WPM
LOSE-UP
Reaching Out
Personal rewards and understanding
are the outgrowth of a communal anniversary
BERL FALBAUM
Special to The Jewish News
I recently reached outside my
traditional world and, not sur-
prisingly, found it enlighten-
ing, educational, and enjoyable.
My wife, Phyllis, and I were
among about 100 Jewish families
who, as part of the Jewish Communi-
ty Council's 50th anniversary celebra-
tion, invited other ethnic and minori-
ty families into their homes.
The experience should not be
forgotten, and should be repeated
often.
All of us live in a somewhat in-
sulated world. We talk to the same
people daily — spouses, neighbors, co-
workers, relatives and friends. We
find comfort in our associations and
seek out those who share our beliefs
and concerns. But our daily activity
does not lend itself to intellectual
growth or to a greater understanding
of the views and philosophies of
others.
Traditional brotherhood dinners
also fall short of their objective.
Generally, a few hundred people at-
tend elaborate dinners, hear eloquent
speeches on how important it is to
"share" and then return to their
respective suburban or urban cocoons.
Coming together is what made
the Jewish Community Council's pro-
gram different. On Sept. 20, we in-
vited Dick and Susan Bratkowski of
241, FRIDAY, OCT. 16, , 1987
The Bratkowskis meet the Falbaums.
Rochester into our home. The
Bratkowskis are Polish and Catholic.
Richard is an electrical engineer for
General Motors Corp. and Susan is a
registered nurse. They participate in
a variety of community activities, in-
cluding the Polish American
Congress.
Since our brunch was held a mere
12 hours after Pope John Paul II had
left the Detroit area, the conversation
almost immediately turned to the
significance of the visit.
Dick had participated in the mass
at the Silverdome and he still glowed
from the experience. We genuinely
shared in his feelings, understood the
significance and, on our own, were
taken by the historic visit to Detroit.
At the same time, we expressed
some reservations about the Pope's
policies and our hurt at the meeting
in the Vatican with Austrian Presi-
dent Kurt Waldheim, who has con-
sistently lied about his Nazi activities
during World War II.
The Bratkowskis expressed
understanding, but they also
recognized the Pope's obligation of
meeting with world leaders — all of
them.
The major point of this exchange
was that it occurred within the first
hour of our meeting and there did not
appear to be any awkwardness. We ex-