EDITORIAL Not Appropriate? Detroit's Jews heve been informed by its community council that public demonstrations during the Pope's visit are "not appropriate." Is this an accurate assessment of the value of protest? Private audiences with Pope John Paul II by a handful of Jewish "leaders" — as slated before and during the Pope's U.S. visit — cer- tainly could not hurt, but the Pope already knows what Jews think. The value of petitions and pickets is not that they reveal the con- tent, but the strength and force of Jewish convictions. The Jewish Community Council argues that there must be no linkage between world Jewish-Vatican relations — which are strained — and local Jewish-Catholic relations — which are cordial, at least on the leadership level. Jewish anger at papal policies should not stand in the way of local dialogue, says the Council. We agree. Detroit's Catholics should understand, even support, public Jewish demonstrations against papal praise for an accused Nazi and Vatican non-recognition of Israel, even as Jews and Catholics pursue fruitful dialogue to benefit both communities. The Pope-Waldheim meeting outraged Jews all over the world. How can the Jewish Community Council believe that Detroit's Jews are not similarly outraged? Perhaps there has been no local reac- tion because the average Jew is waiting for his communal leaders to lead the protest. We believe a minimal Jewish demonstration on the Shabbat of the Pope's visit to our city should take place in our synagogues. Each rabbi should address the precarious state of Catholic-Jewish rela- tions from his bimah. On that Shabbat, each Jew in Detroit should be allowed his say on the Pope-Waldheim meeting. In addition, the San Francisco-initiated petition to the Pope should be supported. In fact, any reasonable demonstration by any member of the community is certainly appropriate. This is not the Jewish Community Council's position. But, clear- ly, the Council has neither led nor followed the community in this matter. dustry. It is a super-sophisticated, low-level attack fighter plane specifically designed to outsmart advanced tracking systems and function in a missile-saturated environment. But it is also super-expensive. Over the last seven years it has cost some $1.5 billion in design and development costs, almost all of it provided by the U.S. The Reagan Administration made it plain last week, though, that the buck has stopped. Washington called on Jerusalem to abandon the Lavi project as too costly and extravagant, and implied that it would not bail Israel out of a financial crisis if she decided to go ahead with the project. Recognizing that the Lavi project was draining the rest of the defense budget, the Defense Ministry, army and air force have all come to advise against it, as has the Finance Ministry. Each day the decision is delayed is costing Israel about a million dollars. But it is not easy to cancel a project that would mean the loss of thousands of jobs, not to mention the psychological and emo- tional trauma of abandoning an effort to achieve a degree of military independence. Still, the bottom line is that Israel cannot afford the Lavi. And unless she can come up with a source for the $500 million a year needed for production, the cabinet must bite the bullet and aban- don the Lavi. It should be done quickly, honorably and without the political rancor that often accompanies unpopular decisions. Abandoning the Lavi is a shame. But it is also an economic necessity. 003 CMCOMS! it WM To FRIED fQ30MiLLigV couAR8D co, air A 14M, IIERE - IA4E4 iiiaBiLE! The Buck Has Stopped What do you do when faced with an impossible dilemma? Pro- bably put off the decision for as long as possible. That's what the government in Israel has done over the Lavi fighter plane project. But push has come to shove and the cabinet, which has delayed the vote eight times in the last four months, is scheduled to make a final determination in the next "week or two." The reason for the anguish is understandable. The Lavi, as our Jerusalem correspondent Helen Davis reports (see page 52), is "the pride and crowning achievement" of Israel's talented aircraft in- LETTERS Caring For The Caregiver Ruthan Brodsky's Close-Up article (Aug. 7), "Caring For the Caregiver", is an excellent piece of news which reveals to the community the over- whelming dilemma of a primary caregiver who is car- ing for a family member af- flicted with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder. I believe you have gained sight of and reported the plight of the caregiver very well. I am also pleased you men- tioned the home respite pro- 6 FRIDAY,AUG ,, a 21 , 19V gram of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association. We do have an excellent program which is meeting the needs of the caregiver. However, you reported that the cost was ap- proximately $5 per hour. This is incorrect. The fee is at most, $5 for a four-hour unit of time. Many caregivers are not charged for respite service. Ilene Orlanski Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Southfield Our thanks for the beautifully written story about respite care, which in- cluded the in-home respite program at Jewish Family Service. We appreciate the ar- ticle, but there was an incor- rect statement regarding pay- ment for services. It is true that there is no set fee, but each client is expected to donate or pay a monthly sum based upon their ability to pay. Donations range up to $5 per hour of service, with the exception of poverty level clients, who do not donate. Arlene Sukenic Judy Weiss Jewish Family Service, Southfield Rabbis Issue Abortion Ruling With the issue of abortion again in the forefront of The Jewish News, the Council of Orthodox Rabbis (Vaad Harabonim) finds it necessary to address this all important subject. Since in the eyes of the Jewish law, abortion is con- sidered a form of murder, we can in no way sanction the usage of state funding for this practice. If the mother's life is threatened, then a competent halachic decision is required. We are confident that all Jews who respect the holiness of Jewish Law, will do all that they can do to protect the sanctity of life. Rabbis Leizer Levin, Chaskel Grubner, Shaiall Zachariash, Elimelech Goldberg, Meilech Silberberg, Leo Y. Goldman and Shmuel Irons. 'Hearing' Article Was Incorrect I wish to comment on your article July 24 entitled "Israeli Clinic Breaks the Silence Barrier." The article states that the average age of detection of hearing impair- Continued on Page 10