OPINION CONTENTS Stop The Persecution Of Soviet Immigrants EDWARD BANK I n Russia, "Jewish" means "of Jewish descent," as opposed to "of Jewish religion?' In fact, when a Soviet Jew refers to persecu- tion, he or she is usually not talking of the inability to wor- ship God (which' is a separate issue), but rather of being denied equal rights with non- Jews. In any case, be it the descent or religion, we were persecuted as Jews. Moreover, we felt like Jews; we thought of ourselves as Jews and we were seeking things Jewish — language, culture, religon. What were we finding in our search? Nothing! Not a thing! There is no official Soviet recognition of the fact that Jews exist as a people; they called us "an ethnic It is up to each individual to make this choice, the same choice that any other Jew has. group." Schools do not exist; language (Hebrew) does not exist; culture does not exist. There are synagogues, but if you dared to go there, you would pay for it. There is an official press in Yiddish, but no one reads that Soviet propaganda. The Nazis destroyed six million of us physically. The communists are destroying us spiritually. Don't think today, with "glasnost," things are different. If you believe they are, I know of an almost un- used bridge for sale. Nevertheless, we were Jews. Not only did we know that we had Jewish blood in our veins, we were reminded, of that when we looked for jobs, entered colleges, etc. Well, those who could not take it anymore left. We left as Jews because we were Jews, because we wanted to remain Jews. Life in America turned out to be difficult. Only those who went through it know the frustration of having to learn a new language, having to go to an interview where you don't understand questions, Edward Bank of Southfield is an engineer at Unisys. He immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union in 1977 with his wife and daughters. trying to learn to drive, etc. We did not give up. We did what we had to do. In the process, we received -a lot of help -from our new American friends, without whom none of what we eventually achieved would have been possible. For that, we are grateful and indebted forever. After coming to America many of us wanted to know more about being Jewish. Since we identified ourselves as Jews, the synagogue was one of the first places we saw. However, after a few visits to the synagogues, our interest subsided and, for many, disap- peared. Why? We did not understand; we could not understand what went on. Never in our lives had we at- tended services. We did not know Hebrew. To go beyond a casual interest meant exer- ting a lot of effort, which was also requried to be spent on English, job hunting, etc. What would you have done? Now, for those of us who were here long enough to get . our lives organized, the ques- tion became: "Do we or don't we lead a religious life?" It is up to each individual to make this choice, the same choice that any other Jew has unless, of course, one thinks that secular Jews ought to be exiled to Russia. In the U.S.S.R. we were Jews as we knew how. In the U.S.A. we are Jews as we know how. Our concept of being Jewish may differ from that of yours, but don't tell us we are not Jews. It was in our faces they yelled "kikes,"spit and slapped. Do not tell us we are not Jews! We may not be temple at- tending, volunteering, cheer- ful people that can easily fit into molds. We are, however, Jews. I told an acquaintance of mine, (who shares my interest in classical records and vacuum tube stereo equip- ment), a deeply religious, kippa- and tsitses-wearing Jew, the following story. When I reached the age of 16, I had a chance to receive -a passport that said "Russian" rather than "Jew"; I declined that chance. This man was stunned. "Why", he asked, "did you ruin the rest of your life?" He did not understand. Do not tell us we are not Jews! Are the immigrants from the U.S.S.R. lost to the cause? Continued on Page 12 CLOSE-UP Solidarity Forever 24 LAURIE MAYERS Some Jewish radicals from the 1960s are still trying to change the world. NOTEBOOK 34 Forked Tongue GARY ROSENBLATT The PLO continues to announce messages with opposing themes. AROUND TOWN Solidarity Sunday 52 46 GLENN TRIEST A photographic essay highlights Sunday's Solidarity Walk for Israel. FITNESS. 52 Finding Fitness KIMBERLY LIFTON Americans, both young and old, are opting for a healthy lifestyle. ENTERTAINMENT 61 . Musical Gem VICTORIA BELYEU DIAZ Margelee Green-Ruby has been singing and playing music since her youth. 91 PROFILE Dramatic - Achievement! 61 STEVEN M. HARTZ Trauma could not stop Oakland County Teacher of the Year Robert Leiden TEENS 94 Winning Essays REVA NELSON REBECCA CRISS Trust and friendship are the themes of the Arabic/Jewish Friends' winners. DEPARTMENTS 30 39 48 56 58 Inside Washington Community Education Sports Travel 76 80 86 98 104 Fine Arts For Women For Seniors Engagements Births CANDLELIGHTING 91 May 12, 1989 8:26 p.m. Sabbath ends May 13 9:32 p.m. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 7 •