ANN ARBOR 1 Taking A Civilized Look At Israel's Problems STEVE BLONDER Special to The Jewish News he fourth annual Israel Conference Day proceeded without in- cident last Sunday at the University of Michigan. The one-day forum provided more than 200 people with the opportunity to "work together and get to know one another," according to con- ference chairman Yosi Tur-Kaspa. The day included a hot debate about Israel's position in relation to the ad- ministered territories, discus- sions about award-winning Israeli literature and a talk on the nature of Ashkenazi- Sephardi relations. Despite the current unrest in Israel, organizers said they didn't make any major changes in the day's program. "The peace process is im- portant, but actual things go- ing on now didn't change what we wanted to do," said Tur-Kaspa. "There are many things more than throwing stones or arguing about political issues." Conference Shlichah Idit Bechor added that the day was focused on showing Israel in a positive light. "People have the tendency to forget that there are some positive aspects of Israel. Israel as a whole is not one- sided. There may be troubles, but life goes on," she said. "We didn't show everything in a positive way, but we still are realistic. Still it has been a positive day." She noted that preparations for the day had begun before the recent wave of "violence erupted in Israel." U-M senior Mike Sherman, who is on the Hillel governing board as well as the commit- tee which organized the day, thought the symposium was important because it remind- ed people about the Israeli culture which has been over- shadowed by the recent unrest. Three panelists discussed the prospects for peace in the Middle East. Included on the panel were U-M political science professor Raymond Tanter, former White House Counsel Robert Lipshutz, and Meir Zamir, a visiting pro- fessor at Columbia University. T THE MANAGEMENT AND STAFF OF WISH THE ENTIRE JEWISH COMMUNITY A MOST HAPPY AND HEALTHY PASOVER SEASON 399-3200 21710 Woodward Ave. • 6 Blks. N. of 8 Mile • Ferndale, MI N<\•14 - .(4 •14 es ,40<099‘ 011A‘ 0 SS( \ \ 9/(3\ eS NEAL LEVY'AND THE STAFF AT BELLISSIMA HAIR DESIGN THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PATRONAGE AND WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY & HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON 90 FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1988 Zamir sparked the discus- sion by saying Israel should grant autonomy to the Gaza Strip and West Bank. He also called for the Palestinians to be included in any peace con- ference, saying, "no peace can be achieved until the Palesti- nians participate in their own future." Tanter, who served on the White House staff under President Reagan, disagreed with Zamir, noting that several leading members of the Israeli government refuse to consider withdrawing from the territories. The panel also discussed the political reasons underly- ing Anwar Sadat's historic trip to Jerusalem in 1977, and whether the PLO should be represented at a peace conference. A panel moderated by Ac- ting Hillel Director Joseph Kohane discussed the need for an Israeli constitution, "There are many things more than throwing stones or arguing about political issues." and examined the text of a draft prepared by the law faculty of Tel Aviv University. Another panel considered the role of religion — Judaism — in a Jewish state, and look- ed at the current religious ex- tremism in Israel. The panel contained representatives of the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements. Tur-Kaspa termed the day a success, saying it "provided a stage for everyone who wanted to come and talk about Israel in a civilized way. People could come and talk about issues which are fun- damental to Israelis' lives. The day was sponsored by the university's department of Judaic studies, the Union of Students for Israel, B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation, and other groups. Extra security had been hired by the organizers to pro- tect against any kind of violent anti-Israel demonstra- tion, but proved to be unnecessary. "II LOCAL NEWS I'm" Book Review Series To Begin Rabbi Sherwin Wine of the Birmingham Temple will pre- sent the first of four book reviews on the theme "Jewish Liberation - Four Responses" at 8:30 p.m. Monday at the temple. He will discuss Lov- ingkindness by Anne Roiphe. Discussion will follow the review. There is a charge.