I PURELY COMMENTARY]

Another Quadrennial Of National Energizing

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor Emeritus

A

nother four-year cycle com-
mences for national commit-
ments to keep the American
way of life on the highest levels of the
policies — social, economic and political
— that have made our way of life an
uninterrupted pride.
Inauguration of President George
Bush at the traditional ceremonies to-
day again mark a continuity that
makes all citizens a unit in the aim of
progressivism in all forms of human
dedications.
There is nothing especially new in
any of the categories of programs to be
pursued under the new administration
that will guide the policies of our
government for the next four years.
They always need emphasizing, and in
the process means must be anticipated
for progress.
Thus we approach the 1990s, on the
way to the 21st century, with increas-
ing hopes for peace in all areas of
American involvements, for success to
make life more secure, happier for the
less fortunate, assuredly strengthened
economically.
The continuity involved in presiden-
tial succession also relates to the urgen-

cies of assuring protection of the
highest human values in the life of the
nation. This is where the president's
leadership is of the utmost importance.
It always invites the nation's hopes and
prayers that the president be granted
good health and wisdom to carry on his
duties with courage and devotion.
These are the ideals in the minds of all
Americans, who hope for the well-being
of President Bush as our chief executive
who will guide the nation's policy-
making in the coming four years.
Major in the nation's aims is the
aspiration for peace. There are many
foreign duties to be fulfilled. There are
the domestic needs, the assurance of the
best in educational tasks, the protection
of the aging, the elimination of
anything that may prove to be
fraudulent. Chief in the nation's aims
is to assure an end to the tragic spread
of the drug menace and its related
crimes.
There are guidelines from past ad-
previous administrations and need ex-
pertness in solutions to be sought under
the leadership of President Bush.
There are gudielines from past ad-
ministrations as well as from American
leaders who have enriched American
idealism that are to be drawn upon in
the wisdom of our learning from the
past.

George Bush

Drawing upon the wisdom and ex-
perience of the eminence of Americans
of an earlier generation can surely be
a guide to better government. There is
much to be learned from a former
justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Felix
Frankfurter, who, in an essay in the
New Republic in 1930, wrote: "Govern-
ment . . . is neither business, nor

technology, nor applied science. It is the
art of making men living together in
peace with reasonable happiness."
There is the applicable admonina-
tion from Benjamin Disraeli, who warn-
ed in one of his novels: "The greatest
of all evils is a weak government."
Perhaps the most powerful bit of ad-
vice on "government," especially as we
enter another era with President
George Bush, is the wisdom of Benedict
(Baruch) Spinoza who wrote in
Theological-Political Treatise: "The
ultimate aim of government is . . . to
free every man from fear, that he may
live in all possible security . . . In fact,
the true aim of government is liberty."
The new era commences in a spirit
of confidence that our leadership has
learned and continues to benefit from
the experiences and wisdom of
predecessors. We treat with self-
assurance the view and the hope that
the peace aspired to, the devotion to
highest goals of fellow citizens,
neighbors and civilized fellow humans
will be the aims on the highest levels.
rIb achieve them we hope and pray
for the welfare of the chief executive
and the leadership surrounding him.
The Jewish constituents of our presi-
dent join with all fellow citizens in hear-
ty blessings to our new president. His
successes will be our successes.

When Proselytes Enrich Their Community

I

ntermarriage has always been
cause for concern and it remains so.
The challenged issue need not
always be treated with dismay. There
have been some marked successes in
mixed marriages, with definite gains
for the Jewish communities.
The embittered debate over the
Israel Law of Return which has been
sensationalized worldwide in the "Who
is a Jew?" question brought to light
some of the successes. One of these was
popularized by the grandson of a
positive mixed marriage who has a
pulpit in a Reform temple.
Rabbi Steven C. Kushner of Temple
Neir Tamid of Bloomfield, N.J., writing
in the Jewish News of East Orange,
N.J., under the title "Who Is a Jew? .. .
The Issue is One of Power, Not
Religion," commented interestingly on
this subject and at the same time call-

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Vol. XCIV No. 21

2

January 20, 1989

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1989

ed attention to an important personal
background.
The Kushner essay itself has a
value meriting quoting and the per-
sonal reference will certainly excite
Detroit historians. Therefore, to lead to
the latter, here are the basics in the
Kushner article:
On Jan. 1, 1905, my grand-
mother — my maternal grand-
mother — converted to Judaism.
It was the first such public
ceremony in Detroit Jewish
history.
Officiating was Leo M.
Franklin, a graduate of the
Hebrew Union College in Cin-
cinnati, a Reform rabbi. Her
husband, my grandfather, was a
committed Reform Jew. Born of
German immigrant parents, he
was a classmate of Rabbi
Franklin at the Hebrew Union
College, but left to pursue other
interests.
Nevertheless, his passion
and zeal for Judaism would
never abate. In their 60 years of
marriage, my grandparents wor-
shipped and practiced Judaism
with such fervor and integrity
that their example would move
their only two grandsons to
aspire toward the rabbinate
themselves: both my brother
and I are graduates of that same
seminary at which our grand-
father studied.
Now, three generations later,
in the face of what is clearly one

of the most controversial and
divisive issues of our day, I am
led to reconsider the actions of
my mother's parents. By
halachic standards, my grand-
mother's conversion was il-
legitimate. It was performed
without a mikva and without a
commitment on her part to
observe the entirety of the mitz-
vot. Moreover, it was officiated
by a Reform rabbi, unaccep-
table to Orthodox rabbis.
In short, my mother was
born to a non-Jew, thereby deny-
ing her Jewish status, thereby
calling into question the status
of my brother and myself.
Hence, "Who is a Jew" is a ques-
tion that has significant per-
sonal implications.

Not that it really matters. No
one could truly challenge the
validity of my mother's
Jewishness. Her entire life has
been devoted to our sacred faith
and the people that embody it.
So, too, my brother and I are
secure in our own sense of
Jewishness that no objection
could shake our identity or
resolve. For us, on a practical
level, this is but a harmless,
moot concern .. .
So what is all this fuss? If
those of us of questionable
status are not concerned, and
the practical issue of Israel ser-
ving as a place of refuge is real-

ly not in jeopardy, why should
we care?
It is, in fact, a symbolic issue
(and we Jews take symbols very
seriously). For albeit the over-
whelming majority of non-
Orthodox Jews would not be af-
fected by amending the Law of
Return, the perception is other-
wise. The addition of the phrase
"according to halacha" single-
handedly deligitimizes Conser-
vative, Reconstructionist and
Reform Judaism and their
adherents as well. A message is
sent that reads something like
this: Only the standards (and by
implication, the followers) of Or-
thodox Judaism count. And in
Israel, they are law.
Indeed, this issue of "Who is
a Jew" attacks the very integri-
ty of the State of Israel. Why,
after all, does Israel exist? Was
it not dreamed of and fought for
in order to spare us the
challenges and accusations
from those who would deny our
authenticity? Was it not formed
in response to a world that im-
periled the Jew, regardless of
their halachic status? What
could we say about a homeland
that could only be called home
by those whose identity was
pending the approval of so-
meone else? Could this have
been what Herzl had in mind?
Let us be clear. This is not

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