EDITORIAL
Yes, But •
Rabbi Mordechai Wolmark, the new director of kashrut for the
Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit, has been impressed
with the caliber of kosher procedures he has found in our communi-
ty (see Close-Up, Page 22). But, though Detroit enjoys a nationally-
respected reputation in the kosher field, there still remain some nag-
ging problems.
Detroit's reputation in kashrut has been built in the area of food
production. But in the retail area, especially at the butcher store,
problems of kosher supervision have been rife for years. The Coun-
cil and Rabbi Wolmark have outlined some new procedures to ad-
dress these problems, and a proposal is pending to have the State
of Michigan hire a kashrut inspector, to put some teeth into
Michigan's 20-year-old kashrut law. The law currently has no en-
forcement provisions or penalties, although it requires kosher pro-
ducts to be be supervised by a recognized rabbinical body.
As it stands now, the kosher consumer is still at the mercy of
illegal "kosher-style" advertising. We still have several kosher
butcher shops which are technically unsupervised, including two
which lost their Council supervision after allegedly having non-
kosher meat on the premises, and we have kosher delicatessens which
are not supervised.
Even the Council of Orthodox Rabbis has failed the broader com-
munity of kosher consumers by sticking to its old system this fall
when a Chicago producer of kosher meats was found to be placing
its Shelat kosher label on its less-expensive treife products at another
of its plants. The Council's reaction? Inform the community through
announcements at the Orthodox day schools and Orthodox
synagogues.
What about other Jewish and non-Jewish kosher consumers? Did
not the Council have a duty to inform them as well?
Hopefully, the Council's new procedures and state-sponsored en-
forcement will lead to heightened consumer confidence in Michigan
to match our kashrut reputation outside the state.
For years the conflict and tension have been growing over the
proper role Diaspora leaders should play in affairs of the Jewish state.
The scene for a showdown was set earlier this year when Aryeh
Dulzin, the longtime chairman of the Jewish Agency/WZO, was forced
into retirement, chiefly through the efforts of the Diaspora leader-
ship, as a result of his alleged role in a bank scandal. Labor can-
didate Akiva Lewinsky, 70, was rejected by the Diaspora group
because of his age and image as part of the old-boy network. This
marked the first time the fundraisers had exercised their option to
veto a candidate.
The Americans supported Simcha Dinitz, a former Ambassador
to the U.S. who is well known and respected in the States, as the
new chairman.
In forcing the retirement of Dulzin as chairman, then helping
to defeat two popular Israeli candidates and elect a man more popular
abroad than at home, the Diaspora leaders have proven their clout
is for real.
Israeli egos have been bruised, and there is a great deal to be
done before the Jewish Agency/WZO can shed its image as a waste-
ful operation. But a start has been made. Now it is up to Dinitz, with
the strong support of the Americans, to enhance the stature of the
Zionist establishment by making the changes that need to be made.
A Diaspora Victory
For all of its calls for unity and cooperation, last month's 31st
World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem ended in a riot on the dais.
Likud supporters, frustrated by a series of setbacks, threw flower
pots and fought with their rivals from Labor and the U.S. When the
dust had cleared, history had been made in that the Diaspora leader-
ship, also known as the fundraisers, had achieved a significant
victory.
LETTERS
The Status Quo
Is Not Viable
As Labor Zionists, we are
writing to express our con-
cern over the recent violence
between Israel and the
Palestinians in the Gaza
Strip and the West Bank. We
feel that the killing of
civilians by the police and the
military is unacceptable
when non-lethal methods of
riot control exist; these ac-
tions will hurt Israel in the
long run.
It is obvious that the
Palestinians are acting out of
frustration over their long-
standing political and eco-
nomic status in the ter-
ritories. Trying to maintain
6
FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 1988
the status quo in the ter-
ritories is not a viable option.
If the situation does not
change, we can expect to see
more violence, fueled by more
hatred.
We support those factions in
Israel who are working for a
just solution to the Palesti-
nian problem. The first, most
obvious, step is for the parties
to the conflict to agree to face-
to-face negotiations. Ameri-
can Jews also have a role to
play. We must be willing to
say we love Israel, but will not
always accept Israeli govern-
ment policies without
challenge and criticism.
We support a peaceful and
democratic Israel that
recognizes and is recognized
by all peoples in the region. It
is time for moderate Arabs
and Israelis to come together
and force the extremists —
who are exacerbating the con-
flict — out of the picture.
Steering Committee,
Labor Zionist Alliance
Branch 960
Robin Willnei; David B. Holzel,
David Samet, Judy S. Loebl,
Jeremy Salinger, Sandra Gross,
Sheryl King, Rick King
No Toleration
For 5th Column
The recent insurrection by
both the Arabs in Judea-
Samaria and Gaza and
"loyal" Arabs with Israeli
citizenship have finally put to
rest the fictions fed to Jews
about Arab intentions.
As they rioted through the
streets shouting "Kill the
Jews" and called for the
liberation of Palestine, only
the naive and foolish could
mistake the message. It was
not just the administered ter-
ritories that were being
claimed, it was all of Israel,
from Mediterranean to the
Jordan River, that the Arabs
were calling "occupied
Palestine . ."
If we confront the truth,
that Judea-Samaria and
Gaza are liberated but unin-
corporated territories, then
the nature of the current
upheaval becomes clear — in-
surrection by Arab citizens
and non-citizens against the
sovereignty of the Jewish
government. With such, they
rightfully suffer the wrath of
an Israeli government pledg-
ed to preserve territorial in-
tegrity, to prevent treason, in-
surrection and civil war, and
to prevent secession of any
part of national territory. It is
not oppression of the "Palesti-
nians" that one sees, but the
legitimate actions of Jewish
national defense.
The motives of these alien
Arabs are irrelevant. They
may indeed feel oppressed,
dispossessed and embittered.
But that is not the respon-
sibility of the government of
Israel. For 40 years, those
Arabs have been held hostage
in Gaza and Judea-Samaria
by Arab governments who
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