I UP FRONT

Schreibers Launch Fifth
Jews For Judaism Group

KIMBERLY LIFTON

Staff Writer

R

onnie Schreiber borrows
words from singer Shlomo
Carlebach to explain his pas-
sion for countering missionary
activists:
"The problem facing us today is
not that there are Jews for Jesus for
Rev. Moonie. The problem is that
there are so many sweet, holy Yid-
delehs who are Jews for nothing."
Schreiber and his wife, Batya, are
committed to educating the Jewish
community about missionaries. To do
so, they recently launched the state's
first chapter of Jews For Judaism, the
country's only full-time counter-
missionary Jewish resource center.
"It is more of a failure of the
Jewish community than success of
missionaries," Schreiber says.
The Michigan Jews For Judaism
branch will serve as a resource base
for the Midwest. It is the fifth chapter
in the United States.
"With a commitment and zeal
that is virtually unparalleled, com-
bined with a true spirit of Ahavat
Yisrael, the Schreibers have earned
the admiration and respect of all who
labor in the counter-missionary field:'
says Larry Levey, east coast director
of Jews For Judaism.
Jews For Judaism will host its
kick-off meeting at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12
at the Maple/Drake Jewish Corn-
munity Center. Called "Missionaries
Among Us. The Target Is You," the
event is free and open to the public.
"We are grateful to God for this
opportunity to expand our efforts to
counter the distortions and decep-
tions of the missionaries;' Schreiber
said. "All Jews, regardless of affilia-
tion, are concerned about this pro-
blem."

An estimated 100,000 Jews have
interests in what is commonly refer-
red to as the Union of Messianic
Jewish Congregations. Members in
any one of the country's 120 mes-
sianic congregations, they call
themselves Jews but chant psalms
from the New Testament. They use
Hebrew and Yiddish names, but pro-
selytize Christianity.
Two local congregations — both in
Oak Park — attract between 200 and
300 Jews who practice Christianity,
Schreiber estimates.
"They tell you the only way to
become complete Jews is to accept
Jesus," Schreiber warns. "We are not
trying to attack Christianity. We
want people to make informed
choices?'
The Schreibers have been in-
terested for many years in anti-
missionary affairs. They launched the
local counter-missionary movement
about five years ago.
To date, the Schreibers can share
three success stories about Jews who
left the messianic movement while in
the process of converting to
Christianity.
They are working with rabbis and
other community leaders to combat
the problem. Now, they are trying to
obtain funding through grants from
charitable foundations.
Representatives from the Jewish
Community Council say they will
help the Schreibers establish their
group as a community organization
by placing Jews For Judaism on the
speaker's bureau.
"Their goal is a good one," says
JCCouncil representative Miriam
Schey.
The non-profit group has raised a
few thousand dollars from about 100
donors, Schreiber says. He and Batya
Schreiber will run Jews For Judaism
from their home in Oak Park.

Michael Lavetter, left, and Ari Scharg are pictured with their Matisse replications on display in
the Children of Hillel Art Institute at Hillel Day School. The exhibit will run through Feb. 10.

Chabad Brings Blessings
For Children To Sinai

ELIZABETH KAPLAN

.

Features Editor

modern hospital is incor-
porating an ancient tradition
to bring added protection to
Jewish women giving birth.
Sinai Hospital recently hung
more than 25 paintings which have
taped on their backs a colorful card
printed with the Shir Lama'alot,
Psalm 121. It is a blessing the
Lubavitch Women's Organization
believes will help guarantee a child's
safe birth and long, healthy life.
The Shir Lama'alot brings
"shmira (protection) for the mother
and child," says Rabbi Avrom
Wineberg. "It's also important
because a child should be immediate-

ly surrounded by holiness when he is
born?'
Many years ago, Rabbi Wineberg
explains, women about to give birth
wrote holy names and verses on bits
of paper that were placed throughout
the home for protection. Because most
women today deliver their children at
the hospital, the tradition has all but
disappeared.
Rabbi Wineberg's wife, Rochel, is
in charge of the Shir Lama'alot pro-
ject. Her home is filled with paintings
by New York artist Sarah Benjamin;
who was commissioned to make the
prints for the hospitals, and small
cards printed with doves, flowers and
the Shir Lama'alot.
The project was the idea of the

Continued on Page 12

ROUND UP

Jewish Library
Opens In Cairo

Jerusalem (JTA) — A
Jewish heritage library was
inaugurated in Cairo last
week, a joint venture of the
local Jewish community and
the Israeli Academic Center
there.
The library, which will be
housed in the Sha'ar
Hashamayim synagogue,
already has 9,000 books and
ancient manuscripts, among
them are rare volumes on
Kabbalah, including the
Zohar. The oldest date back to
the 16th century. Some were

printed in Egypt, others in
Turkey, Italy and Palestine.
The library's goal is 60,000
volumes recounting the
history of Egyptian Jewry.

Nerenberg
Is Sentenced

Former Oak Park butcher
David Nerenberg and his
employee David Cohen
received prison sentences last
Friday for harassing an at-
torney representing Sinai
Hospital.
Nerenberg was given a 1V2
year jail term and Cohen a

nine-month term for several
incidents of vandalism at the
Bloomfield Hills home of at-
torney I. William Winsten.
The two also were ordered by
U.S. District Court Judge
John Feikins to serve two
years probation after com-
pleting their jail terms.
The incidents occurred after
Nerenberg sued Sinai
Hospital, claiming the
hospital, several of its
employees, the Council of Or-
thodox Rabbis and the Kollel
Institute had discriminated
against his butcher shop
because Sinai refused to buy
kosher meat from his store.

The courts dismissed the
lawsuit:

Cluckers Crave
Shostakovich

Jerusalem (JTA) —
Chickens exposed from birth
to classical music get
plumper faster than
"culturally deprived" birds,
researchers at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem
report.
Recent experiments by Dr.
Gadi Gvaryahu show that
chickens listening to soft,
soothing music and given
visual stimulants grew up to

4 percent fatter than those
raised by conventional
methods.
Gvaryahu recommended
the music not be played
louder than 75 decibels, ad-
ding that the chickens "prefer
calming music, without
dramatic crescendos?'

Test-Tithe Triplets
Born In Israel

ml Aviv (JTA) — A woman
implanted with frozen em-
bryos gave birth to triplets
Monday, the second test-tube
birth in Israel within 24
hours.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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