UP FRONT
All Muskegon Involved
In City's Jewish Centennial
STAFF REPORT
T
he 87 Jewish families living
in Muskegon are expecting
250,000 persons to help them
celebrate 100 years of Jewish life in
their Lake Michigan community. An
eight-month-long, 50-event celebra-
tion will kick off this month with ma-
jor lecture and concert series — in-
cluding violinist Itzhak Perlman.
Sylvia Kaufman credits the
general community in Muskegon for
making the anniversary a
community-wide celebration. Three
years ago, when she approached the
director of the Muskegon Museum of
Art to host an exhibition, the project
mushroomed. "Bruce Eldredge sug-
gested involving other organizations,"
said Mrs. Kaufman, who is chairman
of the Muskegon Jewish Centennial
Celebration, "and now the impetus
has come from the cultural, educa-
tional and religious communities?'
The 87 families in the Jewish
community put up $42,500 for the
celebration, which has been more
than matched by 14 civic and
/ religious institutions in Muskegon.
Public relations firms and other com-
panies have also donated staff time
and material for the centennial.
The calendar of centennial events
leads off with public participation in
Rosh Hashanah services at
Muskegon's Congregation B'nai
Israel, book displays at Hackley Pub-
lic Library and curriculum units
distributed to the public schools by
the Muskegon Area Intermediate
School District. They include The
, Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank,
The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal,
and Abba Eban's videocassette
Heritage: Civilization and the Jews.
Five public lectures will be given
by Professor Raymond Tanter of the
University of Michigan on the "Arab-
Israel Conflict?'
Sept. 24 has been scheduled as
the opening of the celebration.
Senator Carl Levin will speak at
B'nai Israel to dedicate Muskegon's
Jewish Community: A Centennial
History: 1888-1988, written by Pro-
fessor Dennis Devlin of Grand Valley
State University. Itzhak Perlman will
perform at the Frauenthal Center for
the Performing Arts, along with
pianist Samuel Sanders.
On October 11-12, a special com-
mittee of the West Shore Churches
organization will host a symposium
for clergy and lay leaders on
"Understanding Each Other: Issues
Which Unite and Divide Jews and
Christians:" Speakers will include
Rabbi Eugene Borowitz of Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of
Religion and Reverend Paul van
Buren, professor emeritus of Temple
University.
Other programs through next
June include lectures, films, concerts
and exhibitions focussing on
Muskegon and world Jewry. An ex-
hibit of the art of Marc Chagall will
be hosted by the Muskegon Museum
of Art from Nov. 10 to Jan. 10.
Civic groups participating in the
centennial are the Collins Founda-
tion, B'nai Israel, the Frauenthal
Center, Grand Valley State, the
Hackley Library, Muskegon area
schools, Muskegon Civic Theatre,
Muskegon Community College,
Continued on Page 14
Ariel Sharon last week called on Israel to annex major portions of Judea and Samaria,
including Jewish settlements and "strategic areas." Labor party spokesmen said Sharon's
press conference "exposed the Likud party for what it is."
B'nai Moshe Barely Misses
Quorum For Vote On Moving
ALAN HITSKY
Associate Editor
T
hirteen missing members de-
layed Congregation B'nai
Moshe's vote on purchasing
property in West Bloomfield. The Oak
Park synagogue mustered 181 voting
members Tuesday evening, 13 shy of
the required quorum of 194.
The synagogue's constitution
mandates that only 25 members are
necessary for a quorum at a subse-
quent meeting, set for next Thursday
evening.
Without the required numbers,
B'nai Moshe President Robert Roth
turned Tuesday's meeting into an in-
formational session. The synagogue
board had recommended a move to
West Bloomfield because of dwindling
membership, an aging congregation
and declining revenues.
Using a survey compiled earlier
this year by past president Robert
Hirschbein, Roth said B'nai Moshe
now has fewer than 439 families.
Some 283 of those family units are led
by persons above age 60.
Continued on Page 14
ROUND UP
Teacher Talks
Resolution Due
Yeshivath Beth Yehudah
classes started on time
Wednesday as Hebrew
teachers reached a contract
agreement with the day
school.
No details about the
teacher contracts were
available.
English teachers at the Or-
thodox day school are in the
middle of a two-year contract.
Secular studies at the school
begin Wednesday.
At Hillel Day School in Far-
mington Hills, teachers were
to meet Wednesday evening
as The Jewish News went to
press to decide on a new, two-
year contract. Marcia
Fishman, executive director
of the Conservative day
school, said "It doesn't look
like we're going to have a pro-
blem," when asked about the
status of negotiations. Shula
Fleischer, head of the
teachers' negotiating team,
said, "Wednesday's meeting
will determine whether we
have a contract or not!'
Classes at Hillel begin
Tuesday. There are 55
teachers on staff.
Nazis' Children
Receive Help
Amsterdam (JTA) — The
Netherlands Ministry of
Social Welfare has awarded a
modest subsidy to a group
that deals with the special
psychological needs of
children of former Dutch
Nazis.
The ministry granted the
funds to the Herkenning
("recognition") organization,
which claims the offspring of
Nazis suffer psychological
problems because they are
seen by others as the children
of traitors.
53 Terrorists
Killed By Navy
Tel Aviv (JTA) Israel Navy
Maj. Gen. Avraham Ben-
Shoshan said Tuesday, the
eve of Navy Day, that 53 ter-
rorists have been killed in
Israeli naval actions during
the past three years, and
more than 100 have been cap-
tured at sea.
He said the terrorists are
now using a wide variety of
naval vessels, including cargo
ships sailing under the
registry of "straw companies,"
which the Israeli sailors have
to identify with accuracy.
The navy commander said
that both Iraq and Iran have
updated their war equipment
with Western technology that
probably will spread to ter-
rorist activities in the
Mediterranean. This also
might include sea mining and
could represent a real threat
to Israel.
Ben-Shoshan said the navy
also has had to fight the drug
battle. During the past year,
Israeli naval vessels have in-
tercepted more than 10 ships
smuggling drugs and have
seized about 10 tons of drugs.
Taba Panel
In Last Meeting
Geneva (JTA) — A panel of
international arbitrators con-
vened Monday to conclude
their deliberations over Taba,
the Red Sea beachfront strip
claimed by both Israel and
Egypt.
The five arbitrators opened
a final session to formulate
their judgment on the
dispute. It will be binding on
Israel and Egypt, unless the
two nations first reach a
separate compromise. Con-
ciliation talks in Cairo in
August failed to produce a
compromise.
Barring further delay, the
judges are scheduled to hand
down their decision Sept. 29.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
5