If these arguments are not
convincing, let me remind the
readers that Israel's policy of
direct immigration to Israel
will not harm Jews who
emigrate from Russia to better
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
the personal standard of living.
Soviet Jews who want to im-
migrate to the U.S. will be free
to do so after they arrive in
Israel. Indeed, it is a harder pro-
cess, but then, contrary to
Helen Davis' presumption, the
main issue of persecution or of
being "Prisoners of Zion" will
be irrelevant. Neither would
they be called refugees. Instead,
like all Israeli citizens they will
have the choice, either to stay,
or to better their standard of
living by emigrating to the U.S.
Amir M. Poreh
Detroit
We Are Free,
But Not Secure
The behavior of the govern-
ments of the United States,
Israel and the leadership of the
American-Jewish community
in relation to Jonathan Pollard
and his wife reveals that while
we may be free, we are not
secure.
Seldom has there been such
bending backwards to prove
"loyalty" to nation and princi-
ple: The U.S. "proved" to
everyone, especially the Arab
world, that it can come down
hard on Israel; Israel "proved"
that it wouldn't think of spying
on the U.S.
- What Morris Abrams should
have said on behalf of the
Jewish-American community —
with courage and conviction —
is something like this: "As part
of a religious tradition which is
committed to the rule of law,
the American Jew fully accepts
the justness of condemning, try-
ing and convicting Jonathan
Pollard. However, at the same
time, we have the greatest em-
pathy for his motives. We feel
certain that he did not, and
never would, do anything to
hurt our country, the United
States. We are appalled by his
life sentence for helping a
friendly, democratic nation,
whereas spies convicted for
revealing critical secrets to the
Soviet Union were given
limited terms. We are outraged
at Caspar Weinberger who had
the gall to call Pollard 'the
worst spy in American history,
yet was silent about the
Walkers and others . . ."
The government of Israel
showed lack of guts, but the
people of Israel demonstrated
some self-respect: they came
out publicly for the Pollards
and raised money on their
behalf. It is not too late for
American Jews to demonstrate
that they are more secure than
their leaders and start vigoro4.16
action for a reevaluation of the
life sentence .
Bernard Mandelbaum
President Emeritus,
Jewish Theological Seminary
Reform Jews
Are Committed
In his letter of May 8 regar-
ding the local kosher meat
situation, Rabbi Jack Goldman
states that "there are Jews in
this community, both Orthodox
and Conservative and perhaps
even some Reform, who are
strongly committed to Judaism
and the Jewish way of life."
In point of fact, Rabbi
Goldman should know that
Reform Jews in metro Detroit,
nationally and internationally
are among the most active, in-
fluential and significant
leaders of our people in
religious, cultural and political
affairs .. .
Rabbi Daniel Pernick
Pearl River, N.Y.